Melville, N.Y. – Canon Solutions America, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Canon U.S.A., Inc., today announced that United Mail, an innovative marketing services provider, has added an Océ VarioPrint i300 inkjet press to its print fleet. Combined with the Océ PRISMAsync controller platform, United Mail implemented a cutting-edge workflow solution for end-to-end performance.

Founded in 1980 and rooted in direct mail, data analytics, and variable print, United Mail provides innovative marketing services that bring results to its dynamic and diverse range of clientele. Committed to its original mission of enriching connections between companies and their audiences, the direct marketing leader serves small-to-medium businesses and Fortune 500 companies nationwide and brings value to its clients through innovation, consistency, and excellence. Adding to that spirit of innovation, the Kentucky and Ohio-based direct mail powerhouse stays at the forefront of evolving trends by advancing with the industry as it grows, and adding the technology it needs to provide customers with state-of-the-art offerings in marketing communications.

In keeping with its commitment of utilizing top digital print technology, United Mail most recently acquired the Océ VarioPrint i300 inkjet press from Canon Solutions America, which combines the reduced costs of inkjet with the media and application flexibility of sheet-fed production. Pivotal to its investment in inkjet was the press's ability to compete with offset prices while simultaneously improving United Mail's data and variability. Additionally, United Mail noted immediate advancements in uptime, application versatility, and productivity – since installation in late 2017 the company has printed over 25 million sheets.

"The communications we deliver are personalized and unique and require a top level of variability," said Casey Hendrick, President of Operations for United Mail. "Since installation, the Océ VarioPrint i300 inkjet press has enabled us to compete with any type of variable data printing output across numerous verticals and industries. We were in a toner-driven world for a long period of time but soon realized the benefits of transitioning to inkjet and specifically working with Canon Solutions America through that transition."

Beyond the installation of the i300 and its ability to help grow United Mail's business with application diversity, production efficiency, and cost effectiveness, was the company's development of an automated workflow for long-run variable data print jobs. Using their system as a storefront, print-on-demand option and combining it with the white-paper-in, full-color-out workflow provided by the VarioPrint i300 has enabled United Mail to give its customers a seamless solution that helps speed up the process of getting pieces filled while adding significant amounts of revenue.

"Our digital storefront keeps tight controls on our customers' spend, usage, and distribution, so they don't have to," added Hendrick. "This solution allows our customers to create data driven communications by harnessing the power of customer data to present different messages and content. When you couple this core-competency with the i300's ability to handle a wide range of variable data jobs while also maintaining a streamlined workflow, you have a dynamic value-add that is a legitimate differentiator."

Adding to United Mail's seemingly innate ability to combine technologies for consistent business enhancements was the company's decision to work with the Océ PRISMAsync solution from Canon Solutions America. As noted by Hendrick and United Mail's President of Sales, Chase Kirkwood, this "cutting-edge" marriage of Océ technologies has provided their company with an option for a simplified, end-to-end production workflow.

As experienced by other Production Print Solutions (a Canon Solutions America division) customers, the PRISMAsync controller platform streamlines United Mail's production by making printing operations intuitive and uniform. Now the company's operators can manage and run jobs through their inkjet press easily. Every aspect of those jobs, from composition to media to production to finishing, is easily managed – even with inevitable last minute changes.

"The confluence of these technologies has truly added another unique selling proposition for United Mail," said Kirkwood. "What's even more impressive is that we are just at the tip of the iceberg in terms of opportunity and enhancements. We look forward to seeing how far we can push the i300 in all of its capacities."

"When you combine our family of Océ technologies you start to see a true end-to-end solution for print service providers of all sizes," said Francis McMahon, executive vice president, Production Print Solutions, Canon Solutions America. "United Mail is exemplifying that point with its ability to combine workflows and take advantage of the variable data efficiency associated with the i300. It will be great to be a part of their inkjet journey and help expand their business even further."