Call Today! 1(800)-367-5793
Printed Mailers
Greenway Print Solutions offers the nation's best pricing on a wide variety of self mailers, continuous or laser, pressure seal or heat seal, forms or checks, all at great prices.
Pressure seal laser forms have become the dominant form of self mailer. This unique process allows you to create the information document and the outgoing mailer from one document. Once printed, the document is folded and sealed in a special machine that seals the document using pressure. There is no heat or water necessary in the sealing process.
Pressure seal is ideal for payroll, accounts payable, tax forms and any one way notification. In addition, special designs may be used to create a return envelope as well. By switching to pressure seal, you can eliminate the need for envelopes, stuffing time, print time, and storage, loss to damage or humidity and errors in mailing. This product is available in many sizes and formats.
Pressure seal mailers can be simplex or duplex printed which eliminates the need for a separate envelope. They are cost effective because they eliminate folding by hand and other human labor error processe.
When a pressure seal form is processed on a folder sealer the end user should expect a 100% secure seal. A properly sealing pressure seal form should show "fiber tear" when attempting to open the sealed form along the adhesive edges. Anyone attempting to open a good quality pressure seal form should have to rip the paper to do so and of course at that point it becomes obvious that the document has been tampered with.
An unbelievable number of pressure seal forms on the market today are not achieving a 100% secure seal. We think this is unacceptable….a secure seal is supposed to be one of the chief benefits of a pressure seal system for the end user.
Achieving a 100% secure seal takes a combination of a good quality pressure seal form and a good quality folder sealer. We are offering a system solution….we sell and service both the forms and the machines.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Pressure Seal?
Pressure Seal is a system comprised of a one page self sealing document and/or a folder sealer for sealing the document.
How is a pressure seal form sealed?
The form is sealed though a process of folding the form on a pressure seal folder/sealer. Folding the form aligns patterns of "co hesive" which have been pre applied to the document during manufacture. Once folded, the document travels through a series of sealing rollers inside the folder/sealer. These rollers apply pressure to the form, which activates the co hesive and in turn creates a secure "fiber tear" seal.
Why is pressure seal glue called "co hesive" and not adhesive?
Unlike a standard adhesive, a co hesive requires two patterns placed on top of each other to create the bond. In the case of a pressure seal co hesive, very high pressure is required to activate the bond.
If pressure activates the co hesive why doesn't pressure from a laser printer cause the activation?
Pressure Seal co hesive only reacts when it comes in contact with itself under very high pressure. Any other pressure and heat has no affect on the pattern especially when applied to only one side of a form or pattern.
Doesn't the "co hesive" have little capsules that break when under pressure?
Some say that the co hesive is microencapsulated. However, this isn't true. Pressure Seal co hesive has no capsules to break. The chemistry is not like that of carbonless paper. The correct term for the bond is Mechanical Bonding. What this means exactly is beyond the scope of this paper but suffice it to say that describing pressure seal co hesive as a capsule system is not correct.
Are there different types of co hesives in the market today?
There are numerous types of co hesives in the market today. Some work better than others. The types, chemistry additives and method of application vary from manufacturer to manufacturer. However, the method and process used to apply the co hesive to the form may be more important than the type of co hesive used.
Can heat or extreme cold affect a pressure seal form?
Once manufactured, cold or heat should not affect the product as long as the product is properly wrapped. However, the product should be acclimated to a print room for at least 48 hours before imaging.
The raw co hesive material is another story. If the temperature of the raw co hesive drops below freezing, the material is destroyed and cannot be used. This is a quality control issue for the forms manufacturer.
Are there any special handling issues for Pressure Seal forms before or after imaging?
Product must be kept in its original wrap to ensure consistent moisture content of the paper is maintained. Product should be acclimatized in the imaging environment at least 48 hours prior to imaging. Once imaged, the product should be placed curl side down to remove any curl caused by passing through the print device. In general, forms should be put through the folder sealer on the same day that they are imaged.
What makes a good Pressure Seal form?
Proper co hesive chemistry and a proper method of applying the co hesive to the form are paramount for achieving a secure seal. Pressure seal co hesive is a volatile compound which requires active Quality measurement during the entire manufacturing process.
Important as well is accurate perforation registration to ensure proper alignment of the perforations and co hesive pattern during folding. Fold assist perforations that float in and out of registration will cause folding problems on a typical folder/sealer. In addition, this may cause the co hesive pattern to align improperly when the form is folded. Floating registration of perforations will cause feeding problems on a folder/sealer and result in a poorly sealing form.
Other factors that play an important part in a good quality pressure seal form are paper type, print quality, packaging and storage.
It is important to select a forms manufacturer with knowledge of the critical factors involved in manufacturing pressure seal forms and consistency is essential.
What should one expect from the form and from the folder sealer?
The form should show an aggressive fiber tearing bond after folding and sealing. Anything less is not acceptable. The perforations on the form should remain in tight registration and not float from form to form. Other specifications of the form such as print quality and cut off accuracy should adhere to normally accepted printing industry standards.
The folder sealer selected for the application should be a good fit as far as speed and capacity. The machine selected should show ease of use and robust construction to stand up to the high sealing pressure required to achieve a proper secure seal.
Why are there so many different pressure seal patterns?
Some co hesive patterns are patented. Some patterns are used for postal and printer considerations, while others have to be used to allow for the forms manufacturing process. Other patterns are used to allow for different ways of opening the sealed document. In general, one may stick with a few of the basic fold and co hesive patterns for a large share of pressure seal applications. However, there are unique patterns which may offer distinct benefits to the end user. Consulting with a trained pressure seal print professional is worthwhile.
Why doesn't my form seal tightly?
There are many variables some of which have already been discussed. Is the sealing impression on the folder/sealer sufficient? Is the machine poorly designed or not robust enough for the process? Were the forms manufactured with a poor quality co hesive or did the manufacturer do a poor job of applying the co hesive to the form? Are the positions of the fold perforations "floating" from form to form or from ream to ream? Do the co hesive patterns align properly after the form is folded? This is especially important and very easy to check. Were the wrong raw materials used? Were the forms stored properly and allowed to acclimate prior to use? A consultation with a pressure seal trained print professional will help avoid many or all of these problems.
Why do my forms keep jamming in the printer?
Again there are many variables. These include maintenance issues on the printer, forms having excessive curl or flexed edges, forms may be blocking or sticking together, weak or poor perforations.
However, try to rule out any issues with the printer itself before looking at the pressure seal form as the culprit.
Why do I get offset or transfer of toner onto the sealing rollers of my folder/sealer?
Toner transfer or build up will occur due to the fact that some toner is placed on the outside of the folded document. However, excessive toner build up can occur as a result of poor toner fusion to the sheet. This is a printer issue. Some toner transfer will occur. Knowing this and dealing with it as part of a routine maintenance program will avoid problems.
Can any paper be used on Pressure Seal applications?
No. Only specific papers are compatible with Pressure seal technology. Use of alternative papers such as coated stock is possible but should be tested.
What about basis weight of the paper?
Usually 24# and 28# papers are used. However, 38#, 80# & 100# tag can be used for some applications along with certain security papers. However, one should be aware that all folder/ sealers do not handle these heavier basis weights.
Does the product have to be laser imaged?
No. Continuous impact printing is still common.
What is the shelf life of the pressure seal form?
Normal shelf life is from 6 months to a year, assuming proper packaging and storage. Forms that are left exposed to the air will see a rapid deterioration in sealing performance. Leftover reams and partial reams of forms should not be left out. They should be placed back inside their cartons interior bag until the next use.
What is Simplex? Duplex?
Simplex is one sided imaging. Duplex is two sided imaging. These are typically discussed only in sheet fed laser printer applications however, high end continuous fed laser printer installations can print on both sides of a form as well.
What is the advantage of simplex imaging?
Imaging on one side allows for faster throughput because the document doesn't have to pass through the printer twice for imaging. Certain pressure seal form formats are tailor made for simplex printing.
What is the disadvantage of simplex printing?
Imaging on one side reduces the area on the form for the placement of variable imaging via laser or impact printing.
What is the advantage of duplex imaging?
In general, imaging on two sides of the form increases the area available for variable imaged information.
What is the disadvantage of duplex printing?
Duplex printing decreases the processing speed because the document must pass through the imaging device twice.
Mailer Folds
Z Fold
Available in either 11" or 14" depths, cut sheet or continuous folded and roll products. This form is folded in thirds with equal size panels.
Eccentric Z Fold
Available in either 11" or 14" depths, single sheet. This form is folded in thirds with unequal size panels.
V Fold or Half Fold
Available in 11" depths singe sheet, continuous folded and rolls. Commonly used for two way postcard.
C Fold and Letterfold
Available in either 11" or 14" depths single sheets. Folded in thirds, equal or unequal panel sizes. Panels fold inside. First panel folds to face center panel, top panel folds down covering the first.
Please contact your account representative. If you are a new customer, make a product inquiry online or call customer service at 800 367 5793 or 602 482 1100.