Why switch from an analogue to a digital franking machine?

Some years ago, you probably established that it would be cheaper to frank your mail than to use stamps. You’ve seen that you can make considerable savings of up to 37% per item of post and that you can project a more professional image on your envelopes with a franked mark. Using latest technologies such as a digital franking machine offers even more benefits.

It might be that your company purchased an analogue franking machine, but now you could be using obsolete technology and missing out on even greater savings. High-speed internet connections and downloadable applications have revolutionised the franking industry and your business could benefit from switching to a digital franking machine.

An analogue franking machine connects to your provider via an analogue phone line. The phone line incurs a monthly rental fee and call charges [some providers recredit your franking machine using a premium rate phone number], it can also be quite slow. By contrast, a digital franking machine connects to the internet via a LAN connection. Because you are using a constant internet connection, the risk of being disconnected is minimised and faster connections mean that you can download a variety of corporate slogans and logos for your envelopes.

To put this into context, a dial-up connection via an analogue phone line can be around 50 kilobytes per second whereas a digital internet connection is 100 megabytes per second.

A local area network connection provides greater reliability when you need to load postal rates, system updates or a company message onto your franking machine as it is less likely to lose connection.

Upgrading to a digital franking machine enables you to take advantage of SMART technology and Mailmark which is a significantly discounted postage rate enjoyed by bulk mailers who sort and frank their post according to the Royal Mail’s stringent guidelines.  SMART technology enables you to report on your usage and reclaim VAT on postal services that attract tax.

To find out more about the benefits of franking, visit www.frankingmachine.co.uk.