The company has developed Paper Wrap technology, designed as an alternative to DL and C5 envelopes for commercial direct mail applications; the product can be used to produce personalised direct mail packs and one-piece mailers, which are enclosed into five-colour peelable and re-sealable outer wallets that are printed on both the inside and outside.

The product uses peelable "post it note" glue to eliminate the need for a permanent seal so that it can be opened, re-sealed and reused. The Paper Wrap wallets can be used to mail personalised letters, inserts, barcoded voucher books, loyalty cards and product sample sheets.

The Lettershop Group said that rather than using a traditional outer envelope as a carrier, which is destroyed by the recipient to get at the contents inside, the outer paper wrap becomes a component part of the mailing itself.

The Paper Wrap format reduces the amount of paper used per mailing, cutting down the pack weight and enabling companies to save money on postage. The product is also easier to recycle than window envelopes or polythene wraps.

The Lettershop Group commercial director Dave McGolpin said: "The Paper Wrap is a product we have been developing over the past three to four years. We have seen a spike in demand for it over recent months, with people trying to cut costs and the increase in postal charges.

The feedback we are getting is that people also like it because it looks different; some of our customers are testing it an alternative to polythene in small formats and they have told us that it is generating more interest than something wrapped in polythene."

"The product is produced using a CMC enclosing machine that we have adapted so that instead of running envelopes we are running Paper Wraps."