How Much Does a Letter Opening Machine Cost?
Last Updated: January 04, 2022
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Opening a letter is a simple task, right? Well, not if you're receiving hundreds or thousands of pieces of mail per day. Letter opening machines bring speed and efficiency to the mundane and time-consuming task of opening mail. They drastically improve productivity in your mailroom and free up employee time for more important tasks.
There are many different types of letter opening machines on the market. Some are designed for small businesses with a low volume of mail, while others are better suited for large companies that receive thousands of pieces per day.
About Letter Opening Machines #
There are two basic types of letting opening machines:
- Chadders use a small cutting wheel to slice off about 1/8 of an inch from the top of the envelope. They're less expensive but you risk ruining important documents by slicing off the top portion.
- Slitters are unlikely to cause any damage because they cut through the top seam of the envelope. They're more advanced in technology and significantly more expensive.
Most business will want to purchase a letter opening machine that has an automatic feeder. This eliminates the need to feed envelopes into the machine by hand, which is a time-consuming task.
Other features you might want include:
- Joggers - devices that settle the contents of an envelope to reduce the likelihood of the top of documents being sliced off.
- Counters - a feature that keeps track of how many pieces of mail are being opened each day.
- Stamps - a feature that marks the time and date onto each piece of incoming mail.
Letter Opening Machine Average Costs #
Letter opening machines vary in price based upon speed and other features. A machine that can handle 35,000 pieces of mail per hour is going to cost a lot more than one that can handle 6,000 pieces per hour. And a machine with an automatic feeder will cost significantly more than one without.
- Small business can purchase a letter opening machine designed for light mail volume for $100 to $300. Most likely, these machines will require the operator to manually insert each letter.
- Auto-feed letter opening machines begin at around $500 to $800. In this price range, you can purchase a machine that is suitable for mid-sized companies with moderate mail volume. Most models will be able to handle more than 5,000 pieces of mail per hour.
- Large companies with significant mail volume should plan on spending $1,000 to $3,000 for a letter opening machine. Some models run as high as $4,000. The higher the speed, the more you can expect to pay.
High-end letter opening machines accept many sizes of envelopes and no sorting is required. Less expensive machines might only except standard business envelopes. High-end machines also tend to have digital counters as a standard feature.