Sending mail in-house doesn’t actually save you money.
“We already have a printer.”
“It only takes a few minutes.”
“Stamps aren’t that expensive.”
Sound familiar?
It’s the internal chorus many companies rely on when justifying their in-house mail processes. But here’s the thing: what seems free on the surface is usually costing you more than you realize.
If your team is still printing, folding, stuffing, stamping, and tracking important mail internally, oof, that’s a lot. Let’s break down what that “free” process is really costing you.
Spoiler: it’s not just paper and toner.
Labor: The Most Expensive Envelope You’ll Ever Seal
Think about how long it takes to send a single Certified Mail letter in-house:
- Print the document
- Grab the right envelope
- Fill out the Certified Mail form
- Apply postage
- Drop it off at the Post Office
- Save the tracking number (somewhere, hopefully)
- File the proof later—if someone remembers
- Enter in all the numbers just to track and see where your letter is at
Now multiply that by dozens, hundreds, or thousands of pieces of mail per month. And who’s doing all of this? Your office manager? Your HR assistant? Your paralegal?
That’s real time spent on repetitive tasks—and real salary dollars diverted away from actual job responsibilities.
Companies like ours that send mail online eliminate these manual steps entirely. Your team uploads a file, clicks send, and we take it from there.
You didn’t hire talented people to stand next to a postage meter. So why are they still doing it?
Equipment and Supplies
Sure, printers and paper seem cheap—until they aren’t.
There’s the printer that jams every other day. The envelope reorder that someone forgot. The postage meter lease. The toner that runs out mid-job. The unexpected maintenance call that kills your budget for the month.
These costs might be small individually, but collectively, they add up, especially when they disrupt workflows or delay time-sensitive mail.
And while no one wants to budget for a new postage scale, you’ll end up paying for it anyway… one emergency trip to the office supply store at a time.
Mistakes, Delays, and Compliance Risks
In regulated industries, one lost Certified Mail receipt can mean legal exposure. One delayed benefits notice can mean an HR violation. One botched billing cycle can mean thousands in late fees or customer confusion.
When you’re managing mail manually, you’re relying on humans to get it right, every time.
A proactive print and mail service introduces speed, reliability, and accuracy, and it reduces the risk of:
- Wrong addresses
- Missed deadlines
- Lost documentation
- Inconsistent branding
- Untrackable delivery
These are hidden costs you can’t afford to keep ignoring.
Opportunity Cost: What Could They Be Doing Instead?
Every hour your team spends printing and mailing is an hour they’re not doing something more valuable.
That might be:
- Following up with clients
- Solving customer service issues
- Closing new deals
- Onboarding employees
- Building new workflows
Manual mail doesn’t just cost money—it costs momentum.
With LetterStream, your documents are still printed, stuffed, and mailed, but your team doesn’t lose focus or flow to make it happen.
“We Only Send a Few Letters” (Until You Don’t)
A lot of businesses think they don’t send enough mail to justify using a platform. But sporadic mail is exactly where delays, mistakes, and distractions sneak in.
Plus, when something urgent comes up—like a legal notice or compliance mailing—you want a reliable system, not a scramble.
Whether it’s one letter or 1,000, a printing and mailing company ensures it gets handled with care, tracked properly, and out the door quickly.
Because your brand shouldn’t feel like a paper jam.
Real Costs vs. Perceived Costs
Let’s stack them up.
In-House “Free” Mail:
- Staff time (hourly or salaried)
- Equipment lease or replacement
- Postage meter
- Postage and supply overhead
- Risk of error or delay
- Storage, filing, and compliance burden
Online Print and Mail Service:
- Fixed, transparent cost per piece
- Built-in tracking for Certified Mail and compliance
- Zero office disruption
- Digital records
- No hardware, maintenance, or manual labor
- No trips to the Post Office
Which one sounds more efficient?
You’re Not Saving. You’re Delaying the Switch.
The businesses that move to online Certified Mail and First-Class Mail systems usually do it after one of two things happens:
- A compliance scare or mail-related mistake.
- A team finally had enough and says, “There has to be a better way.”
We’re here to tell you: there is a better way. It’s easier than you think. And it’s probably cheaper than what you’re doing now, especially when you factor in everything you’re currently not tracking.
Start sending mail online with LetterStream. We make sending mail a breeze!
LetterStream offers bulk printing and mailing services, allowing companies to send physical mail online. Whether it’s online Certified Mail, First-Class Mail, FedEx 2Day, or postcards, we give both small businesses and large corporations that time and freedom back to work on tasks that better serve the company. If you’re interested in creating a free account, you can do so here.
