If you need to pay postage costs; make frequent trips to the post office that use up time and money; or find yourself over paying for mailing small packages, larger envelopes and parcels, postage meters can save the day. Postage meter companies offer a wide array of mail room solutions for small businesses so that they can conserve on human and financial resources.

Traditional analog postage meters are being replaced by digital postage meters. A Digital postage meter, also called a postage machine or mail meter machine, is much more secure because it prints a two-dimensional image that identifies the sender and the destination. Postage meters are connected to the U.S. Postal Service via the Internet and are able to download updated postage amounts. The modular design of the digital postage meter allows for the adding components to take into account the needs of a growing small business.

Here are some of the human and  financial cost savings that postage meters can bring to a small business:

• Cost savings: Digital Postage meters have a built-in scale that calculates exact postage rates for larger envelopes, parcels, small packages and prints the precise postage amount, providing your small business with precious cost savings on every piece of mail.
• Time savings: The mail or package is weighed and stamped onsite without the need for frequent visits to the post office for stamps and parcel deliveries.
• Convenience: Digital postage meters can handle all types of mails including First Class Mail, Priority Mail, Express Mail, Package Services, International Mail, and Pre-sorted First Class Mail Services.
• Cost tracking: With a digital postage meter, you can track postage costs to determine your cost of sales on every item including shipping and handling.
• Easy payments: The digital postage meter can be re-filled with postage stamps using a debit or credit card online.
• Automatic postage updates: A Digital postage meter can be updated electronically when the USPS (United States Postal Services) updates postal rates for parcels, packages, post cards etc.  
• Security: A digital Postage meter has security features such as two-dimensional bar codes to authenticate sender and receiver ensuring that the mail gets delivered to the right recipient.

It is important to note that digital postage meters cannot be purchased. Under federal regulations, they can only be leased. When you rent a postage meter, you usually have to sign a contract for at least one year. The longer you sign the contract, the cheaper the cost to rent a postage meter. Top postage meter companies will give you a discount or free postage when you rent the postage meter from them. For example, Stamps.com gives you an $80 offer when you sign up. Pitney Bowes postage meters come with a 60-day free trial, and if you stay on after the free trial, you will receive $100 in free postage.

With digital postage meters small business can achieve financial and human cost savings:

• Eliminate frequent visits to the Post Office
• Print your logo on envelopes, labels, or plain paper
• Save on mailing, shipping and handling
• Never overpay for postage again
• Make your mail look more professional