Quiet workhorse in the mailroom - Pitney Bowes Relay 3500 streamlines everyday statements

The Pitney Bowes Relay 3500 is built for companies that still send stacks of paper statements every day, but want fewer errors and less manual folding. What the mid-range inserter really delivers in speed, flexibility, and handling - and where it reaches its limits.

Reviewed: ad hoc news Accessory & Components desk. Edited and checked on 2026-06-17, 21:09. Details in the imprint.

The Pitney Bowes Relay 3500 hums rather than roars, turning messy stacks of invoices into crisp, neatly stuffed envelopes while the office around it just keeps working. Mid-sized firms feel the difference on busy billing days, when manual folding would simply collapse.

What the Relay 3500 does

The Relay 3500 is a mid-range document inserting system aimed at businesses sending between roughly 3,000 and 40,000 mail pieces per month, such as utilities, healthcare providers, and insurers. It automates folding, inserting, and sealing for recurring communications like invoices and policy letters.

Pitney Bowes specifies processing speeds of up to 3,000 envelopes per hour, with a daily throughput recommendation around 20,000 envelopes for sustained reliability. In practice, that means typical monthly statement runs that once consumed entire afternoons can be compressed into a focused morning.

Speed and capacity in daily use

The system offers up to four document feeders plus an insert feeder, depending on configuration, so multi-page statements and leaflets can be combined in one pass. Operators see status and job details on a touchscreen, which keeps the workflow understandable even for non-specialist staff.

Maximum envelope size typically covers standard C5 and DL formats, with document handling around A4 or Letter. For many European-style mailings that is sufficient, but unusual sizes or heavy stock quickly hit the machine's designed limits.

Automation and controls

One important feature is the ability to use Optical Mark Recognition or similar control marks so the Relay 3500 can accurately collate multi-page sets belonging to a single recipient. That helps avoid the nightmare of mixing customer pages, which is both embarrassing and legally risky.

Preset jobs can be stored so recurring runs start with just a few taps on the touchscreen. Staff feel less tied to the machine, because once a job starts correctly, the inserter finishes the batch with minimal intervention beyond filling feeders and clearing the output stacker.

Integration in existing workflows

The Relay 3500 is designed to slot into classic mailrooms that already use Pitney Bowes postage meters or sorters. Pitney Bowes positions it as part of a broader "document workflow" that can also include software-driven print streams and outsourcing options for peak volumes.

For companies that still generate PDFs from ERP systems and then print centrally, the inserter is a straightforward hardware upgrade. There is no need for exotic integration - the device follows the printed output rather than the digital data.

Strengths, and where it falls short

The obvious strength is consistent speed with far fewer manual steps. Staff no longer stand at folding machines feeding stacks by hand, which reduces fatigue and repetitive stress and cuts error rates on complex mailings.

However, the Relay 3500 is not a high-end production line. Very large mail houses or banks with millions of monthly statements will quickly encounter its capacity ceiling and look to more powerful inserters or fully outsourced hybrid-mail solutions.

Costs, footprint, and target users

Pitney Bowes does not push a public list price and often sells the Relay family via direct quotes or leasing agreements, tailored to volume and service requirements. For mid-market firms, that means upfront talks but also room for service level and maintenance packages.

The footprint fits into a typical corporate mailroom without needing industrial space. Noise levels are present but far from factory loud - in an open back-office you will hear the rhythmic shuffling, but it will not drown out normal conversation.

Company context and stock

Relay inserters like the 3500 sit in Pitney Bowes' Sending and Mailing segment, which the company is repositioning alongside software-driven shipping and e-commerce logistics services to offset the long-term decline in traditional letter mail. That mix keeps the brand visible in both classic mailrooms and parcel-focused warehouses.

Shares of Pitney Bowes Inc (US7244791007) trade on the New York Stock Exchange in US dollars.

Key facts on the Relay 3500 inserter

• Product: Relay 3500
• Manufacturer: Pitney Bowes Inc
• Category: Accessory/Spare part - mailroom inserting system
• Launch: Around mid-2010s, as part of the Relay inserter family
• RRP / Price: Available on request, typically via quote or lease (USD)
• Availability: Sold primarily in North America and other key Pitney Bowes markets via direct sales and partners
• Target group: Mid-sized organizations sending recurring transactional mail such as invoices, statements, and policy letters
• Highlight / USP: Automates folding, inserting, and sealing up to about 3,000 envelopes per hour for multi-page transactional documents

This article was AI-assisted and editorially reviewed. Product information without guarantee; prices and availability may change at short notice. No investment advice, no buy or sell recommendation. Stock-market transactions involve risks up to total loss.