How Much Does A Franking Machine Cost?

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One thing that prevents many small to medium businesses from using franked mail is the perceived cost of franking machine itself. There is also a belief that franking machines can have considerable ongoing expenses. However, this is misplaced and franking machine costs are more reasonable than you might expect. In fact, a franking machine can be leased, and the leading firms all offer increasingly competitive leasing and service agreements. Even if you do decide to buy a machine outright, it is still possible to get hold of franking machines for lower costs than you may be expecting.

Top UK Franking Machines

In the UK, only four franking machine manufacturers are fully licensed by Royal Mail: Frama UK, Francotyp Postalia (FP), Pitney Bowes and Quadient. All four companies produce a full range of quality franking machines, from small entry-level devices that are designed to process about 50 items a day, to the much larger models used by major international firms and mail-order companies, that are capable of handling as many as 180 letters per minute.

As well as these four manufacturers, there are twenty companies that are licensed by Royal Mail to lease or sell franking machines. It is worth bearing in mind that in order to retain your company’s license to use franked mail, the machine must be inspected each year. This can be done either by the manufacturer or one of these other companies, but it is a requirement. When working out the cost of a franking machine, you should take this into account. See the Royal Mail website for more details.

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Franking Machine Prices

Franking Machine Costs to Buy

How much is a franking machine? Taking an entry-level machine as a guide, the cost of a franking machine bought outright, as opposed to leased, is fairly consistent from each of the four leading manufacturers. Although in some cases, you will need to contact the manufacturer directly in order to get the most up-to-date prices, a standard entry-level machine will likely cost from £1000 to buy outright. It is important to have a service agreement however, and there is also the ongoing expense of supplies, and in these areas, as well as the various leasing agreements on offer, the franking machine costs tend to differ.

Average Items of Mail (per day)	Type of Franking Machine	Average Purchase Price
Up to 30	Low volume	£995 – £3,000
20 – 100	Mid volume	£3,000 – £8,500
100-1000s	High volume	£8,500 – £21,500+

Franking Machine Costs to Rent

Renting or leasing a franking machine is a popular option for many businesses which do not have the capital to invest in a machine outright. These agreements enable you to spread your franking machine costs via monthly payments. A servicing and maintenance support service is also often included which means that if a fault develops, you won’t be charged for the repairs. Rental agreements start at around £20 – £30 per month for the lowest volume machines.

Average Items of Mail (per day)	Volume Level Category	Monthly Lease Cost (exclu. VAT)	Total Paid in Lease Over 3 Years
Up to 30	Low volume	£20 – £30	£720 – £1,080
20 – 100	Mid-volumes	£40 – £50	£1,440 – £1,800
30 – 500	Mid / High volume	£50 – £80	£1,800 – £2,880
500 – 1000s	High volume	£85-£400+	£3,060-£14,400+

Cheapest Franking Machines

The franking machines with the lowest costs will process low volumes of mail i.e. no more than around 50 items per day. The lowest volume machines on the market are:

Neopost IS-280c
Pitney Bowes DM60
FP Mailing PostBase Mini
Frama Matrix F12

To rent these machines you are likely to be looking at a cost of around £15 – £30 per month or you could purchase them outright for between £1,000 – £1,300 (on average).

Franking Machine Savings

Item-for-item, franking works out as considerably cheaper than buying stamps. It also has the added benefit of offering a smoother processing operation, as well as the option of featuring your company’s own branding message on each item that you send. For example, by franking a 1st class letter rather than buying a stamp you will save 10p, and you can save 28p on each first-class small parcel by franking it rather than using stamps. Those savings build up and if you send a lot of mail, the cost of a franking machine is worth it for the long-term savings.

Ongoing Supply Costs

Annual Stamp Tariff Updates
Almost every year the Royal Mail update their postage tariffs and your machine will need to be updated to keep up to date. There is usually a charge for this update, adding to the cost of a franking machine over time.

Ink
Make sure you are taking the cost of ink into consideration as this will vary from machine to machine. It’s important to remember that cheaper ink cartridges may not produce as many impressions as the official brands so may not be cost-effective in the long term.

Credit Top-up Fees
Each machine is linked to a unique credit account with Royal Mail which you’ll need to top up; there is usually a charge which can be as much as 5% of the amount you are adding.

Professional Servicing
The Royal Mail requires you to get your franking machine serviced annually. A service agreement for an entry level franking machine costs from £20 per month or £240 per year, and an ink cartridge that makes up to 2500 impressions costs upwards of £40 (or around 1.6 pence per item of mail) but some cartridges with a higher impressions yield will cost in excess of £130. You should factor this in when working out overall franking machine costs.

How to get the best deal on franking machines

By assessing your company’s specific mailing requirements and viewing the deals available, you should find a franking solution that will provide significant savings in the long term. Only by viewing multiple quotes on the cost of franking machines will you be able to find the best deals on offer.

Looking for franking machine prices tailored to your business? Find lower franking machine costs and the best deals in the UK on the cost of a franking machine by clicking on the banner below to complete a short form. We can’t teach you how to use a franking machine, but you’ll be able to get up-to-date information and the best prices on the market. Don’t delay, lower franking machine prices are only a few clicks away.