A typical small business spends more than $4,000 per year on the cost of postage. The internet has changed many things about running a business, but some things still need to be physically mailed out. Fortunately, certain types of technology are already there. First, you have to know about the postage meter for small business, which can make your work easy and fast.
The best postage meter and technology can help with mailing. Postage meters can save you a lot of time compared to a daily trek to the post office.
What is the best postage meter for a small business? Let’s take a look.
What Is A Postage Meter?
A postage meter is a type of printer that lets you print your own postage for mail and parcels you send through the U.S. Postal Service.
Effectively, it lets you print your own “stamps” instead of using the traditional ones you buy from the USPS. Some postage meters also let you add your company logo or other graphics to the postage sticker so you can brand the mail you send out. Using the best postage meter for small business will take all the pending workload related to the mailing.
How Does A Postage Meter Work?
When you start to use the postage meter for small business, it is printing the postage directly onto your mail. And others are printed on meter tape that you can stick onto the envelope or package.
The meter has a scale to weigh the item you’re sending. When you weigh the item, the meter tells you how much postage you need to mail it and then prints the postage for you.
If it prints directly onto the item you’re mailing, there will be some sort of feeder where you place the mail for printing. Some meters provide automatic feeders, which are helpful if you send a lot of mail.
Operating Costs Of Using A Postage Meter
When you print your own postage with the postage meter for small business, you typically pay the same amount of postage as you would if you took the mail to the post office. But you also have some added costs with a postage meter, including:
- Rental or lease fees
- Supplies
- Maintenance
These costs are normally all included in the lease fee you pay to the company that provides the meter.
Postage meters are only available to rent, not to buy, and you have to get one from an authorized supplier. You can’t just start printing your own postage with any printer and expect the USPS to accept it. Now USPS stamps’ online availability rate is high.
You can print postage and convert it into mailpieces or onto meter tapes. If you are facing trouble due to the USPS late delivery. You can easily search on the basis of the printed postage meter tapes.
If you use a postage meter, you may qualify for certain USPS discounts, including commercial postage prices and presorted mail discounts. If you send enough mail, these discounts can more than offset the cost of the meter. Additionally, you can apply for a car title loan serviced by LoanMart online and cover the rest of the meter’s costs.
How Can A Postage Meter Help Your Business?
When you are starting to use the postage meter for small business, you can easily save your business both time and money.
- You don’t need to run back and forth from the post office to send mail or buy more st from time-saving perspectives. The best postage meters are also let you work on whatever schedule you like. You don’t need to worry about when the post office is open.
- On the cost-saving front, if the discounts you qualify for offset the rental costs, any savings beyond that go straight to your bottom line. You can also be more precise when calculating postage costs.
For example, if you have a large envelope to mail, the meter will calculate the cost down to the penny. If you were sticking old-fashioned stamps on it, you might end up putting more postage on it than necessary if you need to use more than one stamp and don’t have the exact postage available.
Pros And Cons Of Using Postage Meter In Small Business
Postage meters can save you time and money, but they do have a few disadvantages that you need to consider. So now you know what is the best postage meter for small business? But are the postage meters fully proof and do not have any adverse effects?
I am first starting with the advantages of using postage meters for small businesses.
Pros Of Using A Postage Meter
There are several benefits to using the postage meter for small business. Here are some of the advantages of using the postage meter for your small business.
- Convenience and time savings
- Postage rate changes get updated automatically, so it’s always up-to-date
- You can weigh your mail and calculate the postage from a single device
Postage meters are also stand-alone devices; hence you don’t need to worry about connecting them to a server or permanent connection. Any updates get sent over a standard wired internet connection.
Cons Of Using A Postage Meter
There are a few potential disadvantages of using a postage meter as well. These include:
- Rental costs since you can’t buy it outright
- It only prints postage, not addresses
- It requires a wired internet connection – WiFi isn’t supported
We’ve already discussed how discounts may offset the rental costs; therefore, that’s only a drawback if you have minimal mail volumes for each month.
What Is The Best Postage Meter For Small Business?
Now you know ‘what are the advantages of using the postage meter for your business?’ But what is the best postage meter company for small business? Several companies make postage meters, but two, in particular, are the biggest in the industry – Pitney Bowes and Quadient.
1. Quadient IS-280
The IS-280 is a good option among and the best postage meter for small business. The scale on the standard model can handle mail up to two pounds, and a five-pound option is available if you deal with more oversized items.
This meter comes with 100 stock graphics that you can print alongside your postage, giving you some creative license with the labels. It can process 18 items per minute, which is fast enough for the volume of mail handled by most small businesses.
The IS-280 is best-suited for envelopes and small packages.
2. Pitney Bowes Mailstation 2
The Mailstation 2 is one of the more compact postage meters, making it ideal for small offices and home offices. It’s small and light, making it easy to move around so you can store it out of sight until needed.
Pitney Bowes includes a free USPS primary online connection in Mailstation 2, so it can download postage rate changes and other updates automatically. You can also add FedEx and UPSC carrier upgrades if you use them for shipping alongside USPS.
Frequently Asked Questions Regarding Best Postage Meter For Small Business
1. What Is The Best Alternative To Postage Meter For Small Businesses?
The best alternative for postage meters for small businesses is Internet-based postage software and digital postal mail.
2. How Much For A Postage Meter Machine?
You can lease the postage meter machines with an average cost of $30 to $70 per month. Within this budget, you will get an average-sized postage scale of 30 pounds of scale.
3. What Are The Cheapest Postage Meter For Small Businesses?
Pitney Bowes SendPro Mailstation is the cheapest one. You only have to pay $30.20 per month. But these postage meters are only best for the low volumes of mail. Most small business has a very small area for business. And this meter comfortably sits in your small business space.
4. Does USPS Have Their Own Postage Machines?
PC postage has USPC approbations from a third-party vendor. But the USPC postage meters come in various sizes. Lage mailers have multiple features.
5. Where Can You Use The Postage Meters?
Postage meters are currently authorized for using any mail services. You can use the postage meters for domestic first-class, and international mail services are everywhere.
Consider Your Needs Before Deciding
To answer the question, “What is the best postage meter for small business?” you need to look at the needs of your business. Consider how many items you mail each month and weigh that against the cost and efficiency of each type of postage meter.
What’s best for one company isn’t necessarily best for another, so choose wisely.
Browse through the Small Business category on our site for more helpful articles like this one.
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