Essentially, whatever the graphologist needs is in the body of the writing and the signature. The envelope by its very nature, being exterior to the body of the writing, is also exterior to the core of the analysis. Nevertheless, it does shed light on many issues.

The writing on the envelope is quite similar to the signature in that both reflect how the writer wishes to appear. In addition, as with the signature, when we see a variation between the writing in the body of the letter and that on the envelope, we analyze this difference.

A word of caution: A full analysis should never be done from the writing on the envelope alone, but only in conjunction with the body of the letter. In the writer’s mind, the envelope does not represent his inner self; it is only his relationship to the outside world, his outer self.

One of the major aspects of envelope writing is consideration. The writer wishes his letter to arrive in the hands of the addressee. When we see a neat, legibly addressed envelope, we see consideration for the mail carriers and all the other people who have to handle the letter en route to the intended address. Figure 1 shows a letter that is properly addressed and can be read with ease. Figure 2 is much more difficult to decipher:

Many people whose writing is normally not very legible make a special effort when addressing the envelope. This is not a significant point for analysis unless the difference is tremendous, for it is only common sense to take pains when addressing a piece of mail. However, when we see illegible words and numbers on the envelope, we know immediately that this is a most inconsiderate individual.

Envelope writing usually includes some numbers, which the body of the writing often lacks. Numbers show the writer's relationship to money. People who write illegible numbers are often dishonest. There may be a cheating motivation behind the illegibility-if he is caught, he can say, "I did write the right amount, you just can’t read it." The numbers in Figure 2 can easily be misread, and although the writer is not cheating anyone by writing the address so that it is difficult to read, it does reveal that the writing of ambiguous numbers is ingrained in his personality. Whereas the writer of Figure 1 will have an easy time in relating to the outside world, the writer of Figure 2 will always be a quite ambiguous figure to the society in which he lives. He prefers it that way, and the people he meets feel the same way about him. You can have a long conversation with a person like this and afterward realize that you did not understand one word he said.

It would be difficult for an amateur to recognize the body of the writing, which is broad and heavy, from the writing on the envelope in Figure 3. Since the envelope writing reflects the writer’s outward behavior, we see that in relating to the outside world, he is shy and lacks confidence, whereas to the people he knows best, he is quite self-assured. The body of the writing of Figure 4 is quite tight in comparison to the heavy writing presented here on the envelope, so this man is the opposite of the writer of Figure 3. Though he wants the outside world to think that he is self-confident, he really is quite unsure of himself.

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