Pitney Bowes

THIS ARTICLE will attempt to use the past, as well as the present, to get a clear look at the future of the printing industry. Predicting the future, however, is a slippery slope. Here are some of my favorite predictions, just so I can feel I’m in good company. “This ‘telephone’ has too many shortcomings to be seriously considered as a means of communication. The device is inherently of no value to us.” —Western Union memo, 1876 (By the way, after 145 years, Western Union, has finally gotten out of the telegram business.) “The wireless music box has no imaginable commercial value. Who would

NOT EVERY in-plant offers mailing services for its clients. Prior to 2005, for example, the in-plant at The Stelter Co.—a marketing firm in Des Moines that works with non-profit organizations—simply shipped printed material back to clients or handed it over to an outside vendor. But Dan Manderscheid, who joined Stelter in October 2004 as a mail processing specialist, says that outsourcing mail didn’t make sense given that the company was otherwise a one-stop shop with artists, Web designers, editors, legal counsel, marketing professionals and print operators on staff. In January 2005, Stelter purchased an inserter, two address printers and Pitney Bowes SmartMailer software,

DESPITE THE growth of electronic communications, mail is still considered the most direct and effective communications vehicle for reaching customers and prospects. Direct mail use continues to rise. What some might not realize is just how much the choice of folding and inserting equipment can impact the effectiveness and integrity of a mail piece. The folding and inserting function can make or break how a customer perceives your organization. When identifying the appropriate folding and inserting systems for your in-plant, first determine the volume you need to process. Typically, low- to mid-range tabletop inserters produce about 4,000 to 60,000 finished pieces per month

STAMFORD, CT—September 27, 200—As consumers move their media choices to highly customized, one-to-one vehicles such as iPods, satellite radio and TiVO, marketers are challenged in managing multi-channel messaging opportunities. As spam is auto-dumped from personal computers, traditional mail has emerged as the most effective “first touch” in Customer Communications Management (CCM). According to the Cable & Telecommunications Association, 70 percent of consumers today prefer to receive advertisements and promotions via the U.S. Mail. Letters including transactional mail constitute a $36 billion dollar industry in the U.S alone, and the entire global mailing industry—including shipping packages—tops off at $900 billion. “Mailstream marketing is the

Five motorists are taking a Pitney Bowes subsidiary to court for placing advertisements inside their automotive registration packets, the Associated Press reported. The suit alleges that Imagitas, acquired by Pitney Bowes in 2005, used personal information provided by the Florida Division of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles to “target and distribute advertising materials.” A lawyer for the plaintiffs claims that the use of motorists’ names and addresses for commercial use is a violation of the federal Driver’s Privacy and Protection Act, the AP reported. The act was passed in 1989 after a stalker used motor vehicle records to hunt down and kill actress Rebecca Schaeffer.

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

One of the largest university in-plants, the BYU Print & Mail Production Center is reorganizing to make itself more efficient and customer friendly. By Bob Neubauer When Brigham Young University merged its print and mail operations in 1998 to form the Print & Mail Production Center, it improved communication between the departments and enhanced its workflow. Now Doug Maxwell wants to take that merger even farther. The new director and his team are reorganizing and streamlining the 65-employee in-plant so that printing, copying and mail functions are completely integrated, not independent services with separate staffs, reporting structures and scheduling. "We felt that we

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

Top 50 in-plants know the importance of having the right bindery and mailing tools. By Eric Martin Printing fabulous-looking work quickly and cheaply is all well and good, but having the finished product merely sit in your in-plant won't make customers too happy. The in-plants that make up this year's IPG Top 50 understand the importance of having the right bindery and mailing tools to get the job done and in the hands of customers as soon as possible. That's one reason Tim Steenhoek, head of Document Management for ING, in Des Moines, Iowa, integrates mailing and labeling with the basic printing

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