Franking machines can save you enormously over stamped post. Still, the machines themselves can come with quite a price tag! No one looking to save money wants to see an upfront investment of £27,000 – even if it does eventually pay off.
Luckily, there are plenty of ways to shop smart, get good deals, and save with the best franking machine prices in the UK.
Unfortunately, figuring out if you’re actually getting the best rate on your franking machine can be difficult. All three franking machine manufacturers in the UK use resellers, which means they don’t publish prices.
Still, you can get the smallest and most basic new model franking machine from about £500. If you buy used, you can get a better model for that same money. On the other hand, high-end and high-volume franking machines typically cost £10,000 and up, sometimes over £30,000.
The good news is, competition is steep! Chances are, if you shop around, you’ll be able to get a great deal on your franking machine so you save as much as possible. Let’s take a look at what you need to get the best deal.
Keep in mind, these rates are calculated based on the expected 5-year lifespan of a franking machine. If your machine runs for longer, you’ll save even more.
Low-Volume Franking Machine Costs for Small Business
Low-volume franking is intended for smaller businesses. These machines typically handle 15-25 letters per minute. In addition, they’re typically worthwhile to buy for businesses that send 15-20 letters per day.
On average, you can expect these models to cost about £2,500 per year. That means you’ll pay £500 per year of expected lifespan for your machine, or just £42 per month.
Want a better rate? A pre-owned Quadient might run you £600, costing just £10 per month over the expected lifespan.
Top Low-Volume Franking Machine Models to Consider
Small-volume franking machines are designed for 50 letters or less per day. Most have small integrated scales, limited printing functionality, and no sort or automation features.
- Pitney Bowes SendPro Mailstation – As the smallest franking machine on the UK market, this is also one of the cheapest. You can purchase or hire directly from Pitney Bowes, complete with an all-inclusive contract for maintenance, inspection, and supplies. The model has a list rate of £2,037 as a new purchase. With 5-year financing offered by Pitney Bowes, that comes down to £33.95 per month.
- Pitney Bowes R DM60 – If you’re looking to save on your franking machine but still want a Pitney Bowes model, the DM60 is available refurbished for a hire rate of £8 per week – or £1,355 to buy outright. Annual service (inspection and maintenance) costs are typically about £116. So, you’ll pay a financed rate of £22.50 per month.
- FP PostBase Mini – This entry-level franking machine processes up to 24 letters per minute, with an integrated 2kg scale. It also offers customizable logo and slogan printing. The listed purchase price is usually around £3,000. However, you can often get it for half that with an all-inclusive contract. That means as little as £22.50 per month depending on how you shop.
- Quadient iX-1 Series Franking Machine – This desktop franking machine supports franking up to 50 letters per day. You also get a detachable 5kg scale, programmable slogans and logos (up to 10), and an automatic rate calculator. The iX-1 costs from £1,790 to purchase outright, for a rate of just £30 per month.
Mid-Volume Franking Machine Costs
Mid-volume franking machines typically include integrated scales, some automation features, and options for printing up to 100 envelopes per minute.
Here, you’ll normally get envelope sealing, more printing and customization options, and some letter sorting. Most cap out at about 500 letters per day.
What can you expect for rates? Most mid-volume franking machines cost £7,000-£15,000. You can always negotiate lower. But, it’s unlikely you’ll buy one of these new for less than £50 per month.
- Pitney Bowes Send Pro C Auto with 7kg Weight Platform – The SendPro C is a mid-volume franking machine offering print and letter sealing, at up to 50 letters per minute. You can also add customized graphics, print labels, and weigh parcels up to 7kg with the integrated scale. It costs £12,685 to buy outright or £220/month.
- Quadient iX 5 Mailmark Franking Machine – This mid-volume franking machine comes with everything you need to print and automate up to 75 letters per minute. The machine also comes with department settings, so each department of your business can print its own logos, slogans, and letter information. You also get stack sorting, two letter feeds, and an integrated scale and rate wizard to automate rate calculations. The list price is £6,786 but you can drop it down to just £3,651 by opting for the hand-feed option. That’s £60-£116 per month for a new mid-volume franking machine.
- FP PostBase Fusion Auto – The Fusion Auto prints up to 70 letters per minute. It also comes with a touchscreen, automatic envelope feeder, and letter sealing. An integrated differential scale also means you can stack letters and have them automatically weighed and correctly franked. The price is typically around £11,000 to buy outright or £180-£200 per month, but FP does not list rates. That means it’s more important to compare to make sure you’re getting the best rate.
High-Volume Franking Machine Costs
High-volume franking machines are designed to handle up to 1,000 letters per day. You also get mail automation, sorting, sealing, and sometimes more.
Prices can be quite high, but you’ll normally see savings at 250-500 letters per day. These machines also range quite a bit in cost. The cheapest is a Quadient at just over £15,000. The most expensive is a Pitney Bowes, at £32,000. Of course, costs go lower if you opt for preowned.
- Pitney Bowes R SendPro P3000 – The Pitney Bowes R SendPro P300 with shipping and 7kg weight platform includes everything you need to sort, seal, and print high-volume mail. The machine can sort stacked mail, apply custom prices per, and can handle up to 310 letters per minute. Plus, you get a digital touchscreen to select different carriers from and can integrate with carriers like FedEx and UPS in addition to Royal Mail. The SendPro P3000 is listed at £32,069 or £500-£600 per month.
- Quadient iX 7 – The Quadient iX 7 is a high-volume franking machine designed to automate much of the letter and franking process. For £15,537 you can process up to 300 letters per minute. With financing, that’s £250 per month. You can also add up to 15 different job presets to seamlessly switch between postal carriers or business branches. A dual ink jet printer also means you get faster printing, with up to 10 customized messages and support for 100 standard accounts/departments.
- FP PostBase One – The FP PostBase One handles up to 150 letters per minute, with an automatic feeder, 7kg scale, label dispenser, and a separate 15kg external scale. This model is designed for mailrooms that handle parcels and supports up to 800 items per day. FP doesn’t list prices, so you’ll have to shop around to find the best quote.
Franking Machine Costs Breakdown
Franking machines are not cheap. That’s true whether you’re buying or renting. However, they can save you a great deal over the cost of stamped mail.
Let’s take a look at the costs you’ll have to consider:
| Item | Low-Volume | Mid-Volume | High-Volume |
|---|---|---|---|
| Purchase Cost | £600-£3,000 | £1,500-£14,000 | £8,000-£34,000 |
| Monthly Rate Financed | £10-£50 | £25-£233 | £250-£560 |
| Supplies (Ink/Labels) | £10- £140 per refill | £30-£210 per refill | £90-£480 per refill |
| Annual Inspection + Maintenance | £50-£150 | £100-£250 | £250+ |
| Setup Fees | £0-£250 | £0-£450 | £0-£900 |
In some cases, you’ll also want to consider extras like training, extended warranty, etc. These will vary depending on the supplier.
In addition, ink and label supply can vary significantly in cost. If you buy Pitney Bowes official ink cartridges for a low-volume machine, they cost just £8.95 directly from the supplier.
On the other hand, a cartridge for a high-volume machine can cost as much as £480. Of course, the cost per envelope printed is lower with the more expensive cartridge.
FAQ
If you still have questions about the best franking machine prices in the UK, this FAQ should help.
Is it Better to Buy a New or Preowned Franking Machine?
That depends on volume, usage, and your need for reliability. Pre-owned franking machines are generally refurbished models. However, most franking machines are designed to last for about 5 years.
Your pre-owned model might not come with a warranty or a guarantee for that time. It might also be less reliable. However, if you need to save now, pre-owned franking machines offer the best bang for your buck.
For example, you can get manufacturer refurbished franking machines for as much as a 30% discount over new. Those will still come with a warranty. Independent supplier refurbished franking machines can be even cheaper but might not have the guarantee.
Is it Better to Purchase or Rent a Franking Machine?
That depends on your quote and contract. For example, it might actually be cheaper to get an all-inclusive contract complete with all maintenance, supplies, and annual inspection included.
With everything tallied, you might find that a hire rate is cheaper than paying upfront costs, maintenance, buying supplies, and paying for annual inspection. That means you should always get quotes, do the math, and figure out which is best on a supplier-by-supplier basis.
What’s the big pro of buying? You get a machine delivered to your door and you’ll only pay extra if something goes wrong. Otherwise, you’ll be able to shop around for the best rates on repair, maintenance, and supplies.
What’s the benefit of hire? You’ll have everything taken care of. And, if something goes wrong, your supplier should bring you a new franking machine free of charge, so your mailroom keeps moving.
Most importantly, your leasing supplier will handle Royal Mail Licensing updates. That’s normally handled during the annual update. If you do it yourself, you’ll have to pay an authorised supplier to come in, do the inspection, and update software.
Normally, with a contract, that costs about £50. If you don’t have a contract, it might cost much more.
What’s the Cheapest Franking Machine Available in the UK?
In most cases, costs depend on features, brand, and your contract. For example, Quadient is the cheapest franking machine brand in the UK. This brand brings Farma and NeoPost together into a single company. Normally, you can get a new machine from Quadient for about £3,000+.
However, the market is very competitive. If you compare rates, you might be able to drop that down to as little as £1500 – or even £500-£600 for a secondhand machine.
Of course, Quadient might not be the right franking machine brand for you. Shopping around can get you competitive rates on better-known brands like Pitney Bowes and FP.
Are There Additional Costs Associated with Owning a Franking Machine?
Buying a franking machine is just part of the cost you’ll have to calculate. You’ll also want to look at maintenance and inspection contracts, ink, envelopes, labels, etc., to calculate if you’re really better off buying your franking machine.
For example, sometimes it’s actually cheaper to lease or rent instead, where supplies and maintenance are included.
What are Franking Machine List Prices? Can I Get Cheaper?
A list price is the “recommended selling price” listed by the manufacturer. Often, you can negotiate rates significantly below those recommendations. For example, there are 27 authorised independent suppliers in the UK selling and maintaining just 3 manufacturer’s franking machines. Competition is extremely high. You can lower rates by:
- Opting for more services
- Getting more types of machines from the same company
- Negotiating competitively
- Signing longer contracts
For example, your franking machine might sell at a rate that works out to £45 per month. If you also buy everything else you need for your mailroom from the same company, you could easily negotiate that down to half.
Do you want the best rates on your franking machine? Use the form below to request quotes and we’ll contact the top independent suppliers and manufacturers servicing your area to request a competitive quote. Then, we’ll compare and send you the best offers for new and refurbished franking machines.