Top 10 Franking Machine Tips!
With many people now realising the benefits of switching to franking from stamps, we thought it may be useful to give you some handy tips on how to get the best results out of your machine and how to avoid wasting time and money!
1. Don’t post your franked mail in a normal post box – All franked mail must either be collected by Royal Mail, put into a franked mail post box, taken to your nearest post office or alternatively you can place your mail in a posting meter envelope, this allows up to 25 letters to be placed in the envelope and put in a normal post box.
2. Frank all your post in one go – It’s best to gather all of your post together and frank it all at the same time, this will save you ink in the long run as every time you turn your machine on the print heads will draw out a small bit of ink so they are ready to start printing.
3. If you know you have a mailshot to do in a weeks’ time then be prepared – Check you have enough funds in your account to carry out the mailshot and if not let us know so we can help you prepare! Also, check you have enough ink and labels so you don’t come un-stuck halfway through.
4. Separate you post – Take a few minutes before you start franking to separate the post into piles of 1st and 2nd class then separate into letters/large letters/small parcels etc. This will save you time whilst you are actually franking.
5. Check the date – Before you send your mail out to be posted make sure it has the correct date on. If you are using a Mailmark compliant franking machine, don’t forget that the date will automatically change at 5 pm to the next day’s date so try and frank your mail before 5 to avoid any problems.
6. Check the amount – always check the amount of postage for each item to make sure the correct price has been applied this will avoid any unnecessary surcharges coming back from Royal Mail. Check the weight of each item using the scale, this will ensure the correct postage price has been applied, but remember a franking machine can only feel not see, so it’s up to you find out if it’s a large letter or a small parcel!
7. Keep your details up to date – if you move address or change the name of your company it’s important you let us know 14 days prior to this, so we can let Royal Mail know especially if you are moving towns/cities as your franking machine will print the wrong information.
8. Never use incompatible inks – using incompatible inks will not only cause some serious damage to your machine but it will also invalidate your warranty/maintenance agreement meaning you’ll be left to pick up the bill to fix or even replace your machine. Buying inks from Ashcroft means you will only be using the manufacturer’s ink cartridges.
9. Keep your franking machine updated – make sure you keep up to date with all Royal Mail rate changes to avoid any unnecessary surcharges!
10. Advertise with your franking machine – franking machines allow you to print your company logo and return address directly onto every piece of mail you send out, and they also give you the ability to create your own text messages which are really useful when producing marketing mailshots!
For more franking machine tips and information on one of our franking machines please contact us on 0800 458 2880 or email info@ashcroftmailing.co.uk
