# Envelope

In e-signature, an envelope is one send: the document or documents, the list of signers and their fields, packaged and tracked as a single unit.

## In plain words

The word comes from paper. You put the pages in an envelope, address it, and post it. Many e-signature products kept the term. An envelope holds one or more files, the people who must sign, where each person signs, and the status of the whole thing.

It matters most for pricing. Many vendors cap or charge by envelope, so knowing what counts as one tells you what you will pay.

## An example

A property manager sends a lease, a pet addendum and a parking form to two tenants at once. In a tool that bundles files, that is one envelope with three files and two signers. If the tool counts each file separately, it is three.

## Envelope limits in the market

Envelope caps vary a lot. A competitor's summary of Docusign pricing, checked in 2026, reports Standard and Business Pro annual plans at 100 envelopes per user per year. Other vendors, such as BoldSign, SignWell, Documenso and DocuSeal, list unlimited documents on low-cost plans. These are third-party or vendor figures, and prices change, so check the vendor before you decide.

## How it shows up in docuinked

docuinked doesn't use the word. We call the unit a **document**: one PDF, up to 10 signers, and their fields. Each document has its own ID, status, sealed PDF and evidence record. You create one with `create_document` or `create_from_template`.

If you need to send several files together, merge them into one PDF before you upload. During the public beta, docuinked is free, with a limit of 100 live documents sent a day per account. Test documents don't count. See [pricing](/pricing).

## Common confusions

**Envelope versus signer.** One envelope can have many signers. A per-envelope price doesn't change with the number of signers, while a per-signer price does.

**Envelope versus template.** A [template](/glossary/template) is the reusable pattern. An envelope, or a document in docuinked, is one real send made from it.

**Bulk sends.** A [bulk send](/glossary/bulk-send) creates one envelope per recipient. It is many envelopes, not one big one.

## Related terms

- [Signing order](/glossary/signing-order)
- [Template](/glossary/template)
- [Bulk send](/glossary/bulk-send)

## Sources

Checked 2026-11-07.

- [Signeasy on Docusign pricing](https://signeasy.com/blog/business/docusign-pricing), a competitor's summary
- [BoldSign pricing](https://boldsign.com/pricing/)
- [SignWell pricing](https://www.signwell.com/pricing/)
- [DocuSeal pricing](https://www.docuseal.com/pricing)
- [Documenso pricing](https://documenso.com/pricing)

docuinked is not affiliated with any vendor named here. All names belong to their owners.

## Common questions

### Does a declined document count as a send in docuinked?

Yes. The daily limit counts live sends, so a document that went out and was later declined or voided still used one.

### Can one docuinked document hold several PDFs?

Not as separate files. Combine them into a single PDF first. The seal then covers all the pages together.

### Why do vendors price by envelope rather than by page?

It matches what the buyer thinks of as one job, a single thing sent for signature. It also keeps long documents from costing more than short ones.