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Mail Center Management Tips
September 2007
Greetings!

Print/Mail Consultants occasionally distributes thoughts and ideas about topics of interest to professionals in the document production and distribution business.

This month's topic centers on the importance of collecting all the details at the beginning of a printing and mailing project.

This is not as easy as it sounds. Almost all projects require the participation of multiple entities - some of them inside your company and some of them outside. These entities don't always communicate. And when they do, they don't always speak the same language.

INTRODUCTION
 If you are in printing and mailing operations, you are at the end of the line. Often your operations are not understood or considered by the other parties.

All the details in a print/mail project have to match up to ensure the best results. Some of the items that seem to be insignificant to one group or another can cause big problems on production day if they are left to chance.

Being informed early is a big advantage for the print/mail manager. It gives you a chance to make suggestions for improvements or to point out problems while they can still be easily corrected.

The trouble is, there are a great many projects that have no one doing the coordinating. Or at least no one that has the knowledge or experience necessary to be aware of what all the pitfalls may be.

DETAILS, DETAILS, DETAILS
 Just to refresh your memory, here are some things you might want to try to check on as soon as possible after learning of a new project:

DATA
Is this a new data source or one that you've used in the past? If it is new, have you gotten a file layout or a file to use in testing? Have you asked about the address block? Are there 2 address lines or three? How about the names? Are they in print-ready condition or do the first and last names need to be reversed or case-converted? Is there only one data source or are there multiple files that may need to be reformatted and merged? Do you know what the criteria are for eliminating duplicates? There are an infinite number of questions that can be asked about data.

DOCUMENTS
Have you gotten a sample of the paper stock? Checked it against the specs for the printer and the inserter? Are there perforations that might be a problem? Is there a clear area where the inserter marks will need to be printed? Is the address block free of extraneous printing that will show through the window of the envelope? Are there multiple pages with personalization? If so, how will you ensure accurate matching?

ENVELOPES
Are they the right size for the contents? Enough clearance to meet the inserter specs? Are the side seams and the glassine securely glued?

INSERTS
Will they fit in the envelopes within the minimum clearance requirements? Is the material within the weight specifications for the inserter? If folded, make sure your inserter can handle the fold. Some insert feeders can't pull Z-folded material. If the inserts are selective, do you have the selection criteria? Will some of the pieces be in a different weight category? You should also have counts of expected usage for each type of insert. If there are multiple versions of inserts, make sure the differences are clearly identified.

These are just a few of the issues that could affect how successfully you are able to process the work accurately and meet the deadlines. Every project is different, so get as much information as you can, as early in the process as possible.

Feel free to contact us if you have any questions about the material in our newsletters or you want to share some of your own suggestions.

Sincerely,

Mike Porter Sig
Mike Porter
Print/Mail Consultants
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