by DPS Magazine Staff
Part three of three
Chain of custody in transactional mail begins upstream of the inserter.
Eddy Edel, VP of product management, BlueCrest, explains that when a print file is received, solutions like BlueCrest’s Output Manager validates its structure and integrity before production begins. The file defines the expected job manifest—piece count, collation structure, selective insert assignments—establishing a documented baseline against which production output will be measured.
During production, the file-based workflow creates an event record for every piece processed. The vision system verifies each page against the barcode data, confirming correct sequencing and collation. “Any piece that fails inspection is diverted and logged. At job completion, the select file documents every exception, creating an auditable record of what was produced, what was diverted, and what required reprocessing,” says Edel.
Post-production, Intelligent Mail Barcode tracking extends custody visibility into the postal stream. “The IMB embedded in each piece allows mailers to monitor entry scans, in-transit scans, and delivery confirmation through USPS data feeds. Integrated with USPS Informed Delivery, this creates a closed-loop record: we can confirm when a piece entered the mail stream, trace its path through processing, and verify delivery. A piece that shows as delivered in the tracking data but is reported missing by the recipient becomes a verifiable anomaly rather than an unresolvable dispute,” adds Edel.
BlueCrest sortation solutions extend that chain of custody further by providing controlled, high-integrity handling between inserting and postal induction. By integrating sortation into the same monitored workflow, mail pieces can be tracked, grouped, and prepared for postal entry with the same level of visibility and control that exists upstream. This reduces manual handoffs, minimizes the risk of tray-level or pallet-level errors, and ensures that the integrity established at the piece level is maintained through final handoff to the postal system.
For applications involving particularly sensitive content—healthcare correspondence, financial documents, high-value card attachments—this end-to-end documentation is not just operationally useful. It is the evidentiary record that demonstrates compliance with HIPAA, financial regulations, and postal requirements in the event of an audit or a compliance inquiry.
Quadient offers a complete solution from using data (Quadient Impress and Quadient Inspire) and creating documents, placing secure barcodes on them, and creating the closed loop file to the inserters with Integrated Integrity that never guesses and always only places the right documents into the correct envelopes. Then Quadient AIMS is used to close the loop back to the data level for reporting. “The key is no outside or third-party vendor is required, only a truly integrated end-to-end secure data/document/envelope processing solution, securely sealed into mail bins for the mail carrier to pick up,” states Kelly McManus, senior director, Production Mail, North America, Quadient. Quadient also has add-on services like Quadient Easy Track preparation software. It integrates seamlessly with systems like Bulk Mailer to give businesses real-time visibility and tracking of their mail as it moves through the United States Postal Service (USPS®) mail stream to the document recipient.
Oct2026, DPS Magazine
