2014-05-22

Not smartstamp, but what?

So, got a letter today, and this is the postmark/frank.

It is not a normal old fashioned franking machine as it contains a barcode.

It has Royal Mail logo but not the usual second class mark.

It has an IEC16022 datamatrix barcode like a smartstamp, but a different geometry variant. The content are a very similar style to a smartstamp, and include date and price and so on.

I assume it is some sort of franking system - but what?

Anyone know?

Update: Wow, after all of the hassle we had trying to get a spec for smartstamps, it seems MailMark is a system that RoyalMail allow systems integrators to work with to make mailing solutions. They have a process for becoming a producer. I think we may have to look in to it - to replace our use of smartstamp and make a sellable system!

4 comments:

  1. What would solicitors want with you, RevK ?

    ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  2. A quick google & it's called Mailmark. Found a 1st class version of this at http://www.frama.co.uk/GB-EN-Royal-Mail-Mailmark.frm

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Looks like they are still thinking franking *machines*. They need to see this as a service, the way smartstamp (and this I guess) works is an API to request postage from the pre-paid balance which is the content of a barcode printed on the letter. We print at the same time as the address and so on, not a separate "machine" to frank. Oh well.

      Delete
    2. I really wish something like this was available. I send out packages and I'd love to be able to print my own postage, but SmartStamp is unavailable to new subscribers, and the web-based system is beyond awful. Instead I use a business account with OBA, which makes things much easier to send large quantities of mail than small quantities.

      Delete

Comments are moderated purely to filter out obvious spam, but it means they may not show immediately.

Deliveries from China

I have PCBs made in China (well Hong Kong). This is all my many small PCB projects (not FireBrick). I would rather use UK suppliers but I am...