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!
What would solicitors want with you, RevK ?
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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
ReplyDeleteLooks 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.
DeleteI 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.
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