Vol. 7 No. 2

From Press to Post Office in just six days

Time. It’s become the most valuable commodity in the business world. We can’t make more of it. Reducing the time it takes to print and deliver a direct mail promotion is critical to many marketing efforts.

That was the case for an Ohio based direct marketing agency recently. Their client - one of the largest cable companies in the country - needed to reach 1.5 million subscribers…within one week!

Buskro and VideoJet Inkjetting systems are used at A.M. Mailing Services. Over 1.5 million oversized postcards were addressed in less than 3 days.

Everything, from prepress and proofing, scheduling production, ordering paper stock, printing postcards, preparing data files, inkjet addressing and shipping to the Bulk Mail Centers, had to be completed in six days.

The project had to run like clockwork to succeed. A.M. Mailing Services took the challenge. Marty Ochs, President of A.M., lined up a web printer that fit the project and the schedule. McAdams Graphics in Oak Creek, Wisconsin was his choice. They have five heatset web presses that run 24/7. McAdams has strong relationships with Wisconsin paper mills and suppliers. The paper stock was available and on the pressroom floor the next day. Art files arrived on a Friday. McAdams scheduled proofing for Friday night, prepress for Saturday and press time for Sunday. Sign offs were completed by e-mailing PDF proofs. Files went from computer to plate to press. Finished material would deliver to A.M. on Monday morning.

While print production moved forward in Milwaukee, A.M.’s data processing staff prepared the complicated mailing lists. They did a merge/purge to eliminate duplicates in the database. The lists were Cass Certified, presorted and analyzed for optimum postal savings.

Postal logistics was a big part of the game plan. Trucking was lined up for deliveries to 19 Bulk Mail Centers (BMCs). The BMC plant managers were notified of the mail projects arrival date. The drop ship plan reduced postage by over $36,000. The BMC plan expedited the mailing throughout the nation.

When printed materials arrived at A.M. on Monday, three inkjet systems were set up and ready to begin addressing the postcards. As portions of the mailing were completed, they were trucked to the Madison Post Office for verification and then shipped to their respective BMC or SCF cities. Inkjet production continued through the night and was completed on Wednesday. The last pallet was verified and shipped. Drop shipping a time sensitive nationwide mailing from Wisconsin has an advantage. Delivery can be made to most BMC and SCF locations in two days. The furthest BMC/SCF locations were shipped first to get the trucks on the road.

From prepress to the last postal entry, only six days had passed. This was quite an accomplishment for a mailing of this size. The plant at A.M. was already very busy with other jobs. They made it happen through strong teamwork and established relationships.

Having a vendor with the capability to make things happen was crucial to the success of this mailing. Both the agency and their client were pleased at how smooth the project went despite the tight time constraints. Ochs pointed out that while having the capacity to produce high volume was important, it was coordinating all the parts that got the job out on time.

The VP of Creative Services had this to say. "Our client took extra time finalizing their offer strategy. Their mail date could not flex. A.M. Mailing put its resources to work processing our data, printing and shipping in one seamless flow and their work was just great. They made our agency look good and our client happy.”