Paper pushers: What's new in automated paper handling equipment - Trend Watch
OfficeSolutions

In boom times and in lean times, there's one constant. The mail must get through. Many businesses depend on mailings, such as direct mail pieces, invoices, and other mission-critical documents when e-mail and other forms of communication just won't do. For offices that do a lot of mailings but don't want to incur the expense of having a mailing house or theft own personnel handle these tasks manually, equipment that automates routine tasks in preparing those mailpieces is just the ticket.

Equipment types

The type of equipment you'll need to automate routine paper-handling tasks depends on the type of tasks you want to automate. In some circles, this equipment is referred to as paper-handling equipment. Some equipment is single function; others like bursters/decollators and folder-inserters perform double duty.

Note that we're not discussing equipment that meters mail here--equipment sold by the likes of Pitney Bowes, Francotyp Postalia, Ascom Hasler, and Neopost. Nor are we discussing high-end addressing, labeling, and inserting systems that are used by production mailers, although some of the manufacturers profiled in this article market those systems as well. The following list provides a capsule review of the various types of mail-handling equipment available to businesses with low- to midvolume mail-processing needs.

Addressing machines print addresses directly onto envelopes or other mailpieces. Some manufacturers refer to these as "imaging systems." A distinct advantage of using an addressing machine that prints addresses is that it eliminates the cost of adhesive labels. The capabilities that differentiate one addressing machine from another include speed (typical ink jet addressing machines designed for office or low-end production print from 3,000 to more than 20,000 addresses an hour), resolution (resolutions vary from 200 dpi to 600 dpi), fonts available, software compatibility (will it work with CASS- and PAVE-certified programs), bar code printing capability, and the ability to print graphics or logos on a mailpiece.