Optical Character Recognition (OCR)

Larger mailings, typically of 4000 items or more, are eligible to receive significant discounts on postage costs. In order to qualify for these discounts (of up to 30%), the mailing needs to be processed in a particular way, enabling the items to be sorted using machinery.

The most efficient way for machines to sort mail is to use Optical Character Recognition (OCR). Low Cost Mailing has OCR readers installed on our addressing and inserting lines, enabling mailsort mailings to be sorted using OCR.

Using OCR readers gives a much improved accuracy when processing information and ensure that a very high percentage of items are processed correctly first time.

Complex Mailings with Matched items

Typically, OCR is used during complex mailings where items need to be matched to each other. Other advantages of OCR camera systems include being able to mix OCR with barcode reading. This still enables a match to be made with computer logging where all matched and inserted items are written to a database which can then be saved for verification of sent items.

For example, a letter would have an ID number which would need to be matched to a barcode on a blank questionnaire with a barcoded return envelope. There would be no need to open the returned item to know who had returned it. Simply scanning the barcode on the returned envelope would reveal the ID and customer to which the item relates.

Low Cost Mailing have the ability to print OCR approved fonts.

UK Mail providers such as Royal Mail have OCR readers installed on their sorting lines, and this parity of equipment enables the large postal cost savings to be passed on.