1. WITH SPEED: This phrase is linked to the U.S. Air Force’s test pilot program, with the “envelope” referring to the range and outer boundaries of how fast, how high, how low and under what stress conditions a particular plane could fly. Test pilots pushed the envelope by flying planes at or beyond those limits.
2. WITH SMARTS: What’s new or next in “paper-based communications”? Envelopes that can interface with the Internet by carrying bar codes or encryptions that can be read by cell phones or computer mice; envelopes made with “intelligent” papers carrying circuitry or organic-light-emitting diodes; and those made completely from recycled office waste.
–Maynard Benjamin, CEO of the Envelope Manufacturers Association and author of “The History of Envelopes”
3. WITH TOO MUCH SPARE TIME: Make your own envelope glue by boiling 6 tablespoons of white vinegar in a small pan, then adding four packets of unflavored gelatin, stirring to dissolve. Brush a thin layer of glue onto the flap of your lovely homemade envelopes (why else would you need the glue?) and let dry.
