By Andy McCue, 15 January 2004 14:15
NEWS Royal Mail has launched a digital-stamp service that allows businesses to design and print personalised postage marks.
Customers can create the SmartStamps on their desktop computer, pay for the postage over the internet, and then print them directly onto envelopes from a normal printer. The SmartStamp software can also be used with a Microsoft Outlook address book
Although the software is provided free, businesses subscribe to the service for £4.99 a month or £49.99 a year and credit their account for postage - as companies currently do with franking machines. When the user is ready to pay, they connect to the internet and, by submitting their order, the cost of the stamps printed is deducted from their account.
The digital franks are not the same as traditional stamps and businesses can use their own logos, designs, message or photos - on normal stamps, no living person can appear except the Queen.
The Royal Mail said the service is a cost-effective way for small businesses to differentiate themselves from competitors.
Alison White, Royal Mail's head of small business and consumer, said in a statement: "SmartStamp will suit anyone working within a small or home office. If you send out a few items per day, or more, then we recommend that you seriously consider using SmartStamp."
Hemingway design was one of the companies involved in testing the service, and used images of a collection of straw donkeys and a prototype of a digital radio.
A spokeswoman for Royal Mail would not reveal the cost of the project and said that while a number of businesses have been testing the service, it is "too early to put a number on subscribers".
Comments
There are 11 comments. Join the discussion
1. anonymous
Hmm..charging users a fiver a month to save the Royal Mail's printing and distribution costs...plus they get you to pay for the postage in advance. And who takes the risk of franked envelopes getting mangled by the printer? They should be offering users a DISCOUNT for using this service. What a bunch of, er, chumps.
2. Mark
Living persons other than the queen can appear on a stamp, you can even get a stamp made with your own image on.
3. anonymous
Well, at least it isn't being outsourced to India.....
4. he he
A good point well made "anonymous writer" - but just think of the possibilities.
I'd gladly give Royal Mail £4.99 to be able to send my tax return in with a picture of my naked buttocks as legal tender.
5. Mike Tree
Great Idea to raise much-needed funds for the Post Office. As the're limited to how much they can charge for postage by the industry watchdog, they have to get the extra income from somewhere. It's a good job there there vain people who want to have their own piccy on their stamps!!
6. Nico Macdonald
And is there a MacOS version? No mention on the Royal Mail site. An email to them on this subject has so far elicited no reply. I don't want to be a Mac fanatic on this subject, but the reality is that MacOS is used in a lot of SMEs and by SOHO workers, and they are the people this service must be aimed at. (In my experience large organisations have mail rooms and Pitney Bowes machines.)
7. anonymous
Sounds like a far more flexible and and AWFUL lot cheaper system, than the franking machine we use currently. I am sure you can get the messed up print refunded, just like with any of the excisting franking machines.
Sounds very interesting.
8. Kam Mistry
I disagree with Anon of London. Sounds like it could be much cheaper than franking machines, such as PersonalPost, as there should be no need for consumables. Currently ink catridges, which need to be changed all too often, cost about £30, and then there's monthly machine rental and other costs.
I think it's a good idea - although I must admit, their explanation of it on the web is pretty dire and the online demo is atrocious. In short - a good idea, but they'd should communicate it better. Royal Mail, pull your finger out!
9. anonymous
I have tried five different telephone numbers now to try and gain information on the Smart Stamp. Nobody I have spoken to knows anything about them. No information exists. The web site does not allow me to log on to subscribe. There is no help line number to ring. The one help line that someone at Royal Mail did give was not working! Well done Royal Mail. This will be another winner. If only someone knew something about it!!!!
10. Diane Wicks
If Alison White wants to know why the take up for the new digital stamp service is low she need look no further than her own staff. I rang Royal Mail Customer Enquiries today to see if I could have some info sent to me and the man I spoke to had not a clue what I was talking about and said it was not showing up on his computer screen. He has promised to ring me back a.s.a.p. though! Royal Mail is a joke, their Customer Services department are always letting me down, this time proving no exception. Anyone know how I can get hold of the info on this NEW service!
11. Diane Wicks
Further to my last comment. I got a call back and was given a specific helpline number for the new digital stanp service. It does not exist!!!!!!!!! Rang back and was told the system is down so I will have to call customer services later if I want to get confirmation that the number I was given was correct, but does not exist. Meantime I am no closer to getting info on the service, nevermind purchasing it! What plonkers!