1. An insertion system for collating sheets of printed material for insertion into an envelope, the insertion system comprising: an insertion machine; and application software that comprises a first function and a second function; and an operating system for running the application software at any given instant, wherein: the first function performs tracking for each packet, wherein each packet includes a plurality of pieces of printed material, and the second function controls operation of the insertion machine, wherein the first and second functions are executed with the operating system.