Color Envelope In-line With Inserters Complements Production Color Web Inkjets

Gaithersburg, Md. – MCS, Inc. announces Johnson & Quin, a leader in personalized direct mail production and postal optimization, has added its fourth MCS Condor color printer to its production floor. The MCS Condor inkjets are being used for color personalization of the outside of envelopes in-line with high-speed inserters. The MCS Condor 250 is the latest addition to the color inkjet product line from MCS - with speeds of 250 feet per minute and the ability to incorporate PDF workflow and compatibility with MCS Perfect Match tracking systems.

Over the past few years, Johnson & Quin has invested in the latest roll-fed production color inkjet technology from Screen America in order to offer full personalization of customer offers within the envelope. Most recently, the addition of the Condor printers has allowed the entire envelope to be versioned and personalized with confidence that the color on the outside of the envelope represents the color inside.

While the capability of the Condor's 100% variability of color messaging on the envelope is an advantage to marketers, Johnson & Quin also uses this technology to lower its customers' costs by enhancing postal optimization, as well as discounts through elimination of pre-printed envelopes, inventorying of different versions and job switch-overs. Johnson & Quin's Executive VP, Bob Arkema, commented: "While the increased response rates of variable messaging can be significant, our new capabilities have also brought immediate bottom-line savings on postage to our customers". In addition, Arkema said, "Johnson & Quin's customers have also incorporated campaign design tests within their normal monthly production runs without any extra costs to the program".

Fully digital inkjet production - offer letters and envelopes - raises the bar on the sophistication required in the digital workflow. For many years, Johnson & Quin has relied on a PDF workflow for all of its color variable printing - and it demanded a robust PDF workflow on its color envelope production. Johnson & Quin's VP of Operations, Bob Granat, mentioned: "One of the key reasons we chose MCS was because of their Raptor PDF workflow. Our data team could use the same variable PDF format as our Screen presses and other MCS inkjet products". Granat added, "The PDFs also can be driven from the MCS Perfect Track system on the inserters so that individual records can be printed on the fly according to sort sequence - not just the sequence of the PDF file".

As Johnson & Quin continues to offer new technology and value to its customers, it foresees a lasting partnership with MCS. Bob Granat described how data and technology are keys to Johnson & Quin's value proposition: "We offer the latest print technology to our customers while data and postal optimization are our competitive strengths. MCS is at the forefront of print technology, and they are unique in that they understand how their digital workflow needs to adapt to the mailing environment".