If you run a mailroom or manage office post, you have almost certainly seen the term “Mailmark” on your franking machine, your ink orders and your Royal Mail paperwork. This guide explains what Mailmark franking actually is, how it works, why it costs less than stamps, and what your business needs to keep using it correctly in 2026.
What Mailmark franking actually means
Mailmark is Royal Mail’s current franking standard. It replaced the old circular “town and crown” die with a machine-readable 2D barcode printed alongside your postage indicia.
Royal Mail introduced Mailmark in 2014 to make mail processing faster and more accurate. Since 1 January 2023, it has been the only certified form of franking. Older non-Mailmark machines were decertified on that date, so any machine you frank with today should already be a Mailmark model.
In short: if your machine prints a barcode next to the postage mark, you are already franking with Mailmark.
How Mailmark franking works
The process is simple from the user’s side, even though a lot happens behind the scenes.
You place your item on the machine, which weighs it and checks the format (letter, large letter or parcel). You select the Royal Mail service you want — First Class, Second Class, Signed For or Special Delivery. The machine calculates the correct postage and prints the Mailmark frank, including the 2D barcode.
That barcode carries the detail Royal Mail’s sorting machines need: the mail class, the date, the price paid and your meter number. Your machine also reports usage data to Royal Mail, usually over your office network or Wi-Fi. The result is cleaner sorting, fewer errors and a more professional-looking frank on the envelope.
Why Mailmark franking costs less than stamps
The headline reason most businesses frank rather than stamp is price. Royal Mail prices franked mail below the equivalent stamp, and that gap widened again with the April 2026 tariff.
From 7 April 2026, a First Class letter stamp costs £1.80 (up 10p), a Second Class letter stamp costs 91p (up 4p), and a large First Class letter rises to £3.30. Large Second Class letters held at £1.55. Franking the same items through a Mailmark machine comes in under those stamp prices, so the saving applies to every letter you send.
For a business posting hundreds of items a month, that per-item difference adds up quickly over a year. You can check the current franked rates against stamp prices on our Royal Mail postage rates page before you budget.
What your business needs to keep franking
A Mailmark machine only saves you money when it is ready to print a clean, scannable frank. Three things matter here.
First, ink. A faded or streaked barcode can be rejected at sorting, which defeats the point of franking. Use the correct Mailmark-compatible ink for your model and replace it before it runs low.
Second, labels. If you frank parcels or thick items that cannot go through the machine, you need self-adhesive franking labels so the Mailmark frank still scans properly. You can browse the right ones for your machine in our franking labels collection.
Third, the right envelopes. Window and meter envelopes keep the frank in the correct position and within the printable area, which helps avoid scanning issues. Our envelopes range covers the common sizes used in UK mailrooms.
Is it worth switching from stamps?
For most offices sending more than a handful of letters a week, yes. Beyond the lower per-item postage, Mailmark gives you itemised reporting, neater branding space on the envelope and a single account to top up rather than a drawer full of stamps.
The main ongoing costs are ink and labels, so factor those in when you compare. For a busy mailroom, the postage saved each month usually outweighs the running cost of consumables — especially after the latest price rise.
Frequently asked questions
Is Mailmark the same as a franking machine?
No. A franking machine is the device that prints your postage; Mailmark is the Royal Mail standard that modern machines use to print it. Every certified franking machine sold today is a Mailmark machine.
Do I still need a Mailmark machine in 2026?
Yes. Non-Mailmark machines were decertified on 1 January 2023, so Mailmark is the only way to frank mail with Royal Mail. If your machine prints a 2D barcode, you are compliant.
How much can Mailmark franking save compared to stamps?
Royal Mail prices franked letters below the stamp price, and that applies to both First and Second Class. The exact saving depends on the item and service, so check the franked rate against the current stamp price on our postage rates page.
What do I need to buy regularly for a Mailmark machine?
Mainly ink and franking labels. Both must be the correct type for your machine model so the barcode prints clearly and scans first time.
The bottom line
Mailmark franking is simply the modern, barcode-based way Royal Mail expects business mail to be franked — and it is cheaper than stamps on every letter. As long as you keep the right ink, labels and envelopes on hand, your machine will keep paying for itself. Browse our franking supplies to keep your mailroom running smoothly and your postage costs down.