UPDATED: 18 June 2015
What is a preset?
A preset on your meter is very similar to a “shortcut” on your computer. It recalls a setting that already contains the postage class, the postage value, fees for special service such as Delivery Confirmation, and possibly other values. Your digital meter has two types of presets: Normal and Custom - and they are actually both the same. The Normal Preset is simply the “most frequently used” preset, and it is always the one that appears on your meter when it wakes up from sleep. Generally, Custom presets contain more postal parameters than the Normal preset, and are used less frequently. Presets need not be complicated. However, the most common preset, the “Normal Preset” is usually just set to Domestic standard letter.
Why should I use presets?
Presets save you time and rework. The major advantage of a preset is that it only requires one button press (Normal Preset) or three quick button presses (Custom Presets) to select all the values for a particular mail piece. You do not have to concern yourself with individually selecting the class, or a special service. All that information is automatically contained in the preset.
Why should I always include a Canada Post™ “class” in my preset?
The advantage of this choice is that you never have to modify your presets when Canada Post issues a rate change. Your new Pitney Bowes rates software will take care of all of this automatically, behind the scenes.
Currently, if you define your Normal Preset to be just a number but no class, your meter has no way of updating this value when new rates become effective. It is your responsibility to update your preset when rates rise again. Always using a class in the preset avoids potentially incorrect values being applied to your mail, and having it returned by Canada Post.
How can I make my meter always show the current postage amount
Would you like your meter to always have $0.xx selected when it is first powered on, or wakes up from sleep? Custom Presets are the easy way to do this – set it up once, and never worry about it again.
The normal preset is generally set to the most commonly printed postage value you use in your home or office, and requires a weight on the scale to display the postage. Many of our clients choose to set the normal preset for standard domestic letters. Defining a Custom Preset using a manual weight will show the current postage without having to weigh an item.