Lettershop is one element of direct mail production that can have a huge impact on response but that few companies pay much attention to. It never ceases to amaze me that many firms spend tens of thousands on high-powered design, expensive paper, six-color printing, etc. and then use carrier route sortation or inkjet the address block in all upper case letters.

The MIS manager or software developer who receives your next campaign will notice the way your envelope is addressed long before he or she admires the custom illustration on the brochure inside. Carrier route sortation in particular (identified by "CAR-RT SORT" above the address block), though it's the cheapest way to mail, screams out "junk mail" to most people and probably means your package is heading for the recycling bin.

Simple steps - such as 1) spending a little extra on postage (by not automatically selecting the maximum sortation possible) or 2) choosing high quality laser or impact printing vs. inkjet - can have a dramatic effect. Case in point: as part of a recent campaign for a software client, we tested two methods of postal sortation in a 50/50 split. The difference in postage cost - about two cents. The difference in response - a whopping thirty percent.

Know your options. Ask your lettershop (or your agency) the difference in cost between inkjet and laser. Ask what fonts are available (choose something basic like courier, times roman or prestige elite). And then test. You may be surprised at the results.