What are the most common franking mistakes to avoid?

The most common franking mistakes are franking post in small batches instead of all at once, franking the wrong date, not updating your address with Royal Mail and your supplier, and franking VAT services without a SMART or Mailmark machine. Avoiding these errors saves franking ink, prevents wasted postage, and keeps your mailroom costs down.

Franking machines offer many advantages, and as more businesses realise this, franking machines are becoming more popular. However, some businesses may be unaware of mistakes they are making when franking. Below is our guide to the franking mistakes to avoid.

Franking mistakes to avoid

• Do not frank in drips and drabs – Frank ALL your post in one go. This will help save your business money on your franking ink, as the printhead will not keep going into standby, protecting itself from dust.
• Don’t frank the incorrect date – ALWAYS send post with the correct date. If your mail has the incorrect date on it, then you will waste franking ink. You will be required to put a line through the incorrect date using black ink. Then frank the item again with the correct date, using the set postage price of zero. Use a label and stick this on the reverse of the envelope.
• Ensure Royal Mail and your franking machine supplier have the correct address – If you move address, then you will have to inform and update your franking machine supplier and the Royal Mail about this, 14 days before the move.
• Don’t frank VAT services unless you use a SMART or Mailmark franking machine – this is a common error, and if you do not have a SMART or Mailmark compliant machine, you will not receive your VAT back. Mailcoms have a range of SMART and Mailmark Franking Machines for your business.
• Don’t process post as soon as it is received – Before franking, separate your mail into different classes, e.g. 1st class, 2nd class etc. This will speed up the franking process as you will not have to change the mail class on the franking machine as often.
• Do not under frank for your mail – If you ever under pay for a franked item, add another impression, with the correct amount, to the bottom left hand corner. Or you can frank a label and apply the extra amount to the envelope, next to the original franking impression.
• Do not over frank for your mail – If you ever over pay for a franked item, remove the content and start fresh with another envelope. Send any unused franks to Royal Mail, and providing the total claim meets their minimum value, and all impressions are clear within 6 months of the date, a refund will be given, minus an admin fee charge.
• Don’t send ALL mail items using a postbox – You can save money by not using a postbox. Instead use a meter posting envelope and send your franked items in a Business Posting Box. Call Royal Mail to find out more details about the nearest Business Posting Box or Mail Centre near you.
• Don’t ignore postage expenditure – Ensure that your business monitors the franking postage costs that occur on your franking machine. Use the departmental feature on your franking machine for this. This will help budget future expenditure and ensure you are optimising franking costs.

Frequently asked questions

Why should I frank all my post in one go? Franking all your post in one batch saves franking ink. If you frank in small batches, the printhead repeatedly goes into standby to protect itself from dust, which uses more ink over time.

Can I claim VAT back on franked mail? You can only reclaim VAT on eligible services if you use a SMART or Mailmark compliant franking machine. Without one, you will not receive your VAT back.

What do I do if I frank the wrong amount? If you under frank, add another impression with the correct amount, or frank a label and apply it next to the original. If you over frank, start again with a fresh envelope and send unused franks to Royal Mail for a refund, subject to their minimum claim value and admin fee.

If you would like a new franking machine today, then get a Mailmark Franking Machine Quote or a Franking Machine Quote here.