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Want to eliminate trips to the post office? Invest in one of these postage solutions.
Direct-mail marketing is often underestimated, but it can be highly effective. If you use or want to start using direct mail for business, it’s smart to invest in small business postage solutions. These tools range from inexpensive letter openers to advanced shipping software, so make sure your purchases align with your specific business needs.
We’ll explain what to look for in mailing equipment solutions, share direct-mailing best practices, and highlight some top solutions to consider.
Editor’s note: Looking for the right mailing equipment for your business? Fill out the below questionnaire to have our vendor partners contact you about your needs.
Before you start shopping for direct-mail equipment, it’s crucial to ask yourself these questions:
Businesses should focus on buying direct-mail solutions that will improve operations and make things easier for team members. Not every company needs extensive mailing equipment, so invest wisely in solutions that will help propel your business.
After you assess your mailing equipment needs, consider the following top-rated vendors. They provide postage meters, folding machines, shipping software and much more to help improve your direct-mail campaigns.
Data-Pac has been in the mailing industry for more than 35 years. It offers hardware and software solutions that work together to make it easier for small and midsize businesses (SMBs) to ship parcels without visiting the post office.
Contact a Data-Pac system sales specialist to determine the best solutions for your business’s unique needs.
Formax sells various mailing solutions, including the following:
Formax’s folding machines include compact folders such as the FD 300, which processes 11-inch and 14-inch paper at speeds of 7,400 sheets per hour, and robust powerhouses like the Atlas-AS Air-Feed Document Folder, which processes up to 27,500 sheets per hour and sports a 7-inch touchscreen control panel. Contact the Formax sales team to learn about the company’s vast array of business products.
FP Mailing Solutions is a one-stop shop for small business owners who need mailing solutions. Its products make it easy to scale up your mailing efforts as your business grows. Instead of overloading business owners with an onslaught of confusing customizable options, FP separates its hardware by series to simplify the shopping process.
The vendor’s PostBase Mini Postage Meter is perfect for entrepreneurs and small business owners who need significant functionality in a small package. From its small-space-friendly postage meter to tiny-footprint folders like the FPi 1015 Folder inserter, FP Mailing’s line of SMB products is well designed and varied. Price quotes can be requested directly through the website.
MyBinding sells an array of folding and binding equipment.
United’s F100 Automatic Paper Folder is perfect for small businesses with low-volume projects. It’s compact, so you can place it on a desk if you have a small workspace or need extra room for other business operations. It can process up to 156 sheets per minute for 11 x 14-inch paper and offers four folding settings. To help with any unloading needs, you can set specific numbers of sheets with a resettable three-digit counter and adjustable stacker wheels. This product is ideal for schools, churches and offices.
Martin Yale Industries offers a broad range of folding machines that are best suited for small businesses, schools, churches and mail rooms. The company’s folders range from a 8.5 x 11-inch desktop unit to a 12 x 18-inch format; some units include a 500-sheet feed-table capacity. The folders have various options, including preset positions for standard folds on manual adjustment machines and preset, preprogrammed folds on electronic automatic machines. Martin Yale’s folding machines can process 2,200 to 15,000 sheets per hour.
Quadient, formally called Neopost, offers mailing systems and letter-folding and insert machines specifically designed for small businesses. Models range from petite desktop units built for home offices to large mail-room designs with built-in scales and touchscreens. The company’s postage meters can process over 50 U.S. Postal Service rates and services.
Quadient also offers machines that specifically fold letters, as well as devices that can handle inserts and fold letters. Its small business options can fold 1,350 to 2,400 letters per hour. Quadient also sells address printers.
Pitney Bowes offers several postage meters and letter-folding machines, as well as mailing services, inserters, letter openers, sorters, specialty printers and software solutions. The business’s letter-opener selection includes the DL200 Letter Opener, which can open 250 letters per minute. This type of machine is geared more toward businesses that receive mass quantities of mail. (The DL50 model is a better option for smaller operations.)
While many of Pitney Bowes’ products and services target enterprises, the company also offers SMB-friendly postage meters and folding machines. For example, the SendPro C200 is compact and powerful and allows entrepreneurs to compare options from three major carriers (including USPS and UPS), print postage, weigh packages, print shipping labels and more.
Pitney Bowes also offers a diverse selection of postage tools and affordable financing for its mailing solutions; some systems cost as little as $17.99 per month.
Finding the right mail solutions for your business is a great first step. However, an effective direct-mail strategy requires an intuitive understanding of best practices to ensure excellent results and positive reactions from recipients. Consider the following tips:
Investing in small business postage solutions can help you enhance the efficiency of direct-mail marketing and save you money. From simple tools such as letter openers to advanced shipping software, these solutions should be tailored to your business’s specific needs and goals. Key considerations include the frequency and type of mail sent, adherence to shipping standards, and alignment of your mailing solutions with your business objectives.
Amanda Clark contributed to this article.