SCREEN Americas Partners with W+D to Provide Faster, More Cost-effective Print and Mailing Solutions for the Personalized Data-Driven Direct Mail Market

November 8, 2021

SCREEN Americas announces a newly formed partnership with renowned envelope converting and mail inserting solutions provider, Winkler+Dünnebier also known as W+D. The alliance provides a complete solution in which direct mailers and commercial printers can produce customized content using roll-fed digital inkjet, create personalized envelopes based on that content and make a seamless transition in which the designated content is inserted into its corresponding envelope. The complete solution is comprised of a SCREEN Truepress Jet520 series press, SCREEN Equios Workflow and the W+D BB1000 direct mail finishing and inserting system. The sophisticated system, which also allows customized printing on both sides of an envelope, is expected to raise the bar on speed in variable data printing.

“We are very excited to partner with W+D,” said Ken Ingram, president of SCREEN Americas. “The integration of both our products will provide printers with the opportunity to increase efficiency during the entire production process as well as lower their overall costs.”

Numerous market research studies show that recipients prefer personalized content. Further research shows that colorful, personalized envelopes achieve the highest open and read rates and increase the anticipation of receiving mail. With the newly formed alliance, variable data marketing can now exist at multiple levels.

Additionally, direct mailers can expect to save on paper costs. “Most converting machines use envelope blanks that require paper rolls wider than 21 ½ inches,” said Aron Allenson, product manager for SCREEN Americas. “The BB1000 with its tighter inserting tolerances enables us to switch from a number 10 style envelope measuring 4 ⅛ x 9 ½ inches to a narrower envelope measuring 9 ⅛ inches wide and still safely insert content including items that are 8 ½ inches wide plus a number nine style return envelope which measures 8 ⅞ inches wide. This results in faster printing and a paper savings of up to five percent. The BB1000 can also enhance the mail pieces with the post office’s trail edge die cut and embossing that further qualifies mailers for additional postal discounts of up to four percent.”

Finally, direct mailers can meet United States Postal Service discount minimums for quantities by combining mailings from more than one company in postal zip code order. Typically, mailers would use plain white paper double-window envelopes to facilitate zip code order for different mailings. These envelopes are more costly and don’t allow for customization or personalization. The W+D and SCREEN solution provides for custom-printed envelopes across multiple mailings in zip code order.

“W+D is extremely excited to work with SCREEN Americas in the development of this specific direct mail application,” said Michael Ring, president and managing director of W+D North America. “This is a great example of where both our companies’ technologies, when used in concert, can fulfill a void that now exists in the direct mail market for leveraging the power of a completely personalized envelope-letter package. The envelope has been around for some 200 years now and with these new technologies we will continue to adapt the effectiveness of paper-based communications to the market’s needs.”

Visitors to SCREEN Americas’ new Inkjet Innovation Center in Elk Grove Village, Illinois, may see the demonstration from start to finish in the future. Samples of the complete one-to-one marketing product may be requested from SCREEN Americas or W+D North America.

About Winkler+Dunnibeir

Winkler+Dünnebier GmbH (W+D) offers a wide range of highly efficient, integrated system solutions for the mailing industry. With more than 108 years of industry-shaping innovations, W+D envelope converting systems represents over 90 percent of the world’s annual production of an estimated 275 billion envelopes. W+D Intelligent mail inserters have for years lead the market in the ability to insert complex envelope mail packages. In the 2020 US general election, W+D ballot inserters handled 85 percent of all US mail-in ballots produced by for-profit printers. W+D North America is located in Lenexa, Kansas. In 2015, W+D became an American owned company and is now part of the Barry-Wehmiller group of companies.