Pitshanger director Richard Herd acknowledged that postal volumes are in decline, but he believes this creates an opportunity for envelopes that offer doormat standout.

“Any brand spending over a £1 to mail an item, is not going to scrimp on the envelope,” he said.

“So, while many of the volume envelope manufacturers are diversifying out of the bespoke market they are leaving behind a demand for low-volume, premium envelopes and packets.”

The Dartford-based business produces 85% of its envelopes in-house, which enables it to manufacturer products from 40x40mm coin envelopes all the way through to C3 calendar envelopes.

Envelope styles range from ‘normal’ wallets and pockets to V-bottom gussets, tuck flaps, crease capacity, bangtails, book mailers, Maltese cross, P&S diamond, skinny box gusset, seed packets and all board envelopes.

Options include perfs, Rippa strips, finger lift tap, drilled holes, string and washers, windows and apertures, thumb cuts and colour linings.

The 40-year-old firm also offers a broad substrate range from 120gsm paper up to 425gsm board, with order quantities from 50 up to 150,000 items.

One area the business is looking to expand in is non-mailing envelopes, having recently expanded its capacity to produce envelopes for industrial fixings and components.

While the business has five-colour litho capabilities in-house, Herd said printers were perhaps missing a growth trick of their own.

“Printers already have the work for the brochures, folders, inserts, etc, but traditionally have shied away from supplying envelopes,” he said.

“We would like more printers to look at printing the sheets for envelopes themselves and then sending them out to someone like us to die-cut and make up.”

For a sample pack call 01322 313666 or visit www.envelopesfor.co.uk/samples