Goodbye to Postal Meters?

SAN FRANCISCO -- Dymo today announced Dymo Stamps, a new Mac- and PC-compatible software application and service that lets you buy postage online and print it out using Dymo's label printer. All you pay for are the labels and the postage.

With Dymo, you can print out U.S. Postal Service postage for First Class, Priority Mail, Postcard, and International Airmail deliveries. It saves small-business owners and home business owners from the hassle of having to run to the post office or lease a postage meter, according to Dymo. One catch: You must have access to a Dymo label printer.

In Partnership With Endicia

Dymo has partnered with Endicia, an online postage company, to develop the new service. It works using free software (downloadable from Dymo's Web site) that enables Dymo's LabelWriter 400 Turbo, LabelWriter Twin Turbo, and LabelWriter Duo printers to operate as postage machines.

Endicia's own service works with Macs or PCs, but costs $15.95 a month plus the cost of postage. Dymo's Stamps software is free to download and use, and setting up an account costs nothing--all you pay for is postage, plus the cost of the labels you must use with your compatible Dymo label printer.

Dymo isn't alone. Pitney Bowes offers a $20 monthly plan that includes the rental of a postage meter and scale--you can print postage but you can't use your own printer.