Franking Machine Supplies

If you decide to buy or rent a franking machine to help your business process mail faster, cheaper and more efficiently, you will need more than just the machine itself. You will also need to get the proper supplies it requires. We’ve outlined the main items you will need here, so you know what to expect when you get your first franking machine.

Inks

Since a franking machine will calculate and stamp all the mail it processes, it requires ink cartridges, much as a normal printer would. As with all other supplies used to frank mail, your ink cartridges must be bought from an approved company. The ink used to print franked mail needs to be recognised by Royal Mail systems in order for the mail to be sorted quickly and efficiently.

Fortunately there are several approved sources of ink cartridges available today. Just be sure you note the make and model of your machine so you buy the correct cartridges.

Labels

There are plenty of different labels on the market today, but not all of them are approved for use with franking machines. Furthermore, as is the case with ink cartridges, you need to make sure you get the right labels for your particular machine.

Labels are generally sold in boxes in specific quantities. You will quite easily be able to buy a thousand labels at a time, and they often come on sheets of two labels per sheet. The sizes will vary depending on the machines they are designed to be used in, so make sure you pick the right ones. You will notice the labels are measured in millimetres, but most websites will indicate which makes and models of machines will need which labels.

Envelopes

There are a range of envelopes you can buy which are ideal for franking machines. They come in different sizes as well, such as DL and C5 sizes. You can also buy envelopes with or without windows so you can choose whether to display the destination address and addressee in one of two ways.

You can also buy late meter posting envelopes for franking machines if you wish. These are ideal if you know you won’t be able to meet the usual last posting times. Franked mail typically has to go into a business post box or into your local Post Office. However if you miss these opportunities you can use these late meter posting envelopes instead and pop them into a normal post box. As such they give you another option to consider.

As you can see there is a lot to learn when you get a franking machine for the first time. However, once you become familiar with your specific machine and you know which supplies you need to buy for it, you can make sure you always have the right items to ensure your franked mail goes through daily. Changing to this way of posting mail takes a little time to get used to, but it can save you money in the long run.