What counts as an envelope

People ask the FAQ as a unit of work: what counts as an envelope? The honest answer is a created-and-sent envelope. Desk send from an uploaded PDF or a template counts. Each unique bulk-send row that actually goes out counts. Each Web Form fill that submits counts — the slug is not an envelope; the created-and-sent envelope is. POST /api/v1/packets/:id/send counts. Create without send does not. That is envelope-count honesty: the monthly cap watches sends, not screenshots, not publishes, not reminders.

The live number is the Free plan 5-packet cap. The lane subtraction is Free vs Starter envelope math. List math is bulk send Free envelope math. Desk help is Docs. The FAQ already says paid does not always mean more envelopes. This guide is the checklist behind that question.

Pricing lists Free 5, Starter 20, Growth 100, Agency 500. Ask Inkpacket for what counts as an envelope to open this article. Ask how envelope limits work to open billing help. Those phrases stay on the product screens. This article is the public version of the counter.

What counts

• A desk send from Documents → new or from a template draft.
• Each unique email a bulk job actually sends. Duplicates go out once. Retries skip rows that already sent.
• Each Web Form submit. Preview traffic on an open slug is not an envelope.
• An API send. Create-from-template can sit as a draft until you POST send.

One envelope with several signers is still one envelope. Sequential or parallel routing does not multiply the count. Send one envelope to multiple signers is that path. A reminder, a resend, a correct, or a void does not mint a second envelope. A second create-and-send does. If you only needed another copy of the link, stay on the same envelope id — envelope admin.

What does not count

• Saving a template. Sending the draft does.
• Publishing, disabling, or re-enabling a Web Form without a fill.
• Minting or revoking an API token. A webhook delivery.
• A Team invite. A seat URL is not an envelope.
• An SMS or email that soft-fails after the envelope already exists.
• Drive archive, an embed copy, or a payment request on a send that already counted.

If mail skipped, the envelope still counted. Copy the signing link. Text-message (SMS) is coming soon — the envelope still counted. If Drive skipped, Drive not configured — completion still counted as the same envelope, not a second one. Stripe off: Payments not live. Signing still completes on that same id.

Two different 402s

ENVELOPE_LIMIT is the monthly send cap. The free-plan sentence is The free plan has reached its monthly packet limit (5). with HTTP 402. A published-form cap is a different 402 on a second Web Form publish — Web Form Free published-form cap. Do not read the publish gate as “you are out of envelopes.” Do not read ENVELOPE_LIMIT as “publish another form.” Access-code 429 is a PIN lockout, not either 402. Each API token allows 120 requests per minute per token. Over that limit, /api/v1 returns HTTP 429 with a Retry-After header. Inkpacket does not send X-RateLimit headers.

Send opens again at the start of the next UTC month. Envelopes already sent stay sent. You do not lose in-flight work. Do not clone an envelope to “retry” a cap error. That is a second send you still cannot complete this month.

Starter lists more envelopes

Starter is 20 envelopes — more than Free — plus 3 published Web Forms versus Free’s 1. You pick Starter when a second and third public form matter, not because you outgrew Free’s 5. Checkout is not open, so this workspace stays on Free. Seat counts are planning numbers; invite does not refuse when a workspace is full. Planning team seats is that ceiling.

The click-path

1. Before a bulk job, preview unique addresses against the remaining month.
2. Before a Web Form campaign, remember each submit is a send.
3. Before an API retry, send an Idempotency-Key so a succeeded send does not twin.
4. When mail or SMS skips, copy the link. Do not POST send again.
5. When you hit HTTP 402 ENVELOPE_LIMIT, wait for the next UTC month.

The desk does not shrink on Free. Templates, bulk send, routing, access codes, embed, reminders, expiry, void, correct, resend, API, and webhooks all run. You are waiting on the next UTC month when the 5 is gone — not on Starter to place a field. Features lists the same set without the essay.

Caps and what is not open yet

Free allows 5 packets a month. Free at 5 packets a month is the live cap desk send, bulk rows, Web Form fills, and API send share. Hitting it returns HTTP 402 ENVELOPE_LIMIT. Starter is 20 envelopes — more than Free — plus 3 published Web Forms. Seat counts are planning numbers; invite does not refuse when a workspace is full.

Billing is published, not charging. Checkout is not open. Text-message (SMS) is coming soon. Drive missing: Drive not configured. Stripe off: Payments not live. Those flags do not change what a send is. The FAQ and billing help use monthly envelope cap in the same words.

Count real sends. Ignore the screens that only prepare them. File what actually went out. Open a workspace on Free — see published pricing — and send one envelope so the 5 is a number you have watched, not a FAQ guess.