Mailing/Fulfillment - Hardware

Postal reform cleared another hurdle last month when the Senate passed its version of the bill by a voice vote. A conference committee will work to hammer out the differences between this bill and the House of Representatives version passed last July. Michael Makin, president of the PIA/GATF, hailed lawmakers for taking a major step towards modernizing the U.S. postal system. "Senate passage of postal reform is a huge victory in the printing industry's long quest for a major legislative overhaul of this country's postal laws," Makin said in a statement. The bill, he continued, "takes steps to ensure that future

In recent months, new products and capabilities have made mail imaging equipment even more useful to in-plants. By Debora Toth Digital mail imaging systems are increasingly being asked to print on various substrates and contend with errors in the mail stream. Recently introduced products are handling these challenges. "There is a growing trend of printing direct mailing and fulfillment pieces on coated stocks," says Ron Gilboa, vice president of marketing at Kodak Versamark. "Our DS4350 UV printing system has the ability to print on multiple substrates, making it an effective printing solution." The DS4350 ink-jet printing system is bundled with a UV curing ink

About half of all in-plants provide mailing services, with ink-jet addressing and inserting equipment among their most useful pieces of equipment. By Bob Neubauer Much of what's printed by an in-plant ends up in the mail. So those in-plants that provide mailing services have an advantage when it comes to getting and keeping customers. "Our experience has been that customers are pleased and relieved to have us process their mail as well as producing their printed pieces," notes Shey Lowman, director of ITS Document Services at Northern Illinois University, in DeKalb, Ill. "Prior to our purchasing modern mail addressing equipment, customers with

One secret to making it onto the Top 50: Merge with your mail department. Three-quarters of Top 50 shops have done it. By Vincent De Franco The numbers tell the story: 39 of the in-plants on this year's IPG Top 50 (78 percent) have consolidated with their organizations' mailing departments. As a result, both print and mail have been able to flourish at these in-plants, boosting sales and helping them achieve prestigious Top-50 status. For example, the mail and print departments at the University of Michigan were merged into the same building in May 2003, a move that Steven Lindimore, manager of printing/mailing services,

The latest envelope printing and inserting equipment has a focus on variable data printing. But is this right for your in-plant? By Kristen E. Monte The in-plant staff is now more frequently made responsible for overseeing the mail operation too," says Kerri Renshaw, marketing manager at Gunther International. In fact, IPG data shows that 50 percent of in-plants now have mailing responsibilities. As a result, envelope printing and inserting systems are becoming key components of many in-plants. But as those in-plants produce more variable data jobs, what effect is that having on the mail operation? "Organizations that invest time and money to personalize

At these in-plants, combining the print and mail departments has not only reduced costs but streamlined operations and allowed more cross-training. By W. Eric Martin When you manage an in-plant, you have a boatload of responsibilities—which is why it may seem strange to hear you should take on one more, specifically, the mail operation."Combining the manufacture of printed documents with their distribution is the most logical of efficient processes," says John Eichmann, the Central Services Division manager for the City of Boise, Idaho, which combined print, mail and office supplies procurement in the 1970s, and has been going strong ever since. Your customers obviously

Seeing big money in their mailing operations, these in-plants have invested aggressively in new equipment. By Mike Llewellyn State of Oregon Publishing and Distribution Program Salem, Ore. Manager: Kay Erickson In-plant Employees: 132 Mailing Employees: 25 Mailing equipment upgrades in past three years: Pitney Bowes Series 8 inserter, Secap V300 dual-head ink-jet system For Program Manager Kay Erickson, the purchase of a Pitney Bowes Series 8 inserter and a Secap V300 dual-head ink-jet system translated to an increase in cost savings and an expansion of the in-plant's business. "The Pitney inserter allows the option of cut sheet or continuous. It has given us backup

Merging with their organizations' mail operations has made these in-plants indispensable. by Mike Llewellyn IF YOU weren't watching, you wouldn't have caught it. Four years ago Carl Johnson's supervisor, who was in charge of the mailing operation, was relocated. It was a small change—a barely noticeable shift in the architecture of Nevada's Washoe County government. But before Johnson knew it, the move had permanently altered the scope of his in-plant. He was given responsibility for the mail operation. The first thing he did as supervisor of mail and reprographics was roll up his sleeves and figure out what kind of equipment he needed. "We

Mailing services are a natural addition to any in-plant. Here's a look at some of the equipment that can make your mailing operation successful. By MIKE LLEWELLYN &012;Nearly half of all in-plants provide mailing services, according to a recent IPG survey. And why not? Who better to oversee mail than the people printing it? At the University of Michigan, in Ann Arbor, the mailing services operation recently moved into the printing facility, bringing all 87 print and mail employees together. "We're hoping that one-stop shopping will really add to the value we bring to the university," says Robert Miller, production manager. A few months

Processing some 75,000 pieces of mail a day, University of Washington Publications Services is one of the country's busiest university mailing operations. When the Huskies went to the Rose Bowl in January, University of Washington Publications Services faced the ultimate time-sensitive project. "Printing and mailing ticket applications for a championship sporting event is completely last-minute. You have to wait until the end of the season, and the team wins, then 'Boom!' You have a matter of days to get the information in the mail," explains Frank Davis, associate director of Publications Services. "We have people on standby to mail the applications for tickets