Postage meter

A postage meter or franking machine is a mechanical device used to create and apply physical evidence of postage (or franking) to mailed items. These devices are regulated by a country's postal authority to make sure they work correctly.

A postage meter imprints an amount of postage on an envelope. It works like a postage stamp, a cancellation, and a dated postmark all in one. This means it shows that postage has been paid and marks when and where the mail was sent.

The meter stamp serves as proof that the postage was paid. This eliminates the need to use adhesive stamps, making mailing easier and faster for many businesses and organizations. Postage meters help keep the mail system running smoothly.

History

Since adhesive stamps were introduced in 1840, postal officials wanted ways to stop stamp theft and process mail faster. One early idea was a stamp affixing machine from the 1880s.

The first known franking machine was invented by Charles A. Kahrs and used in Norway in 1900. Around the same time, Arthur Pitney in Chicago created his own mailing system and started the Pitney Postal Machine Company in 1902. His machine had a manual crank, a printing part, a counter, and a lockout device.

Pitney later joined Walter Bowes, and their companies merged in 1920 to form the Pitney-Bowes Postage Meter Company. In 1926, this company merged with Edward Franks' Franking Company of America. In the 1930s, the company expanded into Europe and other markets worldwide.

In 1938, Franks Universal faced investigations under antitrust laws, leading to the company splitting into four new businesses. The Model M Postage Meter, authorized in 1920, became an important historic landmark in mechanical engineering.

Function

A postage meter is a special machine used to put postage on letters and packages. It has a keyboard for typing in how much postage is needed, three seals, and a part that stamps the postage. In the past, people had to take their meter to the post office to add more money to it. But in 1979, a company called Pitney Bowes made it possible to add money by telephone, prepaid cards, the web, or the Internet.

The machine shows how much money is left, how much postage has been used, and how many times it has been used. If the machine can weigh letters, it figures out how much postage is needed based on the size and weight. The letters go through a slot, and the postage is printed on them. If there isn’t enough money left, the machine won’t print the postage. For thicker items, special postage strips can be added by hand.

Types of meters

Postage meters are special machines used to put the correct postage on letters and packages. There are different kinds of these meters.

Older meters needed to be taken to the post office to be reset by a postal worker. These older meters stopped being used in 1999. Other early meters could be reset from far away but were stopped in 2008 because they could be tampered with.

Today, digital meters are more common. These connect to the internet or a phone line to add postage. They print special ink that shows the postage amount, where the mail is from, where it is going, and other details using a special code. Companies like eBay and PayPal also let people print postage online for their mail.

A postage meter is just one part of a mailing system. Other parts include a base for the meter, a feeder for envelopes, a scale to weigh mail, a sealer for envelopes, a stacker for finished mail, and a tape dispenser. For big mailers, the meter can be part of a system that prepares all the mail from start to finish.