Mail opening machines can increase productivity in the mailroom regardless of the volume of mail your business receives. A quality letter-opening machine can quickly and neatly open incoming mail without damaging the contents. Office mail machines ease the task of mail opening with machines that can open several letters per minute all the way to those that can open tens of thousands of letters per hour.

At the lower end, different brands for mailing machine equipment offer hand feedable options. If you have a larger volume of mail, you can purchase a model that takes a high volume of mail and feeds the letters in automatically. There are many brands for mailing machine products including Martin Yale, Formax, DocuGem, Postmark, and Pitney Bowes.

No matter the size of your business or mailroom, you will save time and manpower with three machines:

1. Letter opening machine
2. Postage meter
3. Postage scale

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Lease or rent office mail machines

Before purchasing a machine for opening envelopes or mail sortation machines, you may want to consider renting them. Leasing business mail machines can be a way to find out how often your business is using them, and if investing in them will ultimately save you money on manpower.

I recommend: Information on letter opening machines for rent is available at Pro Mailing Equipment, which sells as well as leases office mail machines. Select Mailing Equipment, Inc. also offers mailing equipment for sale or lease.

Buy Mail Machines

There are several stores that you can access on the Web that offer mail sortation machines and business mail machines at competitive prices.

I recommend: Factory Express offers a wide variety of mail-opening machines at competitive prices. Their website makes it easy to sort through machines based on the individual mail sorting needs of your business. Machine Advantage also features a large selection of mail machine supplies and equipment and offers to match any current Web advertised price. MAILQUICK offers office mail machines starting as low as $19.99.

Purchase used mail opening equipment

When bought used, mail opening equipment can be purchased at a reduced cost.

I recommend: Mail-Quip offers mail opening machines that have been reconditioned and refurbished. They specialize in the top brands and have a toll-free number to call if you need assistance tracking down used business mail machines for your workplace. Pro Mailing Equipment sells used mail opening equipment. They will also purchase the mail machines your company is ready to eliminate. Mailmarketplace.com specializes in used mailing equipment and has an easy-to-use and informative website.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Do your homework. Mail opening machines are an excellent investment in your company's productivity, but they can be costly. To ensure you do not buy equipment that has more features or capabilities than your company needs, perform the necessary background research. However, keep in mind, as your business grows, so might your mail volume!