3 franking machine alternatives

You still need to send letters, but the franking machine lease, ink and maintenance costs are getting harder to justify.

Email may be suitable for some communications, but it does not work for everything. Some customers prefer printed letters, some documents are easier to read on paper and certain communications may need to be sent in a particular format.

That does not mean a franking machine is your only option.

Here are three alternatives worth comparing before signing another machine contract.

Stamps may look more expensive when you compare postage prices alone.

But for businesses sending small or occasional volumes, they can work out cheaper once the machine rental, ink, servicing and account fees are included.

With stamps, you pay for the postage you use. There is no equipment lease, specialist ink or maintenance contract.

The downside is that your team still needs to print, fold, fill and prepare every envelope. Stamps can work for low volumes, but the manual process becomes harder to manage as mailing volumes increase.

Before comparing the two, look at the full cost of your current setup. Our guides to franking machine costs and the hidden costs of franking machines can help.

Email is quick, familiar and does not require a machine in the corner of the office.

It can be a good option for general updates, routine information and communications where the recipient has agreed to hear from you by email.

But it is not suitable for every message.

Contact details need to be accurate, crowded inboxes can make important messages easy to miss and some communications may need to be sent by post or in another prescribed format.

Check the operational, contractual and regulatory requirements that apply to your organisation before replacing letters with email. This article provides operational guidance rather than legal advice.

For many businesses, email works best as one part of the communications mix rather than a complete replacement for post.

Online franking, also known as hybrid mail, gives you the convenience of sending letters online without managing the physical production yourself.

With Postworks Send, your team uploads documents through an online platform. Postworks then handles the printing, folding, enclosing and postage.

You still send a physical letter, but there is no franking machine to rent, no specialist ink to order and no pile of envelopes waiting for somebody to deal with them.

It can suit businesses that need to send regular customer correspondence, invoices, statements, reminders or operational letters without running an office mailroom.

Because the service is online, authorised users can prepare business post from wherever they are working.

The right option depends on how much post you send, how often you send it and how much staff time goes into preparing it.

Add your current mailing costs below to compare them with sending letters through Postworks.

Remember to include equipment, postage, envelopes, ink, maintenance and staff time.