Home » How Read-Print Can Help Your Mailing Operation

Reprint

Nearly everyone in the mailing industry has heard the term "read-print", but not everyone unde rstands exactly how it works or fully grasps the advantages that it offers.  If you operate an inserter and an envelope printer, using them inline is the first step to combining jobs and saving labor.  Using read-print technology is the next step--the one that will not only save labor, but will eliminate much of the human error involved in such an operation.

What is read-print?  The concept assumes you have something to read, which is generally the primary document you're inserting.  It might have a mark, a barcode, an OCR, or even a name... whatever it is that matches the document to the record in your database.  The camera reads it as it sits in the inserter pocket or travels down the inserter chain.

Next, the information read by the camera goes to the inkjet controller, which will match the information with a record in the database.  Now you see the first big advantage in using read-print.  If a document is missing (for example, if John Doe's mail piece had gotten chewed up during the printing process) the camera will see it and can either shut the operation down, or adjust the records so that nothing has to stop.

The software tracks the document as it moves through the inserter and then rechecks it at the input of the inkjet printer.  Here's another area read-print will both save on labor costs and eliminate human error.  There's no need to spot check to make sure the mail pieces are corresponding to the right envelopes, or that the envelope printer is matching the document with the right record.

If there's a jam anywhere in the line, the software will know, and will adjust records accordingly so that operators can quickly clear the jam and start again at full speed.

The most obvious advantage in read-print is saving in labor costs.  Combining jobs means fewer operators.  One operator can generally run both the inserter and the inkjet printer.  At the same time, one operator will make fewer mistakes, because each and every mail piece is under the watchful eye of the computer.

Aside from helping you, using print-read technology will help your clients.  You can pass on your savings and acquire more competitive jobs.  But the savings are only one aspect.  By using read-print, you can offer more services to your clients, creating more loyalty in a very competitive industry.  You can also offer your clients a higher open and response rate than they would get when using window envelopes.  The personalized look that a printed envelope will create usually pays for itself.

Using read-print doesn't necessarily commit you to running the inserter and inkjet printer inline... the two can always be separated again according to the job.  But it's awful nice knowing you have it when you'll need it--or when a client comes up with an ASAP job leaving you little time to prepare and even less time to set up the proper read-print technology on your system.

For more information about read-print, go to http://addresserbasedsystems.com.  They have a full line of mailing equipment and are committed to offering the very latest technologies in the mailing industry.