Statement Printing

When completing any mailing, the appearance of the envelope can impact whether your mail piece gets opened. The options for outer envelopes seem endless and the choice can sometimes be overwhelming. I want to highlight just a few of the options using the #10 envelope for my example. The #10 envelope is 4-1/8″ x 9-1/2″ and the most common business envelope size. Specifically, I want to give some options for window placement. Here are a few options and why they are useful.

•One large “picture” window- this type of window is useful if you have a premium that you want to show an image of through the envelope. As an example, if you give away pens with an order, a picture of the pen shows through the window.
•A card-size window- this window is great for anyone mailing out a membership card so the recipient will not discard the piece.
•Double window- this option is also good to show a membership card on one window and recipient address through the other window.
•L-shape window- Using an L-shape window is good if you want to show some teaser text, such as an expiration date.

These are just a few of many options, but as you can see, it is important to consider what your are mailing and what will need to show through in order to get your piece opened.

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With the amount of the direct mail consumers receive, it is often assumed that print and mail providers are not environmentally friendly. According to the EPA, direct mail is 2.1% of the solid waste discarded by Americans. At the top of the list was food scraps at 18.2%.

So, what questions can you ask your print and mail vendor to ensure they are doing their part in being environmentally friendly?

-Ask if your vendor is FSC certified. FSC is the Forest Stewards Council and carrying the the FSC-certification logo on your print products tells the world that you support the highest social and environmental standards in the market where you use paper. You can learn more at their website.

-Ask if your vendor prints with soy ink. Printing with soy ink is a key way to reduce the environmental burden of printing. Soybean oil comes from a renewable source: soybeans. Soybeans beans are widely available at low cost. Soybean agriculture uses only 0.5% of the total energy needed to produce soy ink. Almost half of all soybeans produced in America need no irrigation. As soybeans are growing they temporarily remove damaging carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, from the atmosphere.

-If you’re vendor does not currently have FSC certification or print with soy ink, ask if they plan to do so soon.

Many of your customers are likely to be concerned about your environmental footprint and having the knowledge about the environmental friendliness of your print and mail vendor is important for when these questions come up.

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Mailing checks out in a snap pack mailer is not a new concept, but it has been getting more attention lately as a less expensive option for mailing out checks and other mail pieces. A snap pack mailer is perforated on 3 sides or has a fast tab (or zip strip) on the top and inside you can mail checks, buckslips, inserts, or other notices. This option has many advantages.

The first advantage is that this piece is all-in-one and less expensive. There is no need to purchase outer mailing envelopes with this piece, so your material costs decrease. Also, this piece is secure because there is less of a chance of it accidentally opening during the mailing process.

This option has been sort of a forgotten way to decrease costs and is starting to get more attention from companies as they look to save on costs. A print and mail outsourcer should have this option as part of their offerings and if you contact an outsourcing vendor, it is a good idea to ask about the feasibility of this type or mailer for your company.

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Outsourcing certified mail projects can be a very simple, yet extremely cost effective method for companies. A fully automated certified mail process eliminates labor costs, improves turnaround time, and reduces errors, which in this economy has led to a dramatic increase in the number of firms outsourcing certified mail projects.

With the existing manual process, there are significant challenges that mailers must contend with that include: high labor requirements, the inability to obtain proof of delivery or mailing, manual errors, waste, length of time to prep and mail, and the inability to get postal discounts. Take, for instance, one company that had 10,000 certified mail pieces per month. The savings achieved through outsourcing were significant: $8,700 per month in manual labor cost savings, $2,000 per month in postage, and $1,000 per month in additional presort savings by outsourcing their certified mail. These savings added up to $11,700 per month or over $140,000 annually!

As other companies outsourcing their certified mail have noted, the service pays for itself. Toshiba Medical Systems stated, “Printing and mailing certified letters is very time consuming. Outsourcing was easy to set up and seamless – we simply drop off the file. Our certified mail pieces go out faster than doing it ourselves, saving Toshiba both time and money.”

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