Optecon is using its data segmentation product 042, which allows bills and statements to incorporate individual marketing messages to different customers or regions.

Optecon uses a range of digital equipment including cut sheet Xerox 4635s and Xerox 4890s. It also has eight IBM 4000 continuous laser printers and enveloping equipment including eight Kern K2500s.

It produces monochrome and highlight colour at the moment, but is considering full colour for the marketing messages for the future.

"The advantage is that we are geared up to roll out these campaigns on a large scale," said Optecon business development director Mark Lee. "In the past we have printed letters with runs of 4.7m."

The Leicester-based firm has also claimed that firms should consider outsourcing the production of invoices, bills or statements as it can cut costs by half.

"The service is designed to save money in postal costs," said Lee. "It also helps companies where staff have to print invoices and fill envelopes themselves, often meaning that account departments shut down for one week a month to post it."

The company has taken advantage of high volume postal discounts including Cleanmail, Mailsort and Walksort.

Clients come from utilities, financial services, car rental and employment agencies. Mail is produced at its 8,500m2 Leicester site which it moved into in February 2002.

The company was formed in the early 1990s as a transactional mailing division within Royal Mail.

Story by Philip Chadwick