Envelope Clear Area?

[kcrossley]

I'm designing a monarch style envelope. My printer is printing the flat sheets and then having them converted into envelopes, which means I'll be able to bleed the design across the folds. Cool!

Does anyone know what the USPS guidelines are regarding this kind of printing? Will I need to keep certain areas white for USPS automated processing?

Any help with this is greatly appreciated.

[Bill Silbert]

You can download a pdf from the USPS website that explains in detail virtually every regulation they have for preprinted envelopes.

You can find it at: https://about.usps.com/publications/pub25.pdf.

[kcrossley]

Thanks Bill. I did read through that publication, but it seemed a little vague regarding printed envelopes.

For example, I know that printing a solid color on an envelope is permitted, because I've seen companies like AMEX, Geico, and others do that. Some even used photos. But, according to the USPS publication you referenced, there must be a 30% PRD (Print Reflectance Difference). How would one measure the PRD? Does any part of the envelope need to be completely free of printing?

[Bill Silbert · Accepted solution]

In the agency in which I work, in order to stay away from something as complex as the calculations you're faced with, we will usually design envelopes with printing on  one side only and leave one side white. Although, as in the screen shot below you'll see that the envelope flap is able to retain color and also that it is perfectly fine to have the backside of the envelope for the address:

[kcrossley]

That's a good idea.