printing invoices

[colirob]

My biggest customer is a local utility company and we print all of their promotional work including mailing their "junk mail". We print variable data letters to customers (multiple fields), and insert (Pintey Bowes) with delivery to the post office. I have recently been approached by the CPO and asked if we could handle their billing, approximately 40,000 per month. What I am looking for is software that I can enter raw data into and it merges all fields in the correct places on multiple pages. We all get bills so you should know what I'm talking about. I have had an online demo with Planet Press but I'd like some other options. If anyone can help it would be greatly appreciated.
Cheers,
Colin

 

[michaelejahn]

QuickBooks ?

 

[oxburger]

We use planet press. Good program. The only other I could think of is Fusion Pro.

 

[colirob]

They have just sent out a RFP and it turns out its closer to 100M per month. With Planetpress can I just drop in XML files and everything goes to the proper fields? I have only worked with CSV files. I will also need to be able to generate PDF invoices.

 

[oxburger]

We use data out of BCC mail manager. When printing/exporting the list (including IMb info) we just have to print to a "label image". If your piece is more than one up, you would set your labels to however many up the final file is going to print.

 

[oxburger]

The nice part is, if it's the same thing printing every month, you just save your template and just link the new data file each month.

 

[oxburger]

Here is a final text file for a 3-up postcard as well as how it looks in PP if it helps. This is the file we link to in Planet Press.

 

[colirob]

I have spoken to Xerox and they think PP is the way to go. It will be an ongoing template but the number of pages and variable data will change with each customer. I know that I will have to keep all data in house and will not be able to send to the cloud (3rd party i.e PP) for security reasons. So i guess I buy PP and a RIP that can handle this scope of work, a couple more digi's, upgrade the inserter and run everything through of an internal server. WOW, hope this is worth it!
I like the challenge.

 

[Graeme NZ]

PrintShop Mail might also work. I've done invoice type runs and it worked quite well. I particularly liked how I could apply conditions to each page in the working file (ie if Field A="1" then don't print this page, but print page 2).

It is more geared towards mailing rather than transactional variable data, but I've made it work for both.

 

[colirob]

Why don't you get free graphic designing services. I believe there are number of companies are offering free designing like i know Sireprinting is one of them.

Thanks ninaspears, not interested.

 

[MailGuru]

Ok, we run a couple of applications like this. It's not anything like "direct mail", or, what you called "junk mail".
Unlike direct mail, you MUST account for every single one of those 100,000 invoices. In a direct mail application, if a couple of the advertising pieces get destroyed, either in laser print, or, through the folder, or the inserter, it's no big deal. Typical direct mail response is anywhere from 1/2 of 1% to 2%, so, basically, 98% of the recipients are going to throw it in the trash anyway. However, in a transactional mailing, you must insure that every single piece gets processed and mailed.

Another thing you need to be aware of: Your data input program (we write our own), will need to be able to keep track of the number of transactions on the page and when that number of transactions will flow over to multiple pages, otherwise, the mail envelopes will not all have the same weight and thickness, and, the post office will not be able to weigh and verify your job correctly. When you push the data file through your sortation software (we use BCC Mail Manager also), it needs to be done in "fulfillment streams" (these are 1-pages, this group is 2-pages, the next group is 3-pagers, etc.)

We use inDesign and XMPie for the invoice "templates".

-Best

MailGuru

 

[narseman]

They have just sent out a RFP and it turns out its closer to 100M per month. With Planetpress can I just drop in XML files and everything goes to the proper fields? I have only worked with CSV files. I will also need to be able to generate PDF invoices.

Planet press likes CSV files, AND XML no problem. It can also output directly to the printer, or to a PDF file, or to fax or email - OR all at once.. (or any combo)
I typically set up jobs (for my needs) to create a ready to print PDF and email it to myself and CSRs for approvals, simultaneously saving the csv data to a folder and the pdf to another folder with matching names.. (Could all be done in one folder.) I like the Preview function. Often use it for quick PDF output of small jobs.
My biggest problem is getting data files sent to me the same way every time. Sounds like you won't have that issue.

 

[arossetti]

I have spoken to Xerox and they think PP is the way to go. It will be an ongoing template but the number of pages and variable data will change with each customer. I know that I will have to keep all data in house and will not be able to send to the cloud (3rd party i.e PP) for security reasons. So i guess I buy PP and a RIP that can handle this scope of work, a couple more digi's, upgrade the inserter and run everything through of an internal server. WOW, hope this is worth it!
I like the challenge.

We bought an inserter for a giant bid that we won. State cancelled the project 3 months in. Still paying for that inserter 4 years later.