Are you still printing in red ink?

Are you being told you need to change your machine?

Then speak to us, we’re more cost effective, there’s no hidden charges and we’ll also give you £250 free postage with your new machine.

FP Mailing HCS and Royal Mail are migrating all customers with a SMART franking machine to franking with blue ink instead of the current red ink. This is happening following the successful tests on blue ink which demonstrated an improvement in mail machine readability.

Mailmark™ Savings

Save up to 3p on every item
It Soons Stacks Up . . .

Royal Mail have delivered a new way to make your business more effective,
Royal Mail Mailmark™, In a nutshell Mailmark™ introduces a new barcode. This barcode combines innovative optical technology with digital performance reporting. Simply put, this means that at a click of a button you can learn exactly where your mail consignment is and when it is due to arrive.

We can offer you a cheaper alternative to your existing supplier inclusive of all the features and benefits as mentioned above. All our machines are smart machines and are Mailmark™ ready which will allow you to take advantage of the Royal Mail discounts saving you a lot of money.

Call us on 03332 414 077 to speak to one of our mailroom consultants on how to make this additional saving.

Small Parcel Changes

Save £1 on Small Parcels

Royal Mail changes mean that you can now save £1 on the cost of sending a small parcel.

From 20th October 2014 to 18th January 2014 small parcel prices and sizes will change.

The size of a small parcel will now be a combination of the previous deep and wide parcel sizes – they will increase to 450mm x 350mm x 160mm.

As well as the new bigger size, you can no send a 1-2 kg parcel for the same cost as a 0-1kg parcels if using your franking machine. This will mean that a small 1-2kg parcel will now cost only £3.50 instead of the usual £4.50 – Saving you £1.

What will you send this Christmas ?

Call us for details on how to claim your new small parcel savings.

Mailmark™ Franking Machines

Royal Mail have delivered a new way to make your business more effective, Royal Mail Mailmark™. If this is the first time you have heard about it, then –worry not- you are ahead of time to get informed on this new technology. Mailmark™ is now being introduced, so it is essential that customers understand what the implications of this new development are.

In a nutshell Mailmark™ introduces a new barcode. This barcode combines innovative optical technology with digital performance reporting. Simply put, this means that at a click of a button you can learn exactly where your mail consignment is and when it is due to arrive.

Mailmark™ can be used with the following products:

  • Advertising Mail,
  • Sustainable Advertising Mail,
  • Publishing Mail,
  • Business Mail 1st Class,
  • Business Mail.

It can be used with machinable Letter and Large Letter formats for low sort, unsorted or meter options.

Royal Mail making a new impression

To date this is Royal mail’s largest investment in Letters Automation in order to improve and transform Royal Mail systems and to ensure that a digital performance management system is put in place.

Mailmark Franking MachinesNot only will this deliver discounts over SMART tariff and stamps, but most importantly this will improve organisational management. By being able to track your mail consignment at every stage and being aware of its delivery, companies can improve services through better timing, planning, follow ups and monitoring performance.

No doubt with any change and the introduction of new technology come inevitable questions. Therefore it is essential to speak with us to ensure that your franking machine is Mailmark™ ready and what is involved in shifting to Mailmark™.

Call us today on 03332 414 077 to find out more about MailMark™

Common Mistakes When Franking

What should I do if I make a mistake when franking my mail?

Wrong date
If you frank your mail with the wrong date, you just need to put a line through the incorrect date in black ink, then change the date on your franking machine and set the postage to £0.00.

You then re-frank the envelope with the correct date on the reverse. Alternatively, frank a label with zero postage and the correct date and place it on the envelope to the left of the original impression, covering the incorrect date but not the postage paid.

Missed last post
If you miss the last post or collection time and your mail is already franked, please re-frank your post with the following day’s date. If the mail is not urgent, you can hold on to the items and post them the next day.

Your alternative is to use a late posting envelope. You are however limited to using one late posting envelope each day with a limit of thirty letters. The advantage is that that they can be posted in any Royal Mail post box. Please bear in mind that if you post after the last collection time the mail will be processed the next day.

If you miss the last posting time, please re-frank your post with the following day’s date. If the mail is not urgent, you can hold on to the items and post them the next day.

Too little postage
Did you not pay enough postage, add another impression with the necessary amount to the bottom left hand corner, franking the shorter edge of the envelope or frank a label with the extra amount and place it on the envelope to the left of the original impression.

Too much postage
If you spot that you have franked your mail with too much postage, do not post the item. Remove the contents and start again with a new envelope. Send the unused envelope or unused slips if not applied to an envelope to Royal Mail and as long as the total claim is for at least £10.00 and all the impressions are clear and readable and made within six months of the date you will get a refund. Please send your unused impressions to:

Royal Mail Franking
Stone Hill Road
Farnworth
Bolton
BL4 9XX

You will get a cheque refund for the value of the unused impressions minus a 15% administration fee charge.

Franking Machines changes

Franking customers will be receiving a letter detailing the changes which will come into effect from 2nd January 2013. Royal Mail are changing the design on franked, machine-readable letter items that use their automated equipment in mail centres.  The new mark will appear in the top left hand corner of the envelope which will include the Royal Mail logo with the wording “Delivered by”. Please see illustration.

You do need to make adjustments to your stationery to ensure the area in the top left hand corner is kept clear, so if you have any wording, slogans, company logos, return addresses in the top left hand corner you will need to move them to another area. If the area is clear on your stationery already then you don’t need to do anything.

Why has this been implemented?

The identification of mail received by a customer will help all recipients with identifying who to contact if there is a problem in terms of miss or late delivery, damaged mail or another issue. As the postal market has more suppliers, this will allow each business to know the access provider who has processed each item of mail and in turn drive up quality standards.

Royal mail currently field 1,000s of enquiries via their systems for issues related to non-Royal Mail delivered items.

 

VAT and Royal Mail

VAT on Royal Mail services is nothing new; with effect from 31st January 2011 some of Royal Mail services that can be accessed and paid for through a franking machine did become liable for VAT. In simple terms, if you didn’t or do not have a franking machine fitted with a ‘SMART’ Meter then you will no longer be able to access these services via your franking machine.

A Franking Machine fitted with a ‘SMART’ meter enables data to be transferred back to the Royal Mail on the type of services used. This in turn automatically generates a VAT statement and allows you to claim the VAT back from HMRC and more importantly allows you to be able to continue using the service.

Where will I get my VAT invoice from?

If you have a SMART machine you will receive an invoice directly from Royal Mail.

What is SMART Franking?

SMART refers to new franking machines and the way that they account for VAT affected services offered by the Royal Mail. If your machine has the ability to account for VAT, then your machine is SMART.

But how does this affect me?

Changes to VAT rules and the way in which the Royal Mail products are regulated, have affected the VAT status of a number of their products. A limited range of Royal Mail products became subject to VAT through 2011, and this has been extended to other business products from 2 April 2012.

Universal services (USO) such as 1st and 2nd Class stamps will continue to be VAT exempt. As always, this is subject to change in the future.

For more information on Royal Mail prices for 2012 visit: www.royalmail.com/prices2012

Many business customers can reclaim VAT.

If your business is registered for VAT, and sells taxable goods or services, then as a general rule, you will be able to recover the VAT in the normal way on your VAT return. For professional advice, talk to your Finance department, accountant or tax advisor. You can also find more information on VAT at the HMRC website: www.hmrc.gov.uk/vat

Red ink turning BLUE

FP Mailing HCS and Royal Mail are migrating all customers with a SMART franking machine to franking with blue ink instead of the current red ink. This is happening following the successful tests on blue ink which demonstrated an improvement in mail machine readability.

We are keen to utilise this advancement alongside the latest technology in franking – The SMART franking machine, to support our joint drive to maximise efficiency of dealing with your all your mail.

This change will be undertaken in a transitional approach so no panic necessary. We currently have blue ink in stock for most models.

Using SMART franking machines with the latest technology means enhanced print quality and clarity of impression on all your mail which in turn means even more efficient processing of all your mail whether it’s letters, Special Delivery, packets or International.

Smart Franking Machine

SMART refers to new franking machines and the way that they account for VAT affected services offered by the Royal Mail. If your machine has the ability to account for VAT, then your machine is SMART.

But how does this affect me?

Changes to VAT rules and the way in which the Royal Mail products are regulated, have affected the VAT status of a number of their products. A limited range of Royal Mail products became subject to VAT through 2011, and this has been extended to other business products from 2 April 2012.

Universal services (USO) such as 1st and 2nd Class stamps will continue to be VAT exempt. As always, this is subject to change in the future.

For more information on Royal Mail prices for 2012 visit: www.royalmail.com/prices2012

If you are unsure what you need to do next, call us and we will advise.

Call us to enquire about Smart Franking Machines.

Business Mail Advanced

Business Mail Advanced is an easy way of reducing the cost of your postage. If you need a little help to understand the savings, please contact FP Mailing HCS and we will help you save as much as possible on every piece of mail you send.

What is Business Mail Advanced?

If you produce a minimum of 500 letters at one time for delivery to UK addresses and you can prepare your mail so Royal Mail’s automated technology can read and verify the postcode and address, you can obtain the following discounts from the usual franking tariff price:

  • 1st Class letters are discounted by 4.6p (10.5% reduction on Standard 1st Class Letters Meter prices)
  • 2nd Class Letters are discounted by 5.1p (16.5% reduction on Standard 2st Class Letters Meter prices).

In addition to this, you can receive additional Volume Related Discounts, starting from 1.5%, if you mail more than 1,000 items at once.

What do I need to receive the discounts?

As well as sending a minimum of 500 letters, your business needs to meet the following criteria:

  • Appropriate letter dimensions
  • Minimum size is 145mm x 110mm
  • Maximum size is 240mm x 165mm
  • Minimum thickness is 0.25mm. Maximum thickness is 5mm
  • Addresses must be machine printed in a defined area of the letter
  • Appropriate address location and format
  • Optical Character Recognition (OCR) address specification is recommended
  • Appropriate clearzones – Royal Mail requires certain areas of the mail piece to have no markings. These are called clearzones. Royal Mail print bar codes on each item in these areas to assist the sorting process.
  • Appropriate presentation
  • Letters separated in to 1st and 2nd Class
  • Letters presented upside down and facing the front of the trays
  • Trays are placed in the wheeled containers – Royal Mail will provide A4 trays and a wheeled container
  • Letters should bear a license number. This is normally applied when your machine franks a letter.
  • Complete a Customer Collection Receipt

How are my discounts calculated?

Royal Mail sorting office machines read the license number and check the letter for address accuracy. You will then be allocated a discount on an item by item basis for every piece of your mail that is automatically sorted.

How do I claim the discount?

Discounts are refunded either by cheque or as a credit to your Royal Mail Account. A refund application is not required.