Mailing Systems Technology - February 2008 - (Page 25)

when they can do their work faster. They are proud of their statistics and may even be compensated on the number of ﬁnished pieces they produce. Having to sort through envelopes to ﬁnd good ones, continuously clear jams or record account numbers for reprints tends to drive their personal productivity down — even if the problems eventually work themselves out. Here are some ideas that will help to ensure that your envelopes are part of the reason for high productivity instead of the cause for disappointing results: • Avoid manufacturers that produce envelopes with only die-cut production techniques. With die-cutting, it is difﬁcult to maintain consistency. • Use diagonal-seam envelopes. Side-seam designs have a tendency to cause inserts to catch, and the seam glue can sometimes cause the inside surfaces of the front and back of the envelope to become glued together. • Provide the purchasing department and your vendors with the material speciﬁcations for your inserter. These should be available from your equipment vendor. • Ask your equipment vendors for advice or referrals to envelope manufacturers. They probably know which vendors’ envelopes work well on their machines and which don’t based on the experience of some of their other customers. • Inspect envelopes for damage. This can be caused during delivery, from being stacked too high in the warehouse, run into by forklifts, etc. If material is consistently arriving from the vendor in poor condition, you may have to insist on better packaging. If it is getting damaged after being received, you may have to discuss the problem with the warehouse people. • Store envelopes in a climate-controlled warehouse. Humidity change is a major problem. Paper warps when the moisture content changes. Also acclimatize envelopes planned for the next day’s use by moving them into the production room the day before. When looking for ways to improve the productivity of your inserting operation, don’t overlook the obvious. Envelopes and material can be a huge factor and one that can be easily corrected with little or no expense. Even if you eventually do invest in new equipment, the improvements you make in the quality of envelopes will continue to pay off. Mike Porter is President of Print/Mail Consultants, an independent consulting ﬁrm that helps companies nationwide be more productive, adapt to changing requirements and lower costs in their document operations. For more information about Print/Mail Consultants, visit www.printmailconsultants.com or email mporter@printmailconsultants.com WWW.MAILINGSYSTEMSTECHNOLOGY.COM | FEBRUARY 2008 25 http://www.printmailconsultants.com http://www.bowebellhowell.com/adf http://www.bowebellhowell.com/adf http://www.MailingSystemsTechnology.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Mailing Systems Technology - February 2008

Mailing Systems Technology - February 2008 Contents Editor’s Note Peer to Peer How to Green Your Mail Center Adopting an Automated Document Factory Warning! Avoid Negative Financial Impact More Productivity, Less Expense BCC Software Formscan A Smooth Transition Kate’s Slate Products & Services Advertiser Index Sho Time

Mailing Systems Technology - February 2008

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