What Can Franking Pay For?

It doesn’t matter if your company send letters to businesses across the United Kingdom, packages to America or parcels of complimentary gifts to homes in Europe the franking machine allows you to post mail all over the world without leaving the comfort of your office.

Using a smart franking machine is a great way of saving even more time, this machine will calculate the price of postage automatically and all you have to do is select the type of mail it is and if its receiver is inside or outside of the United Kingdom – it’s that simple!

Using a non-smart franking machine will still save money and time, but just less time than a smart franking machine as you have to look at the pricing wall chart and enter the amount yourself, by hand.

With franking machines you can purchase any of the following;

If you’re looking for next day delivery then you want to choose 1^st Class, but if you are happy with a good value for money service that will deliver the item to the recipient whiting three working days then 2^nd class mail will do the job for you.

You may decide to upgrade your 1^st or 2^nd class mail to add more security, this can be done with ‘Royal Mail Signed For’ this means that you get proof of postage and the recipient must sign to accept the post – so you know when it has been delivered!

Then there is the Special Delivery Guaranteed post option, this is ideal for mail that needs to arrive next day because it is urgent and it is ideal for valuable items too with the added piece of mind that the package arrived as it needs to be signed for on delivery.

With a franking machine you can also pay for international post such as airmail which offers a fast and efficient delivery to pretty much any address in the world or Airsure that offers fast delivery abroad while tracking items – but only items less than 2kg can be sent via Airsure.

Sometimes you want to know that an item has arrived safely abroad and this can be done with International Signed for Mail which can also be paid for via your franking machine.

With a franking machine you can even arrange for the post to be collected from your office on a regular basis or even on a one-off, it means you don’t even have to leave your front door!

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Six Easy Steps to Start Franking

Starting franking for your business really is very simple, we have put six easy steps together and of you follow these you will be saving loads of money on your office post!

Step One – Shop around for the best manufacturers, franking machine suppliers, independent inspectors or maintainers to purchase or lease your franking machine from.

Step Two – Going through the computer you lease or purchase your franking machine from, ask for your franking licence so you can frank your post legally.

Step Three – Arrange the best franking machine credit options for your business, this could be in the form of a Direct Debit, Credit Card or even Credit Accounts with deferred payment terms.

Step Four – With the franking service from the Royal Mail you are able to save lots of money for your business, look in to the different additional products you can purchase such as Special Delivery, International Mail or one-off business collections to help save more money.

Step Five – It is really important that you meet all needs of the franking licence, to do this you must read the Legal Scheme for Franking Letters and Parcels 2008 and also separate all mail that you send.

Step Six – You must ensure that you separate all mail, Post within the UK and post outside the UK, while separating the mail into product and class of mail. This will ensure that you qualify for franking savings and avoid any penalties.

Is Franking Ideal For My Business?

At Pitney Bowes, company directors often ask if franking and subsequent franking machines are ideal for their business. Every franking machine supplier would be inclined to say ‘Yes’ but actually the facts speak for themselves;

It is commonly known that franking is a really quick and very simple way of managing a business’s mail; it can save a company time and money while giving off an incredibly professional image of the company through branded franks on outgoing mail.

With franking machines you are able to get credit for postage when you need it, you don’t need to have a trip out to the post office to buy more stamps, with franking machines you can be in complete control of your postage costs and ensure not too much is spent.

Franking Machines are so easy to use and cost effective; this makes them ideal for many companies from large corporate businesses and organisations right through to sole traders – a franking machine can save all sorts of businesses money on their postage costs.

What is great about franking machines is that you do not need to send masses of post to save money, you save money on every piece of mail that you send, it doesn’t matter if you send hundreds of letters or just a few packages, you will be able to save money on your post with a franking machine.

How Do I Choose My Franking Machine?

Although Royal Mail are involved in the franking of mail, the posting of the franked mail and the payment of this postage they are not franking machine suppliers. If you are looking to purchase or hire a franking machine it is highly recommended that you contact a reputable franking machine supplier like Pitney Bowes explaining your postage needs and requirements and then they can recommend the right franking machine for you.

There are a wide array of franking machines to choose from ranging from the small machines that are ideal for a company with a little amount of post right through to larger machines that are able to do more things than you can imagine including folding, inserting and sealing envelopes before franking them, it will also measure and weigh your post and thickness to ensure the correct amount of postage is used.

It is highly recommended that you speak to an experienced franking machine supplier so you are able to choose the best franking machine for your business, the one that works best to your needs.

Franking Machines Are Only For Big Companies – Or Are They?

Here at Pitney Bowes we are often told that franking machines are only for big companies but we disagree and we explain our reasoning for why a franking machine suits any office that sends post.

In this article you will find that franking machines offer all the same benefits to small businesses as they do to large businesses.

When using a franking machine you will find that you can save up to 34% on mail. The more franked mail you send the more you will notice that the franking machine starts to pay for itself. You may feel that the postage savings alone are enough to warrant the purchase of a franking machine.

On top of this you will find that you do not have to put extra stamps on mail so the customer will not have to pay to receive them, instead you can weigh and measure the mail you are posting and then put the correct postage on it to reach its destination or customer.

Franking machines can also save your time because you won’t need to pop out to the local shop to purchase stamps, or run down to the post office to weigh a parcel and purchase the correct postage to send it. Instead, you can pay for the postage of a franking machine in advance meaning you can save time that can be used for much more worthwhile things.

Sending franked mail also gives your company a very professional image that will encourage customers to trust you. You can also put a sales message or company slogan in as part of the frank to help with brand awareness and marketing of your services and/or products.

If your company likes to track postal expenses then nothing will be better than a franking machine. You are able to run the report straight from the machine and identify when the postage was spent and when the account was uploaded with more payment.

How Do You Clean The Print Head Of A Pitney Bowes Franking Machine?

Over time you will find that dust particles from envelopes or franking supplies will start to build up on the print head of a franking machine and it’s about time it was cleaned; this is how you do it.

The first thing you need to do is a test print, this way you can find out if your franking machines print head has any blocked printing jets. It is important to make sure that the printing jets are clear, as poorly printed franked mail will be rejected by the postal service.

Then do a text print; you need to press options and then press the page down button twice. You then need to select the ‘Advanced Features’ which will take you through to another screen where you need to click ‘Maintenance Mode’. Once on the Maintenance Mode screen, select ‘Printer Maintenance’ and then ‘Test Print’.

At this time the franking machine will request that you insert an envelope into the franking machine and a test print will be completed. On the screen you will then see a message that says “Is the test pattern ok?” If it is then click yes and this will return you to the main maintenance menu and your printer head is cleaned.

If the test pattern is not okay then you need to press no. This will automatically complete a purge within the machine (which may take a few minutes). You will then be returned to the main maintenance screen, so press clear (the back arrow / delete key) four times and you will return to the home screen to continue franking.

Here Comes More Benefits Of Franking Machines!

Many people know that Franking machines help us smooth over tasks that normally take a lot of time, often reducing them by half.

However, franking machines aren’t just about that. They are designed to help people improve the efficiency of sending mail. New models have been updated, which is why franking machine users keep benefitting more and more.

Postal Discounts from the Royal Mail

The discount on franked mail has dramatically increased in the last two years. There is a reason behind this change and that reason is because Royal Mail’s handling franked items instead of regular mail is cheaper. Royal Mail normally has to provide stamps and process stamped mail; their staff has to put more time and efforts in the process. Franked mail handling on the other hand is easier for them as it doesn’t require a lot of work.

Presenting a professional image

Another great feature of franking machines is that they let you set a professional image for your business. As franking machines let you use your own customised stamps on the mail envelopes, your clients see you as highly professional because each item of mail holds the exact same stamp pattern on it. You can customise the logo and promotional text without much difficulty at all.

Accountability and Recording Expenditure

Franking machines are great because they record all of your postage. This lets your company claim its full expenditure when it comes to your tax return. You would be able to run the franking operations smoothly too, because these machines help you to keep on top of your franking costs.

This is not all. While you pay for every single thing that you use in your office, whether it be the office supplies, photocopiers, or any other essentials, franking machines give you something for free. We are talking about the free advertising option. It lets you advertise new services, promotions and offers through text. You know what the best part is? You can change that message on a daily basis on certain machines!