Are you looking for mailing equipment? If so, take a look below for some valuable information that may help you in your search.
Mailroom equipment is essential whether you need to open hundreds of letters each day or process thousands of outgoing mailers. Choosing the right equipment can make you much more productive and save you money. Popular receiving equipment includes letter openers, security mail scanners and mail carts. Sending equipment includes envelope sealers, folder/inserters, labelers, and tabbers.
Listed below are the most common types of mailing equipment.
Mail Scanners
Mail Scanners are ideal for police stations, government buildings, high-security facilities, and large mailrooms. Most mail scanners are quite accurate and can detect suspicious items while preventing false alarms. They use an x-ray to scan the contents of a package and search for dangerous items. Depending on the model you choose, the mail scanner may or may not have a built-in video screen that allows you to view the image of the package. Most mail scanners will be able to detect bombs as well as hate mail.
Features to look for when choosing a mail scanner:
- Bomb Detection
- Hate Mail Detection
- Video Screen
- Alarm
Letter Openers
Regardless of whether you receive very large or moderate volumes of mail, an automatic letter opener can save you time and money. It greatly reduces the time necessary to complete the tedious, labor-intensive task of opening your mail. There are various types of letter openers for different volumes of mail. These range from small hand-held letter openers, to tabletop models, to floor-standing openers. The main factor to consider when choosing an electric letter opener is its speed, or the number of envelopes it can open per hour. Large letter openers can process up to 36,000 envelopes per hour. Make sure to choose a letter opener that can handle your needs.
Features to look for when choosing a letter opener:
- Speed (usually measured in sheets per hour)
- Paper sizes accepted
- Paper weights accepted
- Single sheet or auto-feed
- Types of folds (only tri-fold or others)
Letter Folders
Automatic letter folders are very beneficial for medium to large volumes of mail. They are generally easy to set up and operate. They require much less time than folding by hand and produce neater results. There are various types of letter folders for different volumes of mail. These range in size from tabletop models to floor-standing models. The main factor to consider when choosing an electric letter folder is its speed, or the number of sheets it can fold per hour.
There are two main types of letter folders: friction feed and air, or vacuum, feed. Friction feed letter folders are the most common. They use a roller to move the sheets through the machine. Air feed folders are generally larger and more expensive. They use compressed air to lift the sheets of paper and push them through the folder. Air feed folders are fast and effective and work well for glossy materials.
Features to look for when choosing a letter folder:
- Speed (usually measured in sheets per hour)
- Paper sizes accepted
- Paper weights accepted
- Single sheet or auto-feed
- Types of folds (only tri-fold or others)
Envelope Sealers
Envelope sealers reduce the time and effort needed to seal your envelopes by eliminating the need to manually wet and fold the flap. They come in two varieties: automatic and manual. An automatic envelope sealer can process a stack of envelopes by individually feeding them through the machine. On the other hand, a manual envelope sealer has to be hand fed and can only process one at a time. Nevertheless, even a manual envelope sealer can save you valuable time.
There are also envelope sealers that use pressure-sensitive envelopes that do not require moisture for sealing.
Features to look for when choosing an envelope sealer:
- Speed (usually measured in envelopes per hour)
- Envelope sizes accepted (length, width, and thickness)
- Auto-feed or manual-feed
- Normal envelopes or pressure-sensitive envelopes
Mail Inserters
A folder inserter combines the work of several machines into one. It folds a sheet of paper, inserts it into an envelope, and then seals the envelope. These machine can save a great deal of time and money. Because they automate the entire folding and inserting process, folder inserters are even more efficient than separate folding and sealing machines. There are various types of folder inserters for different volumes of mail. The main factor to consider when choosing a folder inserter is its speed, or the number of mailings it can process per hour. Many folder inserters are programmable and allow you to store jobs for frequent mailings.
Folder sealers are very similar to folder inserters. The difference is that folder sealers use pressure-sensitive envelopes that do not require moisture for sealing.
Features to look for when choosing a folder inserter:
- Speed (usually measured in pieces per hour)
- Paper and envelope sizes accepted
- Paper and envelope weights accepted
- Programmability
Mail Tabbers
Tabbers are an economical alternative to using envelopes that save both time and money. A tabber places a small adhesive tab on folded sheets of paper to keep them shut. The location of the tab can be adjusted on the tabber machine. Tabbers provide a tight and secure seal and are great for mass mailings and brochures. In addition, most tabbers meet US postal requirements for the mailings.
Features to look for when choosing a mail tabber:
- Speed (usually measured in sheets per hour)
- Paper sizes accepted (length, width, and thickness)
- Tab sizes accepted
- Tab types accepted (folded tab sheets or tab rolls)
- US postal requirement compatibility
Labelers
Labelers apply mailing labels to your envelopes. They are usually economical and can save a great deal of time. There are two basic types of label equipment: dispensers and automatic labelers. Dispensers merely hold the labels so that you can manually remove one from the sheet or roll and apply it to an envelope. The speed of these labelers depends on the individual user. On the other hand, an automatic labeler takes care of the whole process. It starts with a stack of unlabeled envelopes and produces a stack with labels. When looking for an automatic labeler, the most important factor to consider is speed, or the number of envelopes it can label per hour. Also check to see if the labeler will work with folded label sheets as well as label rolls; many will.
Features to look for when choosing a labeler:
- Speed (usually measured in envelopes per hour)
- Label sizes accepted (length, width, and thickness)
- Label shapes accepted
- Coated label capability
- Folded label sheets or label rolls
- Counter
Address Printers
An address printer creates professional-looking results that help ensure that your mail gets opened. It saves you time and money by eliminating the need to print and attach computer labels. Most address printers connect to a computer, making it easy to process addresses stored in mailing lists. High quality address printers are able to produce color output and print logos, messages, and bar codes. The most important factors to look for when choosing an address printer are speed and maximum printing resolution.
Features to look for when choosing an address printer:
- Speed (usually measured in pieces per hour)
- Envelope sizes accepted (length, width, and thickness)
- Maximum print resolution
- Black/white or color
Mail Carts
Mail carts are not as sophisticated as the other types of mailing equipment. However, they perform an important role and are often overlooked. Mail carts come in four basic types: steel, wire, plastic, and Resinite. Most mail carts will have large rear wheels and smaller swivel casters in the front. In addition, many have a top basket for hanging files and folders and a bottom basket to accommodate larger packages. Mail carts are usually categorized by size, file capacity, and weight capacity.
Features to look for when choosing a mail cart:
- Size
- File capacity
- Weight capacity