Postage meter how does it work

Track overall mailing costs - Postage meters deduct postage costs from one, pre-funded account. Postage calculations are current — Postage meters can download price changes in minutes. Send per-piece or large volume mailings — the same meter can be used if your business sends per-piece and large volume mailings. Postage Meter Options Postage meters come in all sizes. Very large mailers have big, specialized meters that fold, stuff, weigh, and meter postage onto envelopes.

Some meters are small and require each mailpiece to be hand-fed. That can take time. A meter manufacturer can help you decide which meter is right for your mailing needs. Note: Customers wanting information on upgrading their postage meter should contact their meter provider.

The following information is provided to answer questions about common problems and issues that arise with the use of a postage meter: Stale Meter Date A meter stamp must bear the current date. If the postage bears a previous or future date, the meter stamp is considered "stale. Mail must be metered with the actual date of mailing.

Mail deposited after the day's last scheduled collection may bear the actual date of deposit or the date of the next scheduled collection. This correction may be run on the reverse side of the envelope upper right corner.

For flats and parcels the correction should be made next to the existing meter stamp. Correcting Mistakes You cannot simply erase errors made once you have printed metered mail postage. You need to correct them, depending on the type of the error: Postage printed on the back versus the front of a letter Do NOT attempt to mail the incorrect item.

Print a new meter stamp with the correct information your account will be charged for the second item. Apply for a Refund. Only portion of the postage printed or postage not legible Do NOT attempt to mail the incorrect item. Print a new meter stamp your account will be charged for the second item.

Too much postage on the item If you mail an item for which you have overpaid postage, you will not be able to apply for a refund ; otherwise: Print a new meter stamp with the correct information your account will be charged for the second item. Too little postage on the item Create a new meter stamp for the difference in the postage amount due minus amount printed.

For a letter, print this on the back upper right corner. For a flat or parcel, add the new meter strip on the front underneath the insufficient postage strip. Do NOT include a date on the new meter stamp. For a letter, print this on the back.

For a flat or parcel, add the new meter strip on the front under the incorrectly dated meter stamp. Adding Postage Customers should contact their meter provider to add postage to their meter. The United States Postal Service no longer permits the use of manual postage meters. All approved postage meters are remotely reset by dial up or Internet connection with the meter provider's electronic resetting system. All postage meters can be electronically reset by dial up via the telephone.

Your resetting procedures will be set up by your meter manufacturer or dealer when you initially set up your postage meter account. T echnical Problems Customers experiencing technical problems with their Postage Meter should be referred to their meter manufacturer. Combining Meter with Business Mailing: A permit is required to obtain price incentives for work sharing on business mailings. Customers must apply for a permit in the city from which they are mailing.

Metered presorted business mail must be taken to the Post Office where you hold a permit and cannot be deposited in a collection box or handed to your letter carrier. There are special markings required for business mailings that can be applied with your Meter stamp.

In many cases, the meter manufacturer will take care of your meter application for you, so before you begin, contact a manufacturer, get some price quotes, and ask what services are available. Your meter manufacturer will install your meter for you and will "pre-program" the meter with an amount of postage that you purchase. Postal Explorer. Toggle navigation Postal Explorer.

Skip side navigation. Toggle navigation Business Mail Tips for Using a Postage Meter for Commercial Mailings Use these tips to mail successfully with a postage meter: Your meter manufacturer will give you instructions for how to operate the meter and how to refill it with postage. Until you presort your mail you may not know how much postage you owe on each piece.

Some mailers meter all of their pieces at the lowest price they qualify for and then pay the difference when they bring their mail to the Post Office. It is used to streamline the mailing process and make it more efficient, reducing costs and increasing processing capacity at the same time.

It can save your business a lot of money and time, as we will thoroughly explain later on. Before franking machines, if a company wanted to send mail or packages, they would spend long hours manually applying stamps to each package that needs to be sent. After that, someone had to take those packages to the post office. It was quite a time-consuming process and a waste of resources. Then, postage meters were invented, and these quality machines made the whole process a lot more efficient and simple.

Those machines print the postage directly on the mail or packages, and your mail is good to go. As a result, you get metered mail with all the necessary information city, state, date, and ZIP code on all your outgoing packages at a fraction of the processing time, which makes it perfect for processing large amounts of mail.

Before postage meters, companies would often miscalculate the weight of the mail, usually giving an estimate that can be larger than the actual number.

As a result, they pay more in shipping costs. Franking machines eliminate that problem and save you that additional cost, as they allow you to accurately weigh the email and pay just the right amount, nothing more.