Franking Machines

Franking Machines are machines that are used to administer physical evidence of Postage or “franking” to mail. These machines are controlled by a country’s postal authority. A franking machine applies an amount of postage, acting in the place of a postage stamp, a cancellation and a dated postmark all in one. Franking machines are usually made up of a keyboard for entering the postage, three seals, and a stamping mechanism. Franking machines can be mechanical, manual or rotary – print head machines. Mechanical machines are letterpress machines that required being carried to the post office and manually reset by an official. Manual Set and Rotary Print Head machines were decertified by the USPS in 2002. While these machines were more advanced than the manual machines, including remote resetting capabilities, this early technology was alleged to be susceptible to tampering. With Digital Print machines, postage is processed through a modem connection. Postage is printed through an inkjet cartridge that uses a special postage ink. Franking machines can save an average of at least 7 pounds on first class mail, 8 pounds on second class mail and 14 pounds on large letters or packages and at the same time, setting the image of postage to a professional tone. A Franking machine can save instantly not only on postage but also labor costs.