The meter is the critical part of your mailing system. It prints the indicia and stores the postage.

What is a Base ?

The base is essentially an envelope handler, designed to transport the item to be  stamped, through the meter.
The four main parts of a base include the feeder, sealer, stacker, and tape dispenser.

Feeder
A feeder guides envelopes through the meter. Although you can get a low-end meter without a feeder, feeding a large mailing by hand is going to be pretty tedious.

Sealer
A sealer moistens the envelope flap and closes it.

Stacker
After mail is stamped, it must be cleared from the machine. This requires a stacker. Low-end stackers are no more than a catch tray placed at the edge of the meter and designed to hold metered pieces of mail.

Power stackers can stack more envelopes by using a conveyor mechanism to move the stamped pieces away from the meter's edge.

Tape dispenser
In some cases, it is not possible to print an indicia directly onto a mailing piece - like with a large package. In these cases, strips of adhesive paper, called tape, are fed through the meter and affixed to the package. The tape is stamped with the indicia or postage amount.

What is a Scale ?

A scale weighs letters or packages and if it has current rates, tells you how much postage to apply to your mail piece. Interfaced models automatically apply that amount when you put the piece through the meter.

Some scales also allow you to rate shop to see if a different carrier is less expensive. Rate Guard insurance is available to guard against multiple USPS rate increases. Your salesperson may tell you that "Rate Guard" is included free but you are paying for it. Many companies discover that they can save money by paying for these rate changes when they happen separately.

Who sets postage rates ?

The United States Postal Service (USPS) sets the rates and regulations we follow.

How would I purchase new postage for my postage meter ?

You don't need to go to the post office for this. New Postage is downloaded directly into your postage meter at the touch of a button through FP's Reset Debit program. New postage can also be charged to your credit card. There is no need for sending in manual checks and waiting days for postage to be added to your account.
 

What happens when the U.S.P.S. increases postal rates ?

Your local FP representative would send you a new rate card for your postage meter. You can get protection against frequent postal rate increases through programs such as FP Rate Guard.

How do we protect ourselves from future postal rate increases ?

You can get protection against frequent postal rate increases through programs such as FP Rate Guard.
Your salesperson may tell you that "Rate Guard" is included free but you are paying for it. Many companies discover that they can save money by paying for these rate changes when they happen separately.

Can I buy a postage meter ?

No, all postage meters, regardless of manufacturer are rented, never owned. These postage meters are highly regulated by the United States Post Office because they hold actual U.S. mint.

What are the reasons for having a postage meter ?

Printed postage has many advantages. It promotes a professional image for your growing business, gives you the ability to assign exact postage, saves trips to the post office and allows you to send mail in different classes and track the costs of specific mailing campaigns -- all of which can save your business up to 20 percent of mailing costs in the long run.

What happens if something goes wrong with my postage meter ?

FP Mailing Solutions has local technical support representatives all over the United States. They will be able to assist you with any problems you might have. Also, by law, customers are not allowed to open the meter component of the postage meter since it contains live postage.

What happens to the postage money in my old postage meter if I decide to switch to FP Mailing Solutions ?

If the meter is checked out from a local post office and they can get readings (i.e. money left in the meter), your local post office will refund your money. If the post office is unable to get the readings, then the meter is sent back to the local meter manufacturer and the funds are refunded through the USPS.

Once FP Customer Care adds postage to my account, how does the postage actually get into my postage meter ?

The postage is downloaded from the FP Customer Care department here at FP to your postage meter automatically through the postage meter's built-in, self-dialing modem. This process requires that your postage meter be connected to any standard telephone jack using a standard phone cord which is supplied to you.

What if I send out only packages, how would I get the stamp that your postage meter creates onto the package ?

You would run a self-adhesive postage meter label through the postage meter and attach it to the package.

What will the actual "stamp" that the postage meter creates look like ?

Above is a sample of an information based indicia (IBI) along with a sample company logo which would be imprinted by the postage meter on an envelope. Your company logo can be replaced with a company advertisement, which you can change and customize. The 2-D barcode includes the following information; licensing post office, rate category, date of mailing, postage amount, device or meter ID number.

See below for a description of the Information-Based Indicia Program (IBIP) initiated by the USPS.

What is IBIP ?

The United States Postal Service (USPS) initiated the Information-Based Indicia Program (IBIP) to enhance the security of postage metering by supporting new methods of applying postage to mail. The information based indicia (IBI) is printed by the postage meter or other forms of PC postage systems on mail pieces. The IBIP program is designed to give the post office greater visibility & security of mail. In addition, the use of the 2-D barcode removes levels of sorting within the mailing process cycle, which in turn will speed the delivery of a mail piece.

Is a mailing machine the same thing as a postage meter ?

Yes.

Why can’t I get my postage meter from the United States Postal Service ?

Federal regulations prevent the United States Postal Service from competing with private enterprise. The Postal Service is a regulatory authority, determining product compliance with regulations and supplying product authorization on the basis of demonstrated compliance.

The United States Postal Service only regulates manufacturers that provide postage meters, they are not allowed to supply them.

What if I make a mistake when printing my postage with my meter ?

Unused indicia or postage printed with your meter may be considered for refund only if they are complete, legible and submitted within 60 days of the date in the meter stamp. These unused meter stamps are refunded at a postal retail window. For specific details, contact your local Post Office.

Will I be able to use my postage meter for all types of mail ?

Postage meters are currently authorized for use on all mail services (except periodicals), including Domestic First-Class Mail® services, Priority Mail® services, Express Mail® services, Parcel Post™, International Mail, Presorted First-Class Mail discount services, and Extra Services.

What if I am sending a package or envelope that requires extra postage, how will I know how much to set the postage amount to on the postage meter ?

Postage meters come with postal scales which are often integrated into the postage meter itself. Simply place the envelope or package on the scale, and the correct postage is determined and set immediately.