The controversy surrounding the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) and its financial troubles has done little to instill confidence in clients. The organization recently ended the first quarter of its 2014 fiscal year (Oct. 1, 2013 to Dec. 31, 2013) with a net loss of $354 million, marking 19 consecutive quarters in the hole.
Without legislative change, Postmaster General and CEO Patrick Donahoe certainly has his hands tied. In the meantime, one printed segment continues to dodge the postal curse: pressure seal forms.
"Other than an increase in postage over the years, USPS woes have had no detrimental impact on the pressure seal direct market," noted Christian Simko, director of product marketing and communications for Relyco Sales Inc., Dover, N.H. "In fact, we are seeing our direct mail/mail house customers increasing their use of pressure seal forms."
And as Dan Hopkins, national sales manager of Roanoke, Virginia-based InfoSeal, pointed out, the USPS even created a standalone category for pressure seal mail pieces, separate from self mailers, due to strong performance.
Sounds like a good thing, right? Some may argue too good. Inevitably, pressure seal talk always turns to costly investments, paper jams and process changes. Print+Promo caught up with a few experts who want to set the record straight. Read on as they debunk five popular pressure seal myths.
Myth #1: The transition to pressure seal is disruptive.
Change can be challenging, tricky and downright scary. Many companies aren't ready to give up their trusty envelope inserter in exchange for a world of cohesive products and EZ-folds. But pressure seal forms and equipment are user-friendly and the transition from inserted mail pieces is "simple and quick," according to David Yost, general manager, InfoSeal.
"A quality cohesive is laser compatible and is effective with laser printers even in extremely large quantities," he said. "Often production facilities do not embrace pressure seal until a customer requires the product. Once they use pressure seal and experience the efficiency and advantages, they switch many of their other clients."
Art Waganheim, vice president of operations for Davie, Florida-based Paitec USA, agreed, though he warned about software. "Users easily adapt to pressure seal technology as long as their software can properly format the variable text output to print onto a pressure seal form in the proper format and sequence," he remarked.
Myth #2: Pressure seal forms lack diversity.
There's more to pressure seal forms than fancy folds. Still, InfoSeal customers are often surprised to learn of the various elements that can be included in pressure seal solutions. "Pressure seal is available in many unique constructions that are not readily obvious, such as forms with a return envelope or forms with multiple parts upon opening," Yost said.
Simko mentioned several new form types that allow customers to get creative in their direct mail designs. One example is Relyco's flip tab pressure seal form. "The flip tab mailer is a V-fold pressure seal form that instead of ripping off the edges to open it, you open it by pulling a tab that opens the mailer on a perf,"he explained.
Myth #3: Pressure sealers lead to paper jams, paper jams and more paper jams.
"The No. 1 issue we hear from our customers is misfeeds and jams caused by dirty feeds and fold rollers that become caked with both toner and lithograph ink over time," Waganheim observed.
No doubt paper jams can inspire "Office Space moments" even in the most level-headed of employees. But Waganheim believes regularly cleaning the machine's rollers limits operational issues.
He also warned of problems stemming from overheating and humidity. "It is a challenge to educate customers that excess heat from their printers and humid room conditions can cause their forms to warp slightly, which requires the printed forms to be manually rolled and jogged to make them as flat as possible for processing in the folder/sealer machine," Waganheim commented.
Myth #4: Maintenance upkeep is a drag.
Technical problems aren't unique to pressure seal equipment. The good news is regular preventive maintenance for this type of machinery (e.g., cleaning the feed, fold and seal rollers) is no worse than other printers.
"Over time, those rollers and associated belts and gears will need replacement from normal wear and tear, and the cost of doing so is no different than the cost of maintaining digital and lithograph printers," Waganheim said.
Simko recommended purchasing equipment from a reliable vendor to cut back on expensive repairs. Relyco offers a maintenance program for its Formax pressure seal equipment, covering areas like onsite repair, next-day repair parts delivery, next-day replacement equipment shipping, and an onsite spare machine to avoid downtime.
Myth #5: Pressure sealers are far too expensive.
Justifying the expense of the initial investment can be the biggest obstacle to overcome when trying to convince a client to convert to pressure seal forms or checks. Instead, think long-term benefits.
"While pressure seal forms tend to be more expensive than traditional paper and envelopes, the labor savings from eliminating the need to either manually stuff those documents into envelopes or to use a typically slow and temperamental envelope-inserting machine can many times even the playing field," Waganheim shared.
Simko expanded on this idea. "This savings can be as much as 50 percent," he said. "[...] Mail shops and in-plants running high volumes of one-page mail on their expensive inserters should review the benefits of converting to a pressure seal system. Emphasis is placed on higher hourly output of mailable documents with a much lower initial equipment cost as compared to inserting equipment.
"Of course, pressure seal isn't a one-size-fits-all solution. There are ways distributors can help companies determine if this approach makes sense for them. Hopkins encouraged performing a detailed analysis of the prospect's current mail needs: volume, frequency of runs, number of applications, existing equipment and required turnaround times. "Typically if the information can be placed on one or two sheets of paper, and mailings are 25 pieces or greater, it is an ideal fit for pressure seal," he stated.
Once your customer has decided to take the plunge, discuss machine sizes and types. Typical batch size (not monthly volume) is key here. "If a customer only runs 5,000 forms per month, but does them in only two days, an entry level tabletop machine might not be their best solution," Waganheim offered. "Instead, a pressure machine with a large feed table can be easily cost justified by the labor savings in only having to load a few stacks of forms rather than lots of smaller stacks."
- Places:
- Dover, N.H.
- Roanoke, Virginia