Facts About Our Supplies (Franking Ink and Labels)

Original (OEM) Cartridges and Labels

Original (OEM) cartridges are cartridges that have been manufactured for or by the company that manufactured the franking machine.
Due to customer demand we supply Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) ink cartridges for most franking machines, although we prefer to supply compatible or re-manufactured cartridges because they represent superior value. For obvious reasons, most franking machine manufacturers do not endorse nor encourage the sale of any ink cartridges or any consumable or service by any 3rd party such as ourselves.
Most original (OEM) franking machine ink cartridges sold by us do not represent the most cost effective solution that we would normally like to offer. They are sourced from our Trade-in scheme or from the Royal Mail approved network of dealers.

Compatible Cartridges and Labels

Compatible cartridges are brand new cartridges that have been manufactured by a company other than the franking machine manufacturer. Compatible cartridges supplied by Postroom-online are guaranteed to perform as well as the OEM cartridges from the machine manufacturer.

Quality of Ink

All compatible and re-manufactured ink sold by Postroom-online is manufactured in the USA or Western Europe. We do not supply Chinese ink cartridges.

Re-manufactured Cartridges

Remanufactured cartridges are an empty OEM cartridge, that has been cleaned, refilled with at least the same amount of ink as an original, the cartridge chip is reset for the original amount of impressions or more and has been tested for quality. Because of the high value of these cartridges, this process is carried out to a far higher standard than would be carried out for example, in a high street refill shop.
Re-manufacturing is becoming more popular due to both 'time chips' being introduced by franking machine manufacturers and concerns about empty inkjet cartridges in landfill. Postroom-online only supply re-manufactured cartridges that have been re-manufactured no more than 4 times to ensure quality is preserved. Cartridges received that are not suitable for re-manufacture are dissembled for recycling.

Will the Royal Mail accept my post?

Yes. We have over 1,000 (franking machine consumable) customers, many ordering on a monthly basis and the Royal Mail have never had an issue with our ink or labels. In total we have sold in excess of 20,000 various franking machine inks and boxes of labels. The Royal Mail have confirmed that the compatible / re-manufactured ink cartridges from our main supplier meet their technical standards.

Number of Impressions

All compatible and re-manufactured franking ink cartridges supplied by Postroom-online come with at least the same amount of ink as OEM cartridges, meaning impressions will be the same or higher than the OEM. In fact, some franking machine manufacturers deliberately do not exploit the full yield potential of the cartridge used in their franking machines which Postroom-online believe is morally indefensible. Quality compatible franking cartridges such as ours will always try to exploit the full yield potential of the cartridge. An example of an OEM cartridge that isn't fully exploited in OEM mode is the HP45 which could give a yield of 8,000 impressions should the franking machine manufacturer allow it. Franking machine cassette ribbons are also not as long as they could be in OEM form.

Warranty or Leasing Issues

Some franking machine manufacturers make massive profits selling supplies at sometimes 10 times the cost of manufacture. Because of this, some manufacturers may imply that your warranty or lease agreement will be void if you use supplies from anybody but themselves. This is not the case and saying so is illegal which is why you will never see them put this in writing. Your warranty cannot be declared void just for using another suppliers inks and labels.

Under UK law, the use of compatible or re-manufactured replacement ink cartridges and labels do not void a franking machines warranty. The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) have made rulings against franking machine companies.

'The manufacturer has claimed I have damaged my machine and charged me a lot of money for repair. Although I think they are lying!'
You're not alone in thinking this. We hear from customers telling us manufacturer technicians (who often double-up as commission-only salesmen) have told them they have damaged their machine by doing things like 'the warehouse being too cold at night', 'using the wrong supplies', 'doing too much post that day' and then charged them expensive call-out and parts charges despite the customer having already paid for an expensive annual maintenance contract. If you feel you are being misled you can do 3 things:
1. Keep any parts which you are being charged for to be replaced. This way you can have them independently checked to make sure that the part is faulty and that the fault has occurred due to your actions (not just general wear and tear which should be covered by your maintenance agreement). We can supply you with a list of ROYAL MAIL APPROVED third party maintainers who can inspect used parts for you.
2. Demand that any accusations be put in writing. What some service engineers/salesmen say verbally and what they are prepared to put in writing are often two very different things.
3. Make them aware that you know about previous dealings with the Office of Fair Trading and other government bodies. This will often result in a more accurate diagnosis being given.

Has a manufacturer made negative claims about Postroom-online?

Did they put it in writing? That's because it isn't true!

A word from one of our cartridge manufacturers relating to similar legislation in the US: Color Labs, California, USA

'DON'T BE FOOLED...
If your machine service technician threatens to void your service warranty or demands you use only their OEM products, remember that using compatible mailroom cartridges will not void your Pitney Bowes Service Level Agreement! Even though Pitney Bowes may claim that using compatible ink cartridges can affect your Service Level Agreement, it is illegal for them to void the equipment warranty because you used a fully functional and quality aftermarket product. It's your choice. The government is by your side, and so are we.

Sherman Antitrust Act (1890):
It is illegal for a company to suppress competition with anti-competitive conduct. An unlawful conduct and monopoly exists when that company controls the market for a product or service, and it has obtained that market power, not because its product or service is superior to others, but by suppressing competition with anti-competitive conduct. In other words, it is illegal for companies to create or enforce agreements or contracts intended to unreasonably restrain or monopolise trade.

Magnuson-Moss Act (1975):
In addition, the warrantor may not impose any duty, other than notification, upon any consumer, as a condition of securing the repair of any consumer product that malfunctions, is defective, or does not conform to the written warranty. However, the warrantor may require consumers to return a defective item to its place of purchase for repair. In other words, it is illegal for manufacturers to deny warranty coverage solely because you used an aftermarket part or product on an OEM machine.

Our Commitment at Colorlabs is to offer a full line of quality Pitney Bowes compatible ink ribbon cassette and cartridges for all your mailroom printing needs. Our products are manufactured and guaranteed to work in your Pitney Bowes machine.
Please see our Colorlabs Limited 1-Year Warranty for full details.'

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Facts About Our Supplies (Franking Ink & Labels)