Post Office Advice
Melissa Campanelli is a leading expert in small business e-tailing. She is also the co-author of several books on e-business, including Open an Online Business in 10 Days, as well as editor-in-chief of eM+C, eMarketing and Commerce, a Target Marketing Publication, which covers the world of e-commerce and e-marketing for traditional marketers.
By
Amanda C. Kooser
As much as e-mail and digital documents have become mainstream, most entrepreneurs still rely on the U.S. Postal Service to accomplish key tasks. But that's not to say technology can't boost your company's efficiency in your daily use of the good old-fashioned mail.
The latest DYMO Desktop Mailing Solution is a $240 hardware and software package that lets you weigh, calculate and print postage and labels. There is no monthly fee, and the system keeps track of changes in postage rates--meaning no more trips to the post office for stamps.
The kit includes a LabelWriter Twin Turbo thermal printer, a USB-connected postal scale, DYMO Stamps software, DYMO LabelWriter software, and starter rolls of address and postage labels. The Stamps software comes from internet postage vendor Endicia, is both Windows- and Mac-compatible, and generates stamps approved by the USPS. The LabelWriter software ties in with programs like ACT!, Goldmine Outlook and QuickBooks and cross-checks your addresses against a USPS database. All told, the DYMO system is an easy solution for automating address labels and mailings. See dymo.com for more details.