From inkjet labels to office furniture, we stock all the latest kit. But some business supplies feel like they’ve been with us forever. Take the humble envelope – such a household and office staple seldom gets given a second thought. Well here at Loco (http://www.loco.ie) we like to give a little thought to the origins and history of all of our stationery supplies, and we often uncover surprising facts and a better understanding of our products.
Next time you send something half way round the world from your office chair with a click of a button, spare a thought for the humble beginnings of long distance communication. Dating back to 3500BC, the first envelope-type creation was made from clay and was shaped around important items for safe sending; it must have been a time consuming business getting your pottery wheel out every time you send a letter! Nowadays technology over tradition appears to be leading the way but thankfully it looks like the envelope is here to stay, as although it was predicted that demand would fall with the invention of email in the 1990s we are still using the trusty envelope as much as ever. The most commonly sent envelopes being the classic C and DL ranges.
Paper Envelopes as we would recognise them now began life as a luxury item of the rich no less, a novel way to encase invitations in the 19th century. You would have to cut your own from a sheet to show off your affluence, who would have thought the envelope was once a sought after mark of the rich and style conscious? Well, here at Loco we may not be able to make you look rich but we can offer an extensive range of envelopes for all your sending needs, ranging from sage compatible payslip wage envelopes to padded Jiffy bags of all sizes.
The office classic window envelope was first created by Americus F Callahan in 1901 who patented the film covering the window, though due to material shortages early on in the 20th century some envelopes would have no film covering the hole. A more economic way was invented where hot oil would be poured onto the window area which would turn translucent and reveal the address underneath. Luckily nowadays there’s none of this fuss and you can order your readymade window envelopes direct from our range of business supplies.
This overlooked convenience has shaped the way we communicate for thousands of years and is still here to help businesses the world over. At Loco (http://www.loco.ie) we are proud to help keep this tradition alive.
