Using the Straight Shooter LF-12 For Full Color Direct Mail Pieces

Since the start of the mail industry, every mailer out there has had one common goal–to better communicate. We’ve seen a lot of technologies come and go, all helping us accomplish this goal. But through all that time, one goal has always eluded us: to cheaply print static and variable data, in one pass, in high quality color.

Until now, most mailing services had to turn away short run color envelopes and post cards, charge exorbitant costs, or they farmed such jobs out to larger companies. Now, with the LF-12 and a digital color machine, any mailing service can easily do short-run full color jobs at an affordable price. This benefits everyone as the mailing services get more work and the advertisers get lower cost and higher quality direct marketing capabilities.

Now that this capability is in the hands of more people, the possibilities are endless. The playing field, as they say, is a little more level.

It all starts with the loading features. The LF-12 enables you to load up to 500 envelopes at a time (something normal high-capacity feeders on laser printers can’t do) and feed them straight into the manual feed tray… without having to rely on the printer manufacturer for extra attachments or software. This, in itself, is important because the envelopes won’t have to go through bends and curls, which often cause jams and usually warp the media.

This feature, combined with the innovations from the color printing industry, make it easy to print color in short-runs much more easily than previously possible. Imagine, for a second, being able to print handwritten fonts in believable blue ink… and the telltale blue dots that indicate an inkjet printer won’t be there.

Of course, that’s just for starters. With standard software features, such as Mail-merge, you’ll be able to easily load small and big jobs, run them, and then pull the feeder away to run regular stock through the same printer-without ever needing so much as a screwdriver to switch back and forth. Just think of how easy this makes it to pause a big job, run one or more smaller jobs, and then quickly go back to full production on the large job again.

No matter what the application, the LS-12 feeder turns a unique laser printer into a smooth envelope and postcard-feeding machine, able to handle addressing jobs with process color and fit inline with other mailing equipment. It bridges the gap between small and large mailers, enabling both of them to print high quality color at lower prices.