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Postage Meters

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Postage meters are the machine most associated with mailing equipment, and they are the standard in controlling the cost of postage in most offices. Not only do they eliminate the need for a roll of stamps to be stashed in one person’s desk, but they also assist with the documenting where postage monies are being spent. Budgeting postage for each department and then assigning a password or numeric code for that department allows for the tracking of postal spending.

Postage meters also eliminate the need for standing in line at the post office to mail a large box or over-stuffed envelope. They also make it possible for items that are ready to be mailed to go out in the mail today, and not later in the week when the mail clerk makes the next trip to the post office. With a postage meter, staff members can weigh and affix the appropriate postage to a small envelope or an extremely large box and any size in between.

Postage meters cannot be purchased, only leased, and thus will need no service contract since repairs and maintenance are the responsibility of the company from which it was leased. However, you would be wise to consider how postal rates are adjusted when prices change, and how easy or difficult it is to “refill” your meter when your postage amount runs low. Some can be refilled through an online ordering system, others by a phone call. Older models must be hand carried to the post office to be refilled.

One other development has been a huge help to offices across the nation, and that is being able to purchase postage online, and print the “stamp” and bar codes, which guide the letter directly from your computer’s printer. Some printers are able to print the postage directly onto the envelope, while others print onto precut stickers which are affixed to the envelope, just as a stamp would be.

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