The goal of this article is to provide information to assist you in purchasing the best folder inserter for your business. While many articles like these are biased towards a certain product, this one is different and independent from promoting a specific vendor. For the sake of full disclosure, I have been involved in mail equipment sales in the past, so I have gained an extensive amount of knowledge about this equipment. Below is a list of 10 things to consider buying an inserting system.
Monthly Volume
- What is the maximum monthly volume?
- Monthly maximum typically never exceeded but should be examined.
- Service contract could be invalid if maximum volume exceeded.
Machine Speed
- Most unitsevaludated on speds between 900-33,000 pieces per hour.
- Reduce speed by 30% to get a realistic estiamte for your environment.
- Many things will affect output such as paper loads, applications, and quantity of pieces inserted.
Mail Piece Requirements
- How many sheets?
- How many inserts?
- Do you need intelligence?
- How does it collate?
- Where is the address?
- Do material sizes meet vendor requirements?
Location Requirements
- Will the unit fit in the desired space? These units can be quite large and space will also be needed for loading and unloading paper.
- What will hold the unit? Small units can fit almost anywhere but larger units may require a custom table to hold the weight.
- How much noise will it make? These units can be noisy especially the larger ones, so put it in an area that won’t disturb others.
Mail Run Data File Compliant(MRDF)
- Ideal for applications with sensitive information
- Software required that can format documents with barcodes and is compatiable with inserter
- The ability to validate envelopes are done accurately.
In-Line Envelope Printing
- Easy to use
- Low cost
- Flexibility over documents
Latest Features
- Touchscreen interface
- Network connectivity
- Web services: Data storage, routing print, data enhancement
System Complexity
- Should be easy to use for staff
- Detailed vendor training
- Future support and resources available
Financial Considerations
- Bid between vendors
- Purchase vs lease
- New or remanufactured
Vendor Support
- Vendor support critical to success
- Get references on your supplier
