Where to find Used Mail Handling Equipment

[briankb]

One of our customers we did a postcard mail out for years ago is ready to do another one with us but this time it's for at least two mail outs per month for six months.

Last time we let the printer handle the addressing and postage on the postcard but we have to buy lower qty prints and they have a premium on the addressing.

We would like to purchase the post cards in a larger quantity and then do our own addressing and postage (bulk rate permit mark).

So I'm looking for a used ink jet that can handle the postcards for printing the addressing. And maybe a small jogger to help prepare the postcards for rubberband grouping.

If you don't know a website or vendor for used mail handling equipment. A forum suggestion would also be appreciated.

Alternatively I don't mind trying to just hack something together from consumer or semi-professional equipment.

 

[Techman]

a good kitchen scale will help with the rubber banding. Wigh out the 50 cards.. and then after that just pile them on to the weight. Then band them. We can do 5,000 cards in about 20 minutes.

 

[Locals Find!]

These guys will have what you need http://www.addrex.com/address_envelope_postcard_printers.html

 

[FatCat]

What kind of quantities are you talking about? For our bulk permit (in which you don't change addresses over the length of the run) we run an AB Dick offset press and a laser plate making system which is about the best way we've found to do them.

However, I'm sure there are a host of both laser and inkjet desktop printers that can handle post cards - though I imagine it will be VERY slow if not borderline troublesome.

Of course, Pitney Bowes and RENA both make addressing machines as do other manufacturers if that is what you're looking for. This would give you the ability to put a customized address on each piece, but there is a lot more involved going this route.

 

[Typestries]

there's a couple of bindery and mailing house auctions up on bidspotter.com right now.....

 

[jfiscus]

Where I worked before we had a Xerox Digital Color Laser that handled the small run imprints like this. (It was on a lease, IIRC it was a Xerox DC240/250)

 

[briankb]

thanks everyone for the tips and suggestions.

qty at the moment is between 10k and 15k postcards per month for 6 months.

 

[mark galoob]

i think you would be far better off sending these straight to 4over. first, at this quantity, you are not going to really make any real money trying to print address onto postcards, buying an address printer, buying the bulk mail permit, learning all of the EXTREMELY complex rules of the postoffice. 4over will print, including the address and the endicia stamp, turn key.
second, just the rules for printing the addresses, barcode, and endicia label will give you nightmares.
third, ive done this and got rid of ALL my bulk mail equipment, and now outsource everything.

if you do decide to make this happen in house, i have a buddy i will refer you to that has a 30k computer program that will do variable data within your pdf, so you can print all your addresses while your printing your postcards on a copy machine type of printer and at least the barcodes will be acceptable to the postoffice.

mark galoob

 

[FatCat]

thanks everyone for the tips and suggestions.

qty at the moment is between 10k and 15k postcards per month for 6 months.

For those relatively low quantities, AND assuming that the same bulk address can be used on all cards (without specific route numbers) your best bet would likely be to have them printed a batch at a time as Mark mentioned above.

*FWIW - I just checked my pricing with my wholesaler and 10,000 4x6 cards vs. 100,000 4x6 cards only nets me a little over a .02¢ difference per card at the higher quanitity. Certainly not worth the investment in mailing equipment unless you're planning to do this with more customers on a greater scale.

 

[briankb]

I will be getting quotes from PP who we used before with good results. I haven't priced it all out including addressing and postage but you all are probably correct about it not being worth the hassle.