Let’s first understand what a jiffy envelope is. A padded envelope, known as a padded or cushioned mailer, is an envelope with an added padding that gives protection to the items that are being posted, or shipped. The padding is usually of a thick paper, foam or bubble wrap.
But then, why are they called jiffy envelopes?
Actually, Jiffy Packaging is a packaging manufacturer who is based primarily out of Winsford, Cheshire in England. This brand is best known for their ‘Jiffy Padded Bags’. This product became so popular that with time this became a byword for padded envelopes.
The Baldwin family incorporated the Jiffy Packaging Company Limited in 1964 to produce a product of the same name, the Jiffy Padded Bags. The Baldwins have been producing wood wool since 1896 in Birmingham and since 1926 in Manchester. But they chose Winsford to be the base for their new company.
The super successful and popular products of this company in the UK and Europe made jiffy bag or jiffy envelopes, a general term for any kind of padded envelopes in British English.
How was the bubble lined envelope invented?
Shipping or posting fragile goods had always been a problem. Previously, as in before the padded envelopes were discovered, people used to pack fragile goods amid shredded paper or newspaper to provide an added cushioning in a brown paper bag and a string.
The smaller fragile goods demanded a better kind of packaging, which needed to be bigger than paper envelopes and smaller than a boxed parcel.
Invented in 1896, the original jiffy padded envelopes were made of a paper outer, with a thinner layer of paper inside, along with a shredded old newspaper to provide protective layering.
Bubble wrap, like many other inventions, was an accidental find. Two engineers Alfred Fielding and Marc Chavannes created it in 1957. They tried to create a plastic wallpaper, backed with paper, that could be easily cleaned. As a result, bubble wraps were discovered.
What do you understand by bubble wraps?
Bubble wrap is a clear, pliable plastic material commonly used to pack fragile items. Air-filled bubbles, which are regularly spaced, provide cushioning for precious or fragile items, and obviously its entry into the postal system was confirmed.
And it helped in designing small padded envelopes. Padded envelopes now have a technology of bubble wraps laminated inside the outer craft paper envelope. This padding not only provides protection to the contents of a packaging but also makes it difficult to judge the contents inside a padded envelope.
Uses of padded or jiffy envelopes
The bubble-lined bags, with time, have become a staple in offices and e-commerce sites who need to send parcelled products every now and then. Usually available in a wide range of sizes, these padded envelopes are cheap and easily available. It is great for packaging and sending costly and fragile items.
Mailing small packages or other envelopes may receive up to 27 handlings and can have a maximum drop height of up to 1.2m. The contents of the mailing envelopes, consisting of fragile items, usually need protection from vibration and shock damage. The padding or cushioning help protect the contents.
