If the shopping list for your office regularly includes "buy address labels," you might want to think about swapping in "get envelope printer" instead.

Envelope printers do exactly what they advertise -- they print on envelopes. And how is that different from a regular printer, you might ask? Well, for one, these specialty printers can print thousands of envelopes per hour. I don't know about you, but my attempts feeding envelopes through a printer could never hope to match even a fraction of that speed, even when the envelopes did not jam the printer.

In addition, envelope printers are able to handle mailing pieces of all sizes. Envelopes can range in size from post-card sized envelopes all the way to full-sized clasp envelopes. And in terms of thickness, these printers can handle flats that are up to 1.25 inches thick.

Envelope printers are based on ink-jet technology. Most models print in black only; however, some 4-color models are available. Printing resolutions for these printers range from 150 to 600 dots per inch. As with a regular ink-jet printer, the low-end resolutions do work fine, but the text will appear darker and crisper when printing at higher resolutions. With this equipment, you will be able to print mailing address, mailing bar codes, return addresses, and marketing messages directly on the envelope.

While envelope printers do utilize ink-jet printing technology, don't expect to pay ink-jet printer like prices for this equipment. Costs range from a few thousand dollars for a low-end model to the tens of thousands of dollars for the fastest office models. Most addressing equipment is leased, though. Leasing costs can start as low as under $100 per month.

If you simply compare the costs of labels versus an envelope printer, it can be hard to justify such a purchase unless you regularly mail thousands of pieces a month. But if you factor in the cost for the time it takes to apply the labels, the cost of having customized envelopes printed and held in inventory, and the potential additional savings you can receive for bar coding your mail, addressing equipment can be a much more reasonable investment.

Another way to rationalize this purchase is to think about the potential impact it can have on your marketing effectiveness. A directly printed envelope is considered to be more effective at drawing people into opening their mail than a labeled envelope. Switching from labels may be justified simply by the increase in sales due to the increased response rate.

There are a number of equipment manufacturers and dealers that offer such equipment. Unless your company is a mailing service, you will want to deal with one that offers desktop, and not production, equipment. For the best experience, look for vendors that have a long track record with the brand you are considering, internal expertise to help not only with the equipment but also with your mailing questions, and satisfied small business clients.