File-based Inserting
Once a mailing application grows to the point where every mailpiece is not constructed exactly the same way, some form of “intelligent” inserter control is required so that each mailpiece can be uniquely processed. There is a large variety of control coding formats and control techniques used to implement intelligent inserter control, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. As the inserter control code becomes more complex, the size of the code increases, it uses more document space and increases the read error rate.
File Based Inserting uses a smaller inserter control code since it contains no direct control information. Instead, it is an index to a larger information record in a data file that accompanies the mailing often referred to as a Mail Run Data File, or MRDF. This lets a relatively short code on the document (the Piece ID) point to a much larger data record in the MRDF.
The MRDF allows applications to be implemented that would otherwise be impossible, such as in-line printing. It is easy to include both delivery and return addresses along with customised advertising or 1:1 marketing messages in the data file so that they can be printed on the envelope. Additionally, the MRDF may contain Management Information that can be accessed by an ADF solution.
Features
Mailstream Integrity
A basic file-based processing system improves flexibility just by using the file to move a larger quantity of data that would be possible using scan codes alone. The Pitney Bowes Direct Connect™ inserter control system uses the file itself, along with the sequence information inherent in the file to significantly improve system reliability and integrity, and provide shop floor process monitoring and control.
Scan Error Correction
Because the records in the MRDF are in the same order as the documents, the control system always knows what page is coming next. It can “look ahead” in the data file to the next mailpiece and predict what will feed. This allows Direct Connect to correct for missing scan data, reducing dependence on high-read-rate scanning, and improving system productivity. An exclusive scan sequence verification algorithm ensures that the page sequence is reverified before any scan-corrected piece is allowed to leave the inserter, ensuring mailpiece integrity.
Elimination of Scanner Created Delays
Because scan data is not used to directly control the machine, a Direct Connect system does not have to wait for the scanner to finish to make a refeed decision. This allows the feeder to run at its maximum possible speed, improving productivity. It also allows the system designer to place the scanner at a convenient location, where material presentation and operation access are optimised, rather than being forced to place it in a difficult location because of scanner timing restrictions.
Automatic Job Reconciliation
The MRDF provides a build-in and highly accurate method of reconciling the entire mail run. Since MRDF is essentially a list of every mailpiece that is expected to be completed, the Direct Connect control system checks off each piece from the list as it is processed, closing the loop between application and physical mail. This allows a regeneration list to be automatically created that includes both the damaged pieces and those pieces that never made it to the inserter, even if they were never printed!
No longer does a mailer have to rely on operators finding all of the damaged mail to make sure it gets regenerated.
Real-Time Regeneration
Because Direct Connect performs this reconciliation in real time, not as a post-processing batch exercise, it can support both real-time regeneration of damaged pieces, and separate run regeneration. In both cases, the regenerated mail can be run against the original data file, ensuring a complete reconciliation of the total mailing process.
Automatic Duplicate Detection
The real-time reconciliation capability of Direct Connect also provides tighter control on the mailroom process. If a mail run is accidentally printed in duplicate, the duplicate run will be automatically detected as soon as it is processed on an inserter, even if the original run is currently being processed.
Automated Account Pull/Divert
Direct Connect also uses this capability to provide real-time late diverts, allowing the mailer to make a last minute decision to
out sort a particular mailpiece. If that mailpiece hasn’t been inserted, the system will automatically
out sort it. Otherwise the system will indicate where to find it (by tray and piece numbers) in the out stream.
Automatic Resynchronisation
Mailing applications that require the matching of personalised documents from different print streams have traditionally been difficult to run productively. The manual resynchronisation process that must be performed whenever loading material or correcting a fault is both tedious and time consuming. Direct Connect can use the sequence information in the data file to automatically correct mismatch situations, with no intervention from the operator. Direct Connect can also use the same technique to recognise and remove a printer backspace from any of the print streams, again without operator intervention.
Mail Run Planning
File-based processing also facilitates planning. The data file can be
pre-screened to generate a “profile” of the mail run, listing totals required for each insert, envelopes, and statement pages. This can be used to drive the material delivery and inventory management processes, ensuring that the right amount of the correct material is staged at the inserter to improve operator productivity.
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