Royal Mail Change from Red to Blue Franking Ink

In 2014, Royal Mail began moving Smart and Mailmark franking machines from red ink to blue ink. Blue ink improved how reliably Royal Mail could read franking marks, and it is now the standard for Smart and Mailmark franking. If you run a Smart or Mailmark franking machine, you should frank in blue ink.

Royal Mail’s change from red to blue franking ink

During 2014, Royal Mail introduced a change to the ink used to frank mail, affecting any business with a Smart franking machine. Mailcoms and Royal Mail worked together to migrate customers with new Smart machines to the new ink colour.

Smart franking machines can frank in both red and blue ink, but Royal Mail moved to blue ink only. The change followed successful tests showing that blue ink improved the readability of the franking mark. So if you own a Smart or Mailmark machine, you should use blue ink rather than red.

There was no need to worry about the colour change, as it was phased in over the year, giving businesses time to adapt. Mailcoms is a Royal Mail Authorised Independent Inspector and Maintainer of franking machines and can supply blue franking ink for Smart and Mailmark machines. Visit our franking ink and labels store to stock up on blue ink.

FAQs

Why did Royal Mail change from red to blue franking ink? Royal Mail moved Smart and Mailmark franking to blue ink in 2014 because tests showed blue ink improved the readability of the franking mark.

Do I need to use blue ink in my franking machine? If you run a Smart or Mailmark franking machine, yes. Blue ink is the standard for Smart and Mailmark franking.

Can Mailcoms supply blue franking ink? Yes. Mailcoms supplies blue franking ink and labels for Smart and Mailmark franking machines.