This article explains how to post franked mail, and where to drop it off in the UK.

Franked Mail

Due to unprecedented price hikes on Royal Mail postage stamps in recent years, businesses all over the UK have invested in franking machines.

Not only will a franking machine save you money on postage, it also saves you the time wasted at the Post Office queues, waiting for your items to be weighed and stamped correctly or sticking lots of denominations of stamps on letters to ensure you have overspent on your postage.

When employers add up the working hours spent by employees travelling too and from the post office and standing in busy queues over the course of a year the cost is significant and often deemed an unnecessary waste of company revenue considering the alternative.

Investing in a franking machine increases the productively of your employees and lets them focus on tasks that are core to the business.

There are lots of options available regarding the posting of franked mail:

• Using a post box
• Dropping off at a Post Office
• Having Royal Mail collect the post.

First & Second Class

To differentiate your first and second class mail ready for collection or drop off you will be issued with red (for first class) and green (for second class) pouches or mailbags, which can hold a large number of items. These are issued free of charge to franking machine users.

Your franking machine will have the full range of Royal Mail standard postal tariffs including both first and second class options. All you have to do once your mail is correctly weighed and franked is put it into the correctly coloured pouch. This does not now require to be checked or weighed by Post Office counter staff so if you do drop off it’s quick and easy.

Drop Off at Post Office

Should your business be based near a Post Office branch, then a quick trip to drop these pouches off should not waste too much time.

Most post offices have a business mail window available for your businesses to simply drop the mail off and return to work. The business mail will then be sent to the sorting office, cutting out the Post Office counter process completely. Your mail pouches should then be returned to you the next morning with your incoming post.

Using a Post Box

You should always be careful not to put franked mail in a regular post box unless you have put your franked post into a low volume posting envelope wallet/metered mail envelope. These can be obtained from your franking machine supplier and are suitable where small volumes of mail (up to 30 items) are being posted per day. You can also post franked mail at a special franking post box.

Business Collection

Royal Mail also provides a service whereby your franked mail can be collected from your office every day if required. This is a great option if you are not based near a Post Office, or if you would rather opt for an even easier, less time-consuming method of postage. Royal Mail charge £787 per year to make a daily weekday collection from your office. However, if you spend more than £15,000 annually, this charge is waived and the service is completely free.

Next steps: how to get the right franking machine for your business

There are significant savings available when franking your mail as well as promoting your businesses professional and established image.

Instant Quote

No need to talk to multiple companies when in a few minutes you could have a full quote covering all manufacturer models on the market.

Its easy and fast, once you have completed pick the one that best suits you and on the finance option that’s best. We support you through the whole process whether you are new to franking or are looking to move to modernise your existing solution.