Envelope Superstore Calls W+D i-Jet 3 Capabilities a 'Tremendous Advantage'

"It's the future of direct mail marketing."

It's a bold statement to make about a single facet of technology, but Greg Hudson, general manager of Envelope Superstore in Hiram, Georgia, says that the variable data capability on the four-color W+D i-Jet 3 high-speed inkjet envelope and direct mail press for very short runs up to large volumes is worth that claim.

"The variable data capability of this machine, able to print every single document with unique images at full speed — 36,000 an hour — is a tremendous advantage," he says. "Currently, that Can't be done in any volume in any run size. We now have the capability of offering very, very short runs to small direct mail marketing companies, and also in higher volumes, up to a million for larger mailings. It is the future."

Showcased during PRINTING United Expo in Atlanta, Georgia, earlier this month, the device incorporates a Memjet Durabolt print engine, with a 12.77″ print width and bleed capability, CMYK water-resistant aqueous pigmented ink, and 1,600x1,280 dpi resolution. Although Envelope Superstore will install the i-Jet 3 later this year, Hudson explains the company has the previous version of the device. Based on his experience, he says that the technology produces near lithographic quality, which is important since finding skilled offset press operators is becoming increasingly difficult. Hudson explains that the device is a "press-and-play" system, making it ideal for a modern operation.

"Lithographic printing used to be considered an art ... there's a lot of training that goes into it," Hudson says. "[With this device], you still need to know color, but you don't need to know all of the chemistry involved with lithographic printing."

Further, there aren't as many costs associated with the technology as there are with lithographic processes. Hudson explains that with traditional lithography, there are costs involved with prepress, plates, and setup time, but that the i-Jet 3 changes the conversation.

"Your minimum run sizes were dictated by price," he says. "This press allows us basically to go from one job to the next instantly, with no setup time, and the initial setup of a particular envelope size is reduced from 45 minutes to five or 10 minutes. ...  [We've] taken our minimum run size of, let's say, 10,000 to a minimum run size of one."

Being able to offer a wider variety of envelope sizes and run volumes is pivotal when it comes to opening up new possibilities and opportunities.

"Expanding the business is one thing, expanding our capabilities is another," Hudson says. "The envelope industry is a shrinking business due to other digital technologies, but the capability that this machine will give us allows us to expand the digital technology into products that we were previously not able to sell in smaller quantities and larger sizes."