Black Envelopes

Do you know what glassine envelopes are, and what they are used for? You have probably seen them around but just did not know what they are called. In fact, glassine envelopes are a very important material for anyone involved in stamp collecting. Glassine, a lightweight, semi-transparent material, does not contain any harmful chemicals and it is fairly resistant to moisture. This makes it particularly suitable for philately because stamps are so delicate and need to be preserved. In fact, glassine is used for stamp hinges, which stick stamps into their albums.

You can put any type of philatelic material into glassine envelopes, from a few loose stamps to sheets of stamps, or even whole envelopes that still have stamps upon them. The great thing about glassine is that because it is translucent, you can see the stamps from the outside. That could be a nice benefit to have when using this type of envelope.

Stamp collectors, however, are not the only users of glassine envelopes. They are also great for photographers. Even though the digital camera has mostly eliminated the use of films and negatives, there are plenty of these items still around. Storing negatives in glassine envelopes will prevent them from getting spoiled and they can be used again and again. If you have a whole batch of loose photographs but you really don’t have the time to sort them into albums, you could sort them into glassine envelopes. This will not look as organized and neat as a photo album, but at least the pictures will not get lost, dog-eared, or spoiled in the meantime. To be even more efficient, you could sort the glassine envelopes into categories – one for school photos, one for baby photos, one for vacation pictures, and so forth.

Another use for glassine envelopes could be as favor bags at a wedding. Put inside each one just a few candies or sugared almonds and tie with a piece of pink ribbon, and this will look very classy. The translucent look of glassine will make the favors match with the lace and tulle so commonly seen at weddings. You can also use them for your wedding CDs when you decide to give copies to your family and close friends after the event. The glassine envelope will preserve the CD and makes a tasteful covering for this special gift.

If you want your business or art cards to be a little bit special, you could put them inside small glassine envelopes. Sprinkle them with a little walnut ink to give them an antique appearance, and you certainly make your cards a little bit different. This can stand out to the recipient.

Before reading this article, did you ever realize just how versatile glassine envelopes were? And they are relatively inexpensive, at that! From wedding favors to stamps, and from photographs to business cards, you can preserve what is important to you and make a good impression with very little money and a certain amount of creativity.