Tabbing & Inkjetting
In order for some mail pieces to meet certain USPS requirements, more needs to be done to the piece itself before sending it out. A flat sheet of paper may need to be scored, and folded before it can be inserted into an envelope. An 11"x17" newsletter may need folded then tabbed in order to meet standard USPS guidelines. Finally, addresses and barcodes must be placed on mail pieces before they enter the mail stream. This can often be done on a digital printer, but inkjetting is a quicker, more cost-effective way to do so.
At PSS Mailing Solutions, not only can we design, print, and mail the mail piece, we also provide the necessary services to ensure that mailers follow needed requirements.
Folding
Folding is often required for many pieces that are printed on large-sized paper, cropped, and then cut down to a smaller size. We have multiple folding machines that are capable of completing numerous folds at a time. We have clients who have newsletters printed on 8.5"x11" paper that need folded either once or twice to meet USPS standards. Additionally, we have other clients who have 11"x17" newsletters or booklets that may already be stapled, but need to be folded in half in order to receive letter-sized price postage compared to flat mailer price postage. We can do all of this here, in-house.
Tabbing
Tabbing - or wafer seals - are needed for many types of mailers where the mail piece was folded over yet has a side that is unbound. The USPS uses two different sizes of tabs, depending on the weight of the mail piece. If a mail piece weighs under 1 oz, usually two 1" tabs are required. If a mail piece weighs over 1 oz, two or three 1.5" tabs are required.
Our tabbing machine works with both 1" and 1.5" tabs, and can tab two tabs during one pass through. It can also tab as quickly as 10,000 per hour, though we rarely set it to that speed.
Inkjetting
As mentioned above, inkjetting is one of the most cost effective and quickest ways to have addresses printed onto envelopes or other mail pieces. You may want to have mail pieces inkjetted because the mail pieces were printed elsewhere, but you have PSS Mailing Solutions address and mail. If the mail job is fairly large (over 5,000 pieces), the pieces may have been printed on a printing press instead of a digital printer, so the variable data was not included. You also may have envelopes printed in bulk orders with the return address, so you only need the recipients address added to the mailer at the time.
No matter the reason, we are able to inkjet addresses with necessary barcoding.
Frequently Asked Questions
I don't know what is required for my mailer. How do I find out?
All you need to do to find out if your mail piece needs folded, tabbed, or inkjetted is to fill out our online contact us form or give us a call today. The USPS has standard sizes necessary for bulk mailers in order to receive those postage discounts. We can take a look at your design, or if a design is needed, we can create it based on USPS specifications.
Can you just tab our pieces?
Sure! If you are looking for a company to just tab your pieces – mail pieces or something else – we are happy to work up a quote for you!
How long does it take to get the pieces completed?
It is dependent on the number of pieces along with the steps needed. It takes us less than ten minutes to inkjet 200 addresses, but we also may need to run the mail list through software, correct a few addresses, etc. It takes quite a bit longer to place three 1.5″ tabs on 20,000 mailers. Send us an email and we can get started.