Testimonials

"Best of all, we don’t have to worry about the envelopes tearing and the contents falling out." This is an important consideration for precious documents that must travel so far - under adverse conditions - to civilization’s most remote outposts.

Each year, the college ships books to some 600 missionaries who are graduates of Wheaton and are affiliated with many different organizations. These books are a priceless commodity to the missionaries who are living and serving in faraway locations. Many of the volumes help establish libraries where none existed.

In searching for an answer to its mailing and shipping needs, Wheaton College wanted packaging strong enough to stand up to the rough treatment associated with international mailings, difficult climates and primitive "mail systems." Delivery can easily take weeks or more.

Bubble-lined Tyvek® envelopes have fit the bill on all counts. "They provide security without a lot of weight. They also take up less storage space than boxes," explains Bemister.

Wheaton even uses Tyvek® envelopes for more routine mailings. "We mail Trustees’ correspondence in Tamper-Evident Tyvek® envelopes because, often, the materials we send are confidential, and the red, Tamper-Evident strip lets our trustees know if the envelopes have been opened. They also don’t rip in mailing equipment."

As for yearbooks, the decision on what type of envelope to use is left up to the individual student. But the results of using ordinary envelopes have been predictable. "I graduated from the college myself," says Bemister, "and one year I received a yearbook in a regular envelope. It tore in the mail."

"We’ve been using Tyvek® Card Sleeves for the past six or seven years," said Ellen Barnes, the department assistant for University Services. "They’re lightweight, they can fit into a wallet easily and they protect the magnetic strip from getting damaged." They’re also eye-catching - with color images of Northwestern’s Wildcat mascot and the university’s logo.

"Magnetic strip failure used to be a real problem. Now, we only have a fraction of the number of people bringing us their cards to have them redone, because we have switched from a low- to a high-corsivity strip."

Barnes’ department uses other types of Tyvek® envelopes, too. "I use Tyvek® envelopes with the bubble lining for mailing computer discs," Barnes said. "I like the fact that nobody knows what’s inside the package like they did when I used cardboard and the bubbles protect the discs better than plain cardboard. Plus, Tyvek® protects against tears, bursts and punctures; something cardboard can’t do."

For mailing larger items, Barnes prefers Tyvek® Expansion envelopes. "When I send out a binder or something bulky, these Tyvek® envelopes have gussets that help make it easier to put the items inside. Kraft envelopes don’t have gussets," Barnes explained.

And weight isn’t a problem with Tyvek® envelopes. According to Barnes, "Manila envelopes can tear when you mail something heavy, but with Tyvek® envelopes, I don’t have to worry about things falling out of the package or winding up in a bag at the post office."

Although you may not know Tyvek® envelopes by name, you almost certainly know something about their strength from hands-on experience. Thanks to a once-tiny start-up company with a big idea.

In 1973, when Fred Smith, the founder of Federal Express, introduced his concept of guaranteed overnight package delivery to almost anywhere in the U.S., the idea was revolutionary. He was also staking everything on his firm's ability to "absolutely, positively" deliver on that promise. Regardless of weather. Regardless of anything.

As luck would have it, an enterprising envelope salesman calling on the company immediately grasped the enormity of their challenge. So he reached deep into his sample bag and pulled out a new and extraordinary high-performance envelope, unlike anything else: a virtually indestructible Tyvek® envelope.

The rest is history. Today, many millions of envelopes later, FedEx has established itself as a global leader in express delivery. And the Tyvek® FedEx Pak is one of the most familiar, most readily-identified objects in the world.

Ordinary envelopes have their place. They also have their limitations.

For example, ordinary interdepartmental envelopes wear out long before their time, but the extended life of Tyvek® Interdepartmental Envelopes makes them far more economical. And lightweight Tyvek® envelopes with protective linings make a cost-effective replacement for heavy shipping boxes and cartons – they also cost less to send. You’ll also want to check with your mailroom for (and ask them about) returned and damaged mail. Often, when sending out a big mailing, say, an Annual Report, the true cost of duplicate mailings can far outweigh the lower initial cost of paper envelopes. Of course, when you’re sending something important, something that must arrive safely and on time, regardless of weather or rough handling en route — a legal document, a contract bid, a new business proposal, whatever — there’s just no substitute for a Tyvek® envelope.