Postage meter

A postage meter or franking machine is a device used to show that postage (or franking) has been paid on mailed items. These devices are checked by a country's postal authority to make sure they work right.

A postage meter prints an amount of postage on an envelope. It works like a postage stamp, a cancellation, and a dated postmark all together. This shows that postage was paid and marks when and where the mail was sent.

The meter stamp proves that the postage was paid. This removes the need to use adhesive stamps, making mailing simpler and quicker for many businesses and groups. Postage meters help keep the mail system working well.

History

Since adhesive stamps were introduced in 1840, postal officials wanted ways to stop stamp theft and make mailing 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 that time, Arthur Pitney in Chicago made his own mailing system and started the Pitney Postal Machine Company in 1902. His machine had a hand 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 grew into Europe and other parts of the world.

In 1938, Franks Universal was investigated under antitrust laws, and the company split into four new businesses. The Model M Postage Meter, approved in 1920, became an important part of mechanical engineering history.

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.

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. 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.