Without automated reprint, it’s easy to forget how much a damaged piece of mail can cost a business producing transactional mail. Time, resources and trust feel an impact every time a pair of hands touches a single regulated document. And don’t forget that a few dollars add to your processing costs each time.

Hard to believe?

Here’s a quick look at the manual reprint process:

• A damaged mailpiece diverts and verifies
• Time lapses to look up which job the mailpiece came from
• Next, the mailpiece either goes to reprint printer or the larger process printer
• Correct paper stock and pre-printed forms and shells must be located and assembled
• The reprint then queues up on the correct printer
• Finally, the documents get manually inserted and reconciled

At least six manual steps combine per damaged document, which takes operators away from optimizing the primary printing and inserting systems. It also requires maintaining sufficient stock of pre-printed cutsheet forms and shells. In fact, industry estimates suggest that materials and labor needed for manual reprints can cost anywhere between $15 to $20 per piece. And in today’s competitive transactional mail production market, every dollar counts.

Each of these manual steps in the reprint process also introduces risk. There is a higher chance of human errors such as insert, form or envelope mismatch, incorrect addressing, and lost mailpieces. If an envelope is opened or a mailpiece is shipped with any errors, there is a higher probability of privacy breaches. Any regulatory infringements or privacy violations can result in exposure to liability and fines.