There are two ways that Western States can print envelopes for you:

1. Flexography
   An offshoot of letterpress, flexography uses the same raised image area, which is inked by an anilox roll. The roll is pressed directly against the envelope die cut to produce the image. Unlike heavy paste inks used on a traditional letterpress, flexographic ink is very watery. Consequently, the inks system consists of only two rollers rather than multiple form rollers with heavy inks. Photopolymer plates are used for flexography printing. Whether water or alcohol based, flexographic inks enable high-speed print runs that dry instantly. This option is ideal for quality printed pieces that need to be completed quickly and economically.
   
   
2. Lithography
   When letterpress quality is not acceptable, lithography or "offset" printing is a wise choice. Using a flat printing plate, lithography relies on the principle that the non-image area has an affinity to water and the image area has an affinity to paste inks. The plate transfers ink to a rubber blanket, which then transfers the ink to the paper and produces the image. Lithography delivers exceptional print quality, but is not as economical as letterpress or flexography.

Before we print for you...
Please note that all of our printing prices are per 1,000 plain envelopes, unless otherwise specified. Since there are several options and specifications to consider when printing envelopes, please contact us first to discuss how we can best meet your needs and find the most economical solution.