• Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • 212-695-5588
  • Contact
  • Client Login
Superior Office Solutions
  • Print Services
    • Equipment And Leasing
      • Production Printers
      • Office Copiers MFPs
      • Wide Format Printers
      • Desktop Printers
      • Used & Refurbished Machines
    • Service And Support
      • Production Print Services
      • Printer Copier Repairs
    • Brands
      • Canon
      • Kyocera
      • Konica Minolta
    • Managed Services
      • Managed Print
      • Document Management
      • Secure Printing
      • Mobile Printing Solutions
  • Business Phone Services
  • Mailing Solutions
    • Postage Meters
    • Folder Inserters
    • Desktop Folders
    • Software
    • Printers
    • Additional Mailroom Equipment
  • Office Water Solutions
  • Resources
    • Testimonials
    • Blog
    • Client Login
  • About
    • Our Reviews
    • Leadership Team
    • Areas We Serve
    • Careers
  • Menu Menu

Postage Meters: USPS’ Required Update

It looks like snail mail is getting a revamp. As of June 30, 2024, postage meters from the USPS will be required to switch from their current analog system to a new, digitally-oriented system. Otherwise, these meter machines will be decertified by the USPS at the end of that year. Read on to find out more about the update itself and what it means for your business.

Key Points

  • Postage meters are a great tool for businesses that distribute large volumes of mail. They are more cost effective and efficient than sending stamped mail.
  • IBI postage meters are being phased out in 2024. These postage meters will be replaced by more modern IMI systems.
  • IMI systems are a mailing solution that improve the accuracy, security, efficiency, and connectivity of your mailing system.
  • A reputable mailing equipment partner can help you transition from an IBI to an IMI.

What Are Postage Meters from the USPS?

Postage meters are an essential piece of mailroom equipment for small businesses, high-volume mailers, and third-party mailing service providers. These USPS postage machines allow businesses to send large quantities of metered mail instead of applying hundreds or thousands of stamps. These postage meters from the USPS allow your business to print approved postage directly onto the envelope.

US postage meters print an indicia onto the corner of an envelope, which takes the place of a postage stamp. These indicia markings contain all of the necessary postage information required by the postal service, such as the class rate, the words “U.S. Postage Paid,” and the permit information.

With a postage meter from the USPS, print companies can send more letters per minute than traditionally stamped mail. Meter machines print directly onto the envelope, whereas stamps must be removed from their spool and applied correctly to the envelope. Because postage stamps are adhesive, they can easily cause jams in the machine, resulting in a less efficient workflow.

Postage meters from the USPS also reduce the cost of sending mail. A regular, first-class postage stamp costs $0.60, while the rate of metered mail is $0.57. Three cents per piece of mail may not seem like much of a difference, but when you send thousands of pieces of mail a day, it adds up.

Old vs. New USPS Postage Meters

Now that we know how USPS postage meters work, let’s explore the differences between the previous standard and its replacement.

Information Based Indicia (IBI)

Introduced in 1999, IBI systems were the USPS’ first attempt at applying digital indicias. These systems connected to the mail server once every 90 days to update the postage rates and verify that the printed indicia was compliant with the Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS). However, a lot can change in 90 days. It soon became clear that there was ample room for improvement of the metered mailing system.

Intelligent Mail Indicia (IMI)

Intelligent mail indicias were introduced in 2013. It’s no surprise that postage meters from the USPS received an update, considering how far our technological capabilities have grown since the turn of the century. IMIs allow the postal service to provide more transparent, detailed pricing and reporting data in real time. Instead of connecting to the server once every 90 days, IMIs are required to connect once every 72 hours. This allows them to be even more up to date than their predecessor. IMIs also provide a higher level of security than IBI systems.

In fact, IMI systems surpass IBI systems to such a degree that by the end of 2024, all non-IMI systems will be considered redundant and the USPS will decertify them.

Encrypt Your Printer Data and Authenticate Users

You can also ensure that you’re printing securely by using encryption. If you encrypt print jobs and queues, the data becomes unreadable to prying eyes. In addition, you can make document owners verify their identity before being able to print a document. This way, only authorized users are allowed access to the printer and printer data.

Encryption and authentication are critical for companies that use bluetooth or cloud printing. Because this form of printing goes through your network, it needs to be as secure as possible. Encryption prevents unauthorized users from accessing data within the printing system, and authentication prevents them from releasing a print job in the first place.

Are you looking for print services alongside your mailing solutions? Check out our diverse range of options.

Learn More

Benefits of IMI Postage Meters

Of course, updating your equipment alongside the progression of technology will be good for your business. But what, specifically, do IMI systems provide for your company?

Improved Accuracy

With an IMI postage meter from the USPS, the postage rate is automatically calculated after you input the class rate. This removes the possibility of incorrect input from manual entry and reduces the likelihood of mail being returned for incorrect postage information. Overall, improved accuracy will save you time and money.

Stronger Security

The FIP sets the standard for security and data encryption, and the new postage meters from the USPS strictly adhere to these standards. This ensures that information transmits safely to and from your postage meter.

Timely Updates

As mentioned above, the USPS requires that each IMI system connect to the manufacturer servers once every 72 hours. The USPS uses information gleaned from the IMI system to better manage mail flow. When an IMI connects to the manufacturer server, rate changes and other modifications are immediately updated to your equipment. This ensures that you never over or under pay for postage.

Greater Connectivity

IMI systems have a dedicated LAN connection. This ensures that your postage meter from the USPS has a constant connection to the manufacturer server, and that it can receive faster updates and postage refills.

Start Your Transition With Superior Office Solutions

Although the deadline to phase out IBI systems seems far off, it’s best to consider your options ahead of time. Two years can quickly fly by, especially when your mail room is operating at its highest capacity. So, when it comes time to make the switch, consider getting your mailing equipment from a reputable, high-quality supplier.

At Superior Office Solutions, we ensure a smooth transition from analog to digital. With postage meters from FP mailroom solutions, you can be sure that your mailroom workflow is efficient, up to date, and secure. If you need a postage meter rental or want to fully transition to an IMI system, we have you covered. Save yourself a trip to the post office and start your IMI journey today.

Related Postings

Share This Post

  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on LinkedIn
  • Share on Reddit
  • Share by Mail

Categories

  • Company News
  • Document Management Services
  • Mailing & shipping
  • Managed Print Services
  • Office copy & print
  • Office Telecommunications
  • Office Water Solutions
  • Production print

Contact Us

"*" indicates required fields

About SOS

Superior Office Solutions has been adding a personal touch to the office equipment leasing industry since 1999. With four convenient locations in the tri-state area, we provide world-class equipment and unbeatable service to over 4,000 customers.

Solutions

Equipment and Leasing

Service and Support

Managed Services

Business Phone Services

Contact

Manhattan Office
212-695-5588

Westchester Office
914-332-0100

Long Island Office
516-682-8383

New Jersey Office
732-790-5300

Website by Abstrakt Marketing Group © 2021
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Sitemap
  • Privacy Policy
How To Secure Your PrinterBusiness printer _ printing documents in office concept6 Managed Print Services Myths Debunked
Scroll to top

This site uses cookies. By continuing to browse the site, you are agreeing to our use of cookies.

OKLearn more

Cookie and Privacy Settings



How we use cookies

We may request cookies to be set on your device. We use cookies to let us know when you visit our websites, how you interact with us, to enrich your user experience, and to customize your relationship with our website.

Click on the different category headings to find out more. You can also change some of your preferences. Note that blocking some types of cookies may impact your experience on our websites and the services we are able to offer.

Essential Website Cookies

These cookies are strictly necessary to provide you with services available through our website and to use some of its features.

Because these cookies are strictly necessary to deliver the website, refusing them will have impact how our site functions. You always can block or delete cookies by changing your browser settings and force blocking all cookies on this website. But this will always prompt you to accept/refuse cookies when revisiting our site.

We fully respect if you want to refuse cookies but to avoid asking you again and again kindly allow us to store a cookie for that. You are free to opt out any time or opt in for other cookies to get a better experience. If you refuse cookies we will remove all set cookies in our domain.

We provide you with a list of stored cookies on your computer in our domain so you can check what we stored. Due to security reasons we are not able to show or modify cookies from other domains. You can check these in your browser security settings.

Other external services

We also use different external services like Google Webfonts, Google Maps, and external Video providers. Since these providers may collect personal data like your IP address we allow you to block them here. Please be aware that this might heavily reduce the functionality and appearance of our site. Changes will take effect once you reload the page.

Google Webfont Settings:

Google Map Settings:

Google reCaptcha Settings:

Vimeo and Youtube video embeds:

Accept settingsHide notification only