Inline Mail Sorting on an Inkjet Addressing Line
Electronic sorting lets your addressing line make its own sort breaks. The inkjet reads a mark in your mail file and speeds up the conveyor to leave a gap. One person can run 87,000 pieces an hour without reading a single sort mark.
If your crew still watches for sort marks or zip-code changes to bundle and tray mail, your line is running slower than it has to. Electronic sorting lets the machine do that work while it addresses. We have customers running 87,000 pieces an hour with one person on the conveyor, just watching for gaps.
How it works
Your presort software — BCC Mail Manager or similar — already knows where every bundle and tray break falls. It puts a mark in the mail file at each break. As your inkjet addresses at full speed, it sees the mark and sends a signal out through its I/O outputs. The conveyor gets the signal and speeds up for a moment. That opens a gap in the stream of mail. The machine still prints the sort mark on the piece — but no one has to read it. Your operator watches for gaps, not zip codes.
Two ways to make the break
Speed up the conveyor (best): the inkjet and feeder keep running at full speed. The conveyor makes the gap.
Pause the feeder: this works too, but it slows the line down at high speeds. We only use it when the job calls for it.
The same signal can go to a smart stacker instead. On a bindery line, that means bundles of books come off already sorted.
What you need
It's a mix of software, hardware, and wiring — not something you buy off a shelf:
An inkjet with I/O outputs. Many newer printers (DPI included) have this built in — and most shops never hooked it up.
A conveyor that can take the signal and change speed on command — like a Walco output conveyor behind your base.
Or a smart stacker, if you want sorted bundles instead of gaps.
Presort software that puts the marks in your mail file — most programs do this out of the box.
Talk to us
Mailtech has built and serviced high-speed addressing lines in the Northeast for over 35 years. Tell us what's on your floor — feeder, base, printer, conveyor — and we'll tell you what it takes to add sorting. Call the office at 631-586-2174.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I add inline sorting to my existing inkjet addressing line?
A lot of the time, yes. If your inkjet has I/O outputs, you mostly need the right conveyor and setup — not a new machine. If it doesn't, a new print head adds sorting and more speed at the same time.
Will my equipment accept the output signals from a new inkjet?
It depends on your conveyor or stacker. It has to take the signal and change speed on command. Send us your model numbers and we'll tell you.
Will my Kirk Rudy, Norwix, or DPI do this?
Several current systems from these makers have the sorting package or I/O outputs. Whether yours does depends on the model and setup — we can check it from your model number.
How fast can a line with electronic sorting run?
The sorting isn't the limit — the printer and dry time are. With UV inkjet, these lines run at speeds no one could read sort marks at. That's the whole point of doing it electronically.