TABLE: How to Lick Postage Costs (extended)
Which postage meter should you stick to? You don't have many choices,
considering the government licenses only five meter-makers. But when making
your decision, you'll want to keep in mind a host of factors: how many
envelopes a meter can process, metering speed, and monthly rental costs. This
table lists those criteria, as well as others apt to affect your buying
decision. Since many of these secondary critera, such as refilling and ink
charges, remain standard, look to advanced features such as account-tracking to
seal the deal.
Note: This is an extended, online-only version of the table that appears in the
June 22, 1998, edition of BW Enterprise.
Company/
Model |
Max. volume
envelopes/day |
Metering speed
(letters per min.) |
Monthly
rental |
Usage-based
pricing |
Ascom
Smart Series | 30 | 40 | $29.00 | No |
Ascom
Model 120 | 60 | 60 | $36.00* | No |
Francotyp-
Postalia T-1000 | 100 | 30-40 | $31.50 | No |
Neopost
SM22 | 50-75 | 35 | $28.95 | Yes |
Neopost
SM26 | 50-75 | 35 | $32.95 | Yes |
Pitney Bowes
Personal Post
Office | 10 | 10 | $19.75 | Yes |
Pitney Bowes
PostPerfect | 500 | 32 | $32.95 | Yes |
|
Company/
Model |
Phone
refills |
Ink
cost |
Ink
yield |
Account
tracking |
Catch
tray |
Ascom
Smart Series | $8.50 | $14.50 | 10,000 | Std. | Opt. |
Ascom
Model 120 | $8.50 | $14.50 | 10,000 | Opt. | Std. |
Francotyp-
Postalia | $7.75 | $19.95 | 1,800 | Opt. | Std. |
Neopost
SM22 | $9.50 | $19.95 | 2,250 | Std. | Opt. |
Neopost
SM26 | $9.50 | $19.95 | 2,250 | Std. | Opt. |
Pitney Bowes
Personal
Post Office | 4 per year
free; $5
for each add. | $29.95 | 100-500 | NA | NA |
Pitney Bowes
PostPerfect | $9.50 | $19.98 | 800-1,400 | Opt. | Opt. |
*$30/month without phone refills
DATA: BEACON RESEARCH GROUP |
This article was originally published in the June 22 print edition of Business Week's Enterprise.
|
