Describe your business
We are an advertising agency based in Cheshire and founded in 1992.

What does the machine do?
It is a folder inserter - you place the envelope at one end and the sheet at the other. It can double fold the sheet to a DL-sized envelope or single fold to C5.

Why did you make the purchase?
We used to hand fold more than 180,000 documents - we produce 1,000 documents every month. It was a dreadful job and bloody unpleasant. I can't exactly remember how we found out about the Neopost DS-62, but it makes that job an absolute breeze.

What features do you particularly like?
We just grab a pile of stapled reports and drop them into the feeder. The machine takes them in and they pop out into the tray, folded and sealed. For the report work, we don't use the fully automated mode, although this is an option.

Is there anything that you dislike?
It's only a slight problem, but the machine will jam after about every 100 sheets or so. However, this is easily rectified and it opens up very easily. It certainly has less paper jams than an office printer.

Is there anything that you wish it had that it doesn't?
It would be nice to have an extra input feeder, although Neopost does have other models with that additional feature.

How fast is it?
It takes documents as fast as you can put them in. There are no backlogs.

How reliable is it?
We have not had to call out a single engineer in the 14 months that we have had the machine. In terms of maintenance, the DS-62 requires water in order for it to seal the envelopes. We have to fill up a water tray and pre-dampen the brushes, making sure we then empty the water out afterwards.

How easy is it to use?
It has an LCD screen that displays everything you need to know. If you can programme a video recorder, then you should be able to use this.

How much time or money has it saved?
In terms of time, the job used to require two or three people - now it's just one. We perhaps save around 12 hours of work time on each of our mailing days. However, it hasn't really saved us any money.

Has it won you any new work?
We have used it for an envelope-stuffing job for the local Conservative Party. They had printed a questionnaire and the mailing included a reply envelope - it was ideal for the machine and for that we used the fully automated mode.

Were there any difficulties experienced during the installation or after?
Installation was smooth. The machine is heavy and we had to get two people to carry it, but since it's been installed we've not had to move it.

What about the pre- and after-sale service?
A Neopost representative pops in now and again to check that everything's okay with the machine.

Who do you think the machine is right for?
Anyone who does repetitive mailing and longer runs.

Under what circumstances would you buy another?
The DS-62 we have suits our needs and we have no need for anything bigger. I just wish we had bought this years ago.

Conclusion
User’s verdict    
Speed 5/5
Quality 5/5
Reliability 5/5
Value for money 4/5

Supplier’s response     
Graeme Bennett, head of product marketing at Neopost, says: The DS-62 is as easy to use as a photocopier and will fit into any office environment. You can walk up to the DS-62 throughout the day and turn an envelope, with up to five inserts, into a crisp, professional-looking mailing in seconds.
Price from £33 per week
Contact Neopost 0800 731 1334 www.neopost.co.uk