Postage meters: leased, never bought

Why the meter is leased

A postage meter prints money: each imprint is proof that postage was paid. USPS regulations (39 CFR Part 501) allow only authorized providers to make and distribute postage evidencing systems, and those providers keep ownership of the secure device that holds the postage funds. You lease it, refill it with postage online, and return it when you stop. The main providers are Pitney Bowes, Quadient and FP.

What you pay for

• The lease on the meter and base, monthly or quarterly.
• Postage, loaded in advance. Metered mail qualifies for lower letter prices than retail stamps, and that saving is how a meter pays for itself at volume.
• Ink, specific to the machine.
• A scale and rate updates, often bundled.

The same contract warnings as a copier lease apply: check the term, the auto-renewal notice window and what happens to unused postage at the end.

When you do not need one

PC Postage services print postage on an ordinary printer or label printer from an online account, with no meter to lease. For a business sending a few dozen letters or parcels a week that is usually cheaper. A meter starts to make sense when volume is high enough that feeding envelopes through a machine saves real staff time.

Certified mailing machines

These mailing machines are certified under ENERGY STAR for the US market.