SCALE UP FOR POSTAL INCREASE

You just got comfortable with stamps costing 39 cents each. By the time you're reading this column, you can kiss that rate goodbye. Beginning May 14, 2007, the US Postal Service will have introduced rate increases in almost every class of mail. It will now cost 41 cents to send a one ounce, First-Class letter, 58 cents for 2 ounces, 75 cents for three, and on it goes. Of course if you plan to use all of those 39 cent stamps you have sitting in your drawer, you'll have to go to the Post Office and buy the exact number of 2 cent stamps to match every one you have. There must be a better way and there is using your computer.

Not too long ago I wrote about the really nifty label printer from Dymo called the Twin Turbo. This little desktop printer holds two different rolls of labels. Using the included software, you can print address labels with a click of the mouse. The other roll of labels are stamps upon which can be printed whatever postage you need to mail the item which you just labeled.
It's a beautiful system.

The stamps are created by Endicia. You use the Dymo Stamps software to purchase only the postage you need to print the stamps you use. There's no subscription fee. The label printer, the software, the labels and the postage service all work seamlessly together to help you address and stamp your letters and packages. It's an elegant little system working in harmony with each other. But there was one element missing when I wrote about all of this. I was never sure about the weight of the item and as you know, if the weight is off and you don't put on enough postage, your letter or package won't be delivered.

Until now, I used a food scale to weigh my envelopes. It got the job done and it looked far more stylish than one of those utilitarian postal scales.  But now Dymo has completed their postal act by introducing their new 5 pound USB-connected postal scale. By the way, the name of the scale means that it will weigh items up to 5 pounds. The scale itself is small, slim and only weighs about a pound.

Just plug the USB scale into any available USB port on your PC or Macintosh.  If you already have the Dymo Stamps application, you need to be sure you have the latest version installed. Even thought the software assured me I had he latest version, it wouldn't work with the scale. Going to Endicia's website download section solved that problem. Now displayed directly beneath the potage value is a "Weigh" button.

Using the scale couldn't be more simple. It gets its power directly from the USB port although you can optionally install batteries. The front LCD panel displays the weight. Its three buttons let you toggle between ounces and grams, recalibrate the scale and freeze the display. For larger packages, the top of the scale flips up to help balance anything that may be a bit top-heavy. After placing the item on the scale, just click the Weigh button on the screen and the weight information is transferred to the Dymo Stamps application. Then you just select the type of mailing class you want and your stamp is instantly printed for you. It's a thing of beauty.

If you already have the Dymo printer, you can purchase the scale separately.  But Dymo puts everything you need into one box, calls it the Desktop Mailing Solution and sells it for $239.99. The all-in-one kit includes the LabelWriter Twin Turbo printer, the 5 pound USB-connected postal scale, a starter roll of white address and Dymo Stamps postage labels, and the Dymo label printer and Dymo Stamps software.

Oh and by the way, if you have a bunch of those 39 cents stamps, Dymo Stamps will print out as many 2 cent stamps you need until your old stamps are gone. Even if you only mail the occasional letter or package, the Desktop Mailing Solution is something your computer shouldn't be without.

www.dymo.com
 

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