The Ultimate Guide to Folder Inserters

Purchasing or upgrading a folder inserter could be a more important investment than you realize. It isn’t just a large purchase, it’s one of the machines that will get the highest usage in your mailroom. The choice you make can and will have an impact on productivity and the bottom line. Choosing a highly reputable manufacturer and dealer is crucial. And knowing how to understand and choose the right features for your folder inserter is vital.  

Let’s take a look at everything you need to know to make a smart investment in your latest mailroom acquisition. 

What is Folder Inserter?

If you are a new buyer for your company or the company mailroom, the mailer inserter is the machine used to fold paper and insert it into envelopes. For example, a folder inserter might be used to fold tri-fold brochures and put them into an envelope for a big direct mail campaign. Another common example is folding invoices and adding them to the billing envelope for a fast, effective end-of-month billing cycle. 

These valuable machines process everything much faster than anyone could do by hand, saving personnel hours, lowering costs, and making any direct mail campaign or billing cycle efficient. They also add to company morale because workers’ time can be spent on more valuable projects, leading to a higher sense of self-worth and overall sense of accomplishment. 

Why a Folder Inserter is good for your business?

Speed. Folder inserters are fast and accurate. In fact, they are about ten times faster than any human trying to do the same work. If you’re willing to make the investment, some folder inserters can process thousands of letters in a single hour. 

Reliability. When dealing with paper, there’s always a need for highly reliable engineering and design. We all know the frustration of a copy machine paper jam, or having to get a mailroom machine on a more frequent maintenance schedule because it slows down with age. By choosing a machine that will stand up to high usage without being finicky or costing money, you’ll see long-term payoffs and a consistent, reliable boost to productivity. 

Versatility. Only you know the needs of your business. But if you’re going to invest in a folder inserter, make it something that is versatile so your machine can scale with your business. For example, folder inserters only provide trifolds and can only handle standard size envelopes. A larger machine can offer several types of folds, with different types of paper, and different size and types of envelopes. 

While you may not have a project in mind that requires a versatile machine, keep in mind that your company will grow and will want to build variety into their various campaigns. Getting a folder inserter that is versatile will save you the money you would spend to have personnel do these custom folding-inserting jobs, or having to take the project away from the in-house team altogether. 

Smart. Some machines come with the bare minimum when it comes to automation and available customizations. The right mailroom machine will have a number of features that allow you to program repetitive jobs, create custom jobs, and interact with an intuitive interface, rather than fight with an interface that was a design afterthought. Choose a machine that is programmable, has a job memory for representative projects, and are engineered with features that ensure accuracy. 

Bottom Line. By now, it’s obvious that a folder inserter can save money by replacing countless hours of personnel manually folding and inserting hundreds or thousands of papers. You also have a slightly less tangible cost savings of an increase in morale. When workers are being used for projects and jobs that make them feel valuable, they work harder and are more invested in the outcomes of their work. You’ll be able to task your entire workforce with contributing to the bottom line, rather than sacrificing workers to the mailroom. 

Features of a Folder Inserter

Here are just a few features of the folder inserter that will help you make your decision when you weigh them against the size of your company and the projects or campaigns you plan on completing. 

• Feed the paper through the folder inserter. It will fold the paper, according to your specifications, insert it into whatever envelopes you provide, and seal the envelope. 
• Some interfaces are intelligently designed, user-friendly, and intuitive. Others are simple in that the user enters the number of pages and envelopes, then hits start. 
• The number of sheets can be a valuable feature. Engineering and design vary, but most folder inserters should be able to work with a single sheet or multiple sheets to be inserted into a single envelope. 
• Insert sizes can vary depending upon the campaign. Don’t get locked into standard size paper for everything. Look for multiple types and sizes of paper to be folded once, twice, or more and to be folded lengthwise, horizontally, or in other configurations. 
• Some inserts need to be stapled or joined. Be sure to choose a machine that can handle stapled materials, or even staple them for you. You won’t be saving as much as you hoped on that bottom line if someone needs to stand there and hand feed the machine while watching for paper jams. 

Final thoughts on Folder Inserters

It can be hard to visualize a folder inserter if you haven’t seen one before. Some have more features than others, but they all do the same work. Your investment comes down to quality, versatility, speed, and reliability. Consider your business now and in the future. It’s worth investing in a machine that can grow with your organization and your campaigns well into the future.