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USPS Postage Meter Migration Mandate

Small Business Postage Meters

USPS Postage Meter Migration Mandate

It's helpful to understand how postage meters have evolved over time before buying a postage meter for your small business.

As technology has evolved, so too has the postage meter.

Starting in 1995, the United States Postal Service (USPS) formally identified the need to increase the security of U.S. postage revenue.

The core problem was that at that time existing postage meters could be tampered with and misused. Unscrupulous persons could get free postage, illegally, at taxpayer expense. Newer postage meters do not have these problems.

In addition, counterfeit postage was a problem. The newest postage meters use an indicia mark that is much more difficult to copy, resulting in a decline in fake postage.

USPS Relationship With Postage Meter Vendors

The USPS has a close working relationship with postage meter vendors.

In 2001 they began working with postage meter vendors on a phased plan to provide new, secure meter technologies that enable more efficient mail processing while ensuring postal funds security.

As a result of this effort, the USPS mandated a new type of postal imprint called Information Based Indicia (IBI), which provides the best security for postage evidencing.

Now, digital postage meters and networked postage meters are the standard. Mechanical postage meters and electronic postage meters, on the other hand, have gone the way of dinosaurs.

When buying a postage meter, or renting a postage meter as is more often the case, you will want to make sure that your postage meter adheres to the latest United States post office requirements for postage meters.