SPECIAL REPORT VARIABLE DATA PRINTING -- Digital Print Goes Postal

Ironically, the best explanation for the variation in use of automated processing methods seems to be the human factor.

"It was curious that almost 30 percent of all postcards mailed from New York City and 37 percent from Miami carried the LMLM labels. The Los Angeles and Chicago sites used LMLM labels on less than 3 percent of the same postcard variations. The reason for this difference isn't clear, but it may be due to floor-level management decisions on how to treat the postcard most efficiently," Lind says.