Franking Machine Not Printing? 7 Fixes to Try First

A faded, streaky or half-missing franking impression is more than an annoyance. Royal Mail requires franked impressions to be clear and legible, and mail that cannot be read by its sorting equipment can be delayed, surcharged or returned to you. This guide walks through the seven most common causes of poor print quality on a UK franking machine, in the order you should check them, so you can get a clean Mailmark impression back without an engineer visit.

First, understand what "good" looks like

Every franking machine on the Royal Mail network now prints a Mailmark impression: a 2D barcode alongside the date, value and your licence details. That barcode is machine-read at the mail centre. If it is smudged, faint, cut off at the edge of the envelope or printed in the wrong colour, automated scanning fails and the item drops out of the process.

Two rules matter above all else. The impression must be fully legible, and it must use Royal Mail approved ink - blue for Mailmark and Smart meter machines. Approved inks are tested against Royal Mail's own automation. Non-approved ink may look fine on the envelope and still fail at the mail centre.

Fix 1 - Rule out a low or dried-out ink cartridge

Fading at the top or bottom of the impression, or bands of missing print running through the barcode, is almost always ink. Check the ink level on the machine's display first - print quality often degrades before the low-ink warning appears.

If the level is healthy, the print head nozzles may have dried. This happens most often on machines left idle for a week or more, or kept near a radiator or a draughty window. Run the machine's built-in cleaning or purge cycle, then print two or three test impressions on scrap paper before returning to live mail.

If cleaning does not restore the print, replace the cartridge. Browse cartridges by manufacturer in our Mailcoms inks and labels and FP Mailing inks and labels ranges.

Fix 2 - Clean the print head properly

Dust, paper fibres and dried ink build up on the print head over time, and no software cycle will shift a physical crust. Most machines allow the cartridge to be removed for manual cleaning.

Power the machine down, remove the cartridge, and wipe the print head gently with a lint-free cloth lightly dampened with distilled or deionised water. Never use tap water, alcohol, solvents or paper towel. Let the head dry fully, refit the cartridge, and run one cleaning cycle. Repeat monthly if your office is dusty - prevention is far cheaper than a service call.

Fix 3 - Check what you are printing onto

Not every envelope takes ink well. Heavily recycled, textured, glossy or dark-coloured stock causes ink to bleed, feather or sit on the surface and smudge - and any of those will break barcode legibility.

Franking ink is designed for smooth white or manila envelopes. If your stationery is coloured, laminated or unusually thick, do not frank it directly - use a franking label instead. Approved labels give clean, smudge-free printing and are also the correct route for parcels and packets the machine cannot feed. Our franking labels collection covers single-cut, double-sheet and roll formats for the major brands.

Fix 4 - Look at how the envelope is feeding

A skewed or partial impression is usually a feed problem, not an ink problem. Check three things.

• Stack alignment. Envelopes squared, flaps closed, all facing the same way, front edge against the feed guide.
• Thickness. Every machine has a maximum envelope thickness. Overstuffed envelopes drag under the print head and blur the mark.
• Feed rollers. Wipe them with a dry lint-free cloth. Rollers glazed with ink or adhesive slip, and slipping is what streaks the impression.

If the impression prints partly off the edge, the item is either the wrong size for the feed setting or loaded the wrong way round. A franked mark that runs off the envelope is not valid.

Fix 5 - Confirm the cartridge is approved and seated

If print quality dropped immediately after a cartridge change, suspect the cartridge. Reseat it, listen for the click, and check the machine registers it on the display. A cartridge that is in but not latched will print faintly or not at all.

Then check what you bought. Approved compatible cartridges are a legitimate way to cut running costs and are tested to Royal Mail's ink standard. Unapproved generic ink is a false economy: it can clog the head, void your maintenance cover and produce impressions the mail centre cannot scan.

Fix 6 - Let the machine connect and update

Franking machines download rate tables, software updates and Mailmark data over a network connection. Run a manual connection from the machine's menu. If it fails, check the LAN cable or Wi-Fi credentials, and confirm your IT team has not blocked the machine's outbound connection behind a new firewall rule. This is a common cause of faults that appear overnight with no change at the machine itself.

Fix 7 - Know when to stop and call an engineer

If you have replaced the cartridge, cleaned the head, changed the envelope stock and the impression is still faint, banded or misaligned, the fault is likely mechanical - a failing print head, a worn feed roller or a sensor issue. Continuing to run mail through it wastes ink and postage.

Switch to franking labels for that day's post and contact your maintenance provider. Note down what you have already tried; it will shorten the diagnosis considerably.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is my franking machine printing faded marks?

The most common causes are a low ink cartridge, a dried or blocked print head, or an unsuitable envelope surface. Check the ink level first, then run the machine's cleaning cycle, then test on a plain white envelope. If the impression is still faded after a fresh approved cartridge and a head clean, the print head itself is likely failing and needs an engineer.

Will Royal Mail reject mail with a faint franking impression?

Yes, it can. Royal Mail requires franked impressions to be clear and legible so its automated equipment can read the Mailmark barcode. Items with unreadable impressions may be delayed, surcharged or returned to sender, so it is always cheaper to fix print quality before posting rather than risk a batch being rejected.

Can I use any ink in my franking machine?

No. Royal Mail requires approved ink - blue for Mailmark and Smart meter machines - because approved inks are tested to be readable by Royal Mail's sorting automation. Approved compatible cartridges are a legitimate lower-cost alternative to genuine originals, but generic or unapproved ink risks clogged print heads, invalid impressions and rejected mail.

How often should I clean my franking machine print head?

Run the machine's automatic cleaning cycle whenever print quality dips, and do a manual wipe of the print head with a lint-free cloth and distilled water roughly once a month, or more often in a dusty office. Regular cleaning is the single cheapest way to extend cartridge life and avoid unnecessary service calls.

Should I frank directly onto coloured or glossy envelopes?

Avoid it. Franking ink is formulated for smooth white or manila envelopes, and coloured, glossy, laminated or heavily textured stock causes bleeding, smudging or poor contrast that can make the Mailmark barcode unreadable. Use an approved franking label instead - it gives a clean, scannable impression on any surface.

Keep a clean impression, keep your post moving

Most franking print problems come down to three things: ink that has run low or dried out, a print head that needs cleaning, or an envelope the machine was never designed to print on. Work through the checks in order and you will resolve most faults without a service visit.

A spare approved cartridge and a pack of labels in the mailroom is the simplest insurance there is. Browse our range of Neopost inks and labels, or find consumables for your exact machine model across the store.