mikeboozer wrote:
We do it in house to ensure the right people get the right badges and tickets.
Packets must be assembled with many different variables in play.
There are too many things that can go wrong if this is done outside the company without a huge amount of oversight. Which increases the expense.
Envelopes are not sealed until there is a QC process to make sure each packet is completed correctly and the 20 John Smith's each get exactly what they ordered.
This process would be prohibitively expensive given these steps, and the possibility of error would go up as well if done outside.
However we are certainly open to hearing about alternatives!
Mike Boozer
Customer Service & Event Team Manager
Gen Con LLC
I figured the packets would be assembled in house, and for those exact reasons. The question I was asking was about in-house printing. The mailing service companies I am familiar with will do any part or all parts of a job, from printing the envelopes, to stuffing them to putting them in the mail. Even just printing thousands of envelopes is big. Sending the company a spreadsheet of names and addys and letting them mail merge and print, then you get the envelopes back, typically saves companies a bunch of money. Then you stuff the printed envelopes, which can be printed with indicia by the mailing service company too, and off they go.
For companies that aren't themselves printing companies, it can save some $.
Edit: for example, I don't know anything about them, but a Google turned up Alpha Graphics in Seattle. I don't know your costs, but if you factor in printer toner and labor, I'd be willing to bet their envelope printing costs would be lower than in-house.