Read Start Your Own Business Online
Authors: Inc The Staff of Entrepreneur Media
Start Your Own Business (48 page)
The latest mailing systems are multifunctional, handling everything from printing, folding, stapling, inserting, sealing, labeling, weighing and stamping to sorting, stacking and putting on a wrapper or binder. Many interact with a computer so you can track exactly how, when and to whom orders are sent out. Some PC-based systems can be programmed to simultaneously handle different-sized paper—checks, invoices, brochures—without stopping the machine to reset the equipment.
The most popular mailing equipment combines meters with electronic scales; other machines have additional capabilities such as automatic feed and envelope-sealing. Speeds can vary from 15 to 270 envelopes per minute.
Besides faster delivery time and the ease of resetting by telephone or computer, metered mail machines offer other benefits:
Postal Scales•
Postal accounting.
Tracking and controlling money spent on direct mail, letters, parcel post, Priority and Express Mail is easier. Because there is one dispenser with precise postage, accounting is streamlined, and you know exactly how much postage remains in the meter, which can hold up to $1,000 in postage.
•
Parcel post dating.
If your third-class letters and packages are metered, the stamp date requires the post office to expedite those items on the date received, thereby providing better service on less expensive classes of mail.
•
Postmark ads.
Postage meters not only print stamps on your mail, but they can print an advertising message, too. Postmark ads can include your company logo and name, giving your company extra advertising exposure.
Besides postage meters, the second crucial piece of mailing equipment most businesses need is a postal scale. Scales are sold in 5-, 10-, 30-, 100-, 200- and 250-pound capacities and can be purchased as standalone units or combined with a postage meter. A postal scale ensures that you’re not paying more than you need to for your outgoing mail. What to look for when buying? Both electronic and manual versions are available. Because manual scales require you to read the postage amount, they increase the chance of human error. Electronic scales are more expensive, but their digital readouts reduce errors and ensure you get the most value from your scale.
Depending on the type, size and weight of letters and packages you will be mailing, you may wish to look for a machine that lets you compare rates between various carriers, such as the USPS and FedEx. You may also want a feature that automatically converts a ZIP code to the proper zone for calculating zone-dependent rates for carriers such as UPS.
AHA!Presorting bulk mail saves money but takes time. Speed up the process by using mail consolidation companies—firms that presort mail and deliver it to bulk-mail centers around the country. To find such companies, look in the Yellow Pages under “Mailing Services.”
Consider ease of use, especially if a number of people will be using the scale. Some models have easy-to-read keypads and user prompts. Consider the size of the weighing platform and maximum weight the machine can handle to make sure it can accommodate the types of packages you’ll be sending. For shipments that exceed the scale’s weighing capacity, look for a scale that will allow you to manually enter the weight for rate calculation.
If you need your scale to interface with a postage meter, you’ll want to be sure the model you choose is compatible with your metering equipment.
Questions to ask the dealer:
Letter-Folding Machines• What adjustments will need to be made to the scale if postage rates change? What charges are involved?
• Does the scale offer alternative pricing options based on various postal classifications?
• Does the scale have a password feature to help guard against unauthorized use?
• What are its size and weight limitations?
• How should the machine be maintained?
• What type of maintenance agreement is offered?
• Does the scale offer rates for foreign mailings?
• Does the scale offer rates for FedEx and UPS?
When you are preparing for a promotional mailing, you may find yourself dealing with hundreds or thousands of letters or brochures. Folding letters yourself can be very time-consuming; it’s also unnecessary, thanks to today’s letter-folding machines.
When buying a letter-folding machine, consider the volume the machine is capable of processing. Low-end equipment processes a few hundred pieces per hour; high-end equipment is capable of operating at speeds from 1,500 to 18,000 sheets per hour. Also, consider the types of fold the equipment can provide. Some of the possibilities are c-fold (standard letter), z-fold (accordion fold), double fold, single fold, rightangle fold and brochure fold.
Sheets are fed either through a friction feeder or a vacuum feeder. Friction feeders have a rubber wheel that pulls the sheets through; frequent use can cause this kind of feeder to wear out. Friction feeders can also smudge a newly printed document. Vacuum (or air suction) feeders, while sturdier and more effective for handling glossy, coated papers, can be substantially more expensive and are only available on high-volume letter-folding machines.
You may also want to buy a model that includes a batch counter or a total counter. Batch counters keep the machine from folding too many sheets together. Total counters tell you how many sheets have already been folded. You’ll find a memory setting useful if you typically produce the same types of jobs on a regular basis. The memory setting allows you to enter the instructions for processing a particular type of job once, then call up that job whenever you need to apply the same parameters.
PUSHING THE ENVELOPEL
ooking for ways to prune postal bloat? The Direct Marketing Association offers this checklist of cost-cutting ideas:1.
Fine-tune your mailing list.• Stop mailing to duplicate names.• Eliminate nonresponders and marginal prospects. There are many mailing list software programs that can help you keep your mailing lists current.2.
Be sure you’re using accurate addresses.• Check for correct ZIP codes, especially when using addresses supplied by customers.• Watch for mail shipped to wrong suite or apartment numbers.• Check for missing directionals, such as “N.” for “North.”3.
Take advantage of postal discounts and services.• Use the USPS’ National Change of Address list to keep your mailing list current.• Print “Address Correction Requested” on the face of your mail. The Postal Service will tell you if the recipient files a change of address.• Investigate commingling your mail with that of other small mailers to take advantage of discounts available to large mailers. Contact your local mailing service for more information.• Print your bar-coded ZIP+4 on business reply mail. The Postal Service charges much less for cards using the nine-digit ZIPs.• Stockpile mail to build up larger volumes.
You should also check to see how the equipment handles paper jams. Betterdesigned machines can release rollers, giving you easier access to the problem area. Finally, you may want to consider a model with an inserter, which automatically inserts your documents into envelopes.
“In the realm of ideas,
everything depends on
enthusiasm . . . in the
real world all rests on
perseverance.”—JOHANN WOLFGANG VON
GOETHE, AUTHOR
Questions to ask the dealer:
Letter-Opening Machines• How many pieces can it process per hour?
• Does the machine offer friction or vacuum feed?
• What types of folds is the machine capable of?
• How many sheets can it fold at once?
• How effective is it at handling stapled sheets? (Many cannot handle this automatically and will require hand feeding.)
• What counter features are available?
• What types and sizes of paper can it handle?
• How should the machine be maintained?
• What type of maintenance agreement is offered?
• Does it have an automatic feeder?
• Does it have a memory setting?
• How are paper jams handled?
Letter-opening machines can greatly speed up the opening of mail. Some can process up to 600 envelopes per minute.
What to look for when buying? There are two types of letter openers: chadders and slitters. Chadders open envelopes by cutting oneeighth of an inch from the end. Slitters, while quite a bit more expensive than chadders, cut through the top seam of the envelope and reduce the risk of damaging the contents.
Most models can handle standard #10 envelopes. More expensive models will accommodate different sizes and thicknesses of incoming mail. An automated feeder will send your mail through the machine; joggers will help settle the contents of the envelope so they don’t get cut; counters let you count the number of pieces being processed.
Another feature you may find helpful is an automatic date-andtime stamp to help you keep track of when mail arrives. Because letter openers are usually quite reliable, maintenance contracts are usually not required.
Questions to ask the dealer:
Mail Tabbers and Labelers• Does the opener use a chadder or a slitter?
• What sizes of envelopes can the machine handle?
• Does it have an automatic feeder? A jogger? A counter?
• Can incoming mail be time- and date-stamped?
Mail tabbers are an economical and time-saving alternative for mass mailings, such as newsletters and brochures. Instead of inserting the pages inside an envelope, which then needs to be sealed, a tabber places a small adhesive tab (or wafer seal) on folded sheets of paper to securely hold them shut. An affordably priced ($3,000) mail-tabbing machine can affix one tab at speeds up to 12,500 pieces per hour, depending on the model. Tabbers are usually USPS compliant, which is helpful for postage bulk discounts and can be desktop or stand-alone floor models. They can also be used in combination with mail labelers, saving yet another step in the mailing process.
TIPBe sure to keep postage scales in good working order. Scales occasionally get out of whack, and you might end up paying more postage than necessary.
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