The Complete Handbook of Postage Meters
For professionals, businesses, and serious hobbyists who manage mail operations and need practical knowledge, not marketing.
by Alumigogo Books
non-fiction
The practical guide to choosing, using, maintaining, and profiting from postage meters—written for professionals, not salespeople.
About this book
A Neutral, Practical Reference for Mail Operations and Business Opportunity
Postage meters have been the standard for commercial mail since the 1920s, and they remain essential for any operation sending more than a handful of pieces per week. Yet most users encounter them as a black box: rental-only, interchangeable, and impossible to evaluate fairly. Manufacturers publish specifications; postal services publish regulations; but no single source explains what actually matters when choosing a meter, how to maintain one, or what the real cost of ownership is.
This handbook fills that gap. Written for professionals, office managers, and entrepreneurs, it covers the full scope: how meters work and why they matter, the concrete differences between mechanical and digital models, how to evaluate one for your specific mail volume and type, installation and daily operations, routine maintenance and troubleshooting, brand positioning and rental versus purchase economics, and the growing market for meter servicing and resale. Each chapter is grounded in real-world practice, not theory.
Whether you're managing mail for a small law firm, a nonprofit, or a growing e-commerce operation, or you're evaluating the postage meter service business as a revenue stream, this handbook cuts through vendor marketing and postal bureaucracy to give you the knowledge you need to make decisions, solve problems, and understand your options.
Reader Reviews
Jeffrey Roberts
★★★★★I manage mail for a 60-person office, and I've rented the same meter for eight years without really understanding what I was paying for or whether I needed it. This handbook finally explained the actual mechanics—how the indicia works, what the rental fees cover, and why digital is becoming standard. The cost-of-ownership analysis in Chapter 3 alone paid for the book by showing me I could buy a used meter outright for less than two years of rental. Practical, no fluff, exactly what I needed.
Cynthia Miller
★★★★★Solid reference that does what it promises: no marketing, real technical detail. My only complaint is that Chapter 1 assumes a bit too much knowledge of postal systems upfront—I had to look up terms like 'meter setting' and 'indicia' before the chapter made full sense. That said, the glossary at the end helped, and once I got past the first few pages the book became very useful. Worth it if you're serious about understanding meters, but not a casual read.
Matthew Miller
★★★★★I'm starting a mail-service business and needed to understand the economics and compliance side of postage meters, not just how to operate one. Chapter 6 on the business model—rental income, service contracts, and the margins on reconditioned units—was exactly what I was looking for. The regulation section and the manufacturer positioning laid out the landscape clearly. This is how reference books should be written: concrete, specific to the industry, and useful.