Following on from the “Weigh and Vend” experiment in 2004 at Alfreton, Luton and Broadgate, London EC2.  a further experiment – this time for a shorter duration of three months-was set up to assess the suitability of a simpler and less ambitious self-service facility- obviously with a view to finding a viable way of reducing demands on counter staff for simple transactions involving the mailing of inland letter items. Publicity on the spot emphasised the simplicity and speed of the operation.a further experiment – this time for a shorter duration of three months-was set up to assess the suitability of a simpler and less ambitious self-service facility- obviously with a view to finding a viable way of reducing demands on counter staff for simple transactions involving the mailing of inland letter items.

The initial trial involved three branches : trial was of the nature of a ‘proof of concept’- that customers would accept (and use) an automated self-service ‘Postal Kiosk’. The intention was that the machines from three different suppliers would be trialled- a pair of Pitney Bowes machines at Birmingham BO, two Fujitsu machines at Maidstone BO and a ‘double’ IBM machine at Belfast BO.The Birmingham trial was first to get underway on Monday 29^th January; next was that at Maidstone in a newly-opened public office on 5^th February and the last at Belfast on 5^th February, where introduction, postponed until 12^th February was further delayed by last minute problems until the next day, Tuesday 13^th February.This was due to problems with the IBM machine which was initially substituted for a single Fujitsu machine, followed by another a few days later.The situation then became two Fujitsu machines each at Belfast and Maidstone and a pair of Pitney Bowes machines at Birmingham
The initial trial proved sucessful and at the end of October 2007 further “Post and Go” self service machines were installed in further selected Post Offices as follows:- Clapham Common (London SW4), The Galleries (Bristol), Gorton (Manchester), Doncaster, Sunderland and South Shields. The rules of requisition for Royal Mail group dicate that large tenders for the supply of equipment must go through the ‘OJEU’ process and following this process  the 700 replacement machines to be rolled out in 2008/9 will be supplied by Nixdorf and the existing machines withdrawn before the end of 2008.

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Between 25th March and 20th October 2004  , The Post Office commenced the first trials of an “automated postal kiosk” in three branches – known as  ‘Weigh and Vend’  (Badged Automated Postal Service)  and manufactured by the Korean company Samkyung Hitech Co., Ltd.

The machines were installed in Luton, Beds; Broadgate, City of London and Alfreton, Derbyshire and were capable of accepting many different types of mail including Priority Services (Special Delivery, International Signed For) and ordinary mail including BFPO.

However, because of their extended range of products,  the machines were of a sophisticated design,  resulting in their use by customers to be disappointingly low.  The conclusion was that many people had been deterred by their complexity and relative slowness.

The Samkyung catalogue description provides the following description of how the machine operated : (The model designation “PASS” standing for Postal Automatic Service System).

“PASS is a 365-day self-service machine which accepts and stores mail pieces from postcards to small parcels.

Customer selects a postal service on the menu screen and puts in his mail piece through the mail input door which is opened automatically.

After a mail piece is put in by the customer, the door is closed and the postage is determined and displayed to the customer automatically by measuring the weight and size of the mail piece without illegal intervention by the customer.

The customer pays the postage by card, coins or bank notes, and then the postage label or stamp of precise amount is printed out to the customer and the mail input door is opened. The customer takes out the mail piece and attaches the postage label on the mail piece and put in the mail piece again through the mail input window.

PASS finally verifies the mail piece and stores it into the internal storage area.

If the customer wants a receipt, it is printed out to him.

All the transaction data is saved in the internal computer and can be transmitted to external postal server by a network communication.”

In August 2003 the UK Post Office upgraded their Horizon system to include the ‘Smart post’ application which produced distinctly different Postage Labels. �

The label above left is a Horizon ‘smart post’ label and on the right is a Horizon ‘scales’ label, both printed on a Ithaca dot Matrix Printer.

The latest, current ‘Smart Post’ labels are now printed on Epson ink jet printers.

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Early in 2002 after successfully installing computer terminals in all post office branches, Royal Mail followed the lead set by postal authorities in the USA, South Africa, Spain, Australia, New Zealand and elsewhere, by producing at the post office counters labels to be used instead of stamps. These are known, after the computer network, Horizon labels. Unlike some other countries the British labels indicate the postal service for which payment is made. But also unlike some other countries, the British labels are plain white labels, printed in black using initially a simple (ithaca) dot matrix counter printer ,using the functionality originally designed for cheques. (known as a ‘slip printer’). The clerk had to manually feed each ‘sheetlet’  through the slip-printer , one label at a time. The sheetlets consist of two labels, the first of which is  fed through the printer and then revered to print the second label.

The First series of Labels are correctly known as ‘Scales’ labels , named after the application the Horizon system that generated them. (Nothing to do with the physical scales that you place the letter on!).

Scales labels can be identified as follows:

 Frama labels were the inital experiment by the Post Office to find a way of providing valid postage labels without using multiple existing stamps. The machine could then dispense a single label to the required value alowing for an increased flexability in stamp vending. Cost savings could be made as only one (blank) roll of blank labels was required to be distributed. 

A computer controlled machine would print and dispense the label according to the coins inserted -once the correct amount was reached, the customer simply press a button to print the value reached. The machines were installed inside Head Post Offices in Cambridge, London, Southampton and Windsor.

The labels themselves were printed in red onto imperforate phosphorised paper which had a grey green wavy background. They were dispensed in 1/2p increments up to and including 16p and went on sale between May and August 1984. At the end of August 1984 a additional two values of 16 1/2p and 17p were made available to correspond to an increased postal tariff at that time.

The stamps were available via the machines and additionally in collectors packs at the philatelic counters across the country. At the end of August 1984, the machines were adjusted to remove all the 1/2p values and the machines were finally taken out of service on 30th April 1985… Awaiting the next development…. some 23 years later..

Today was the subpostmasters conference – Wincor Nixdorf had a stand dispensing example UK postage printed on ‘Royal Mail’ self adhesive paper. Here is one of the examples I obtained:

 

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This blog is all about Postage Labels in the UK- from the first steps in 1984 to the plans in 2008/9 to roll out 700 Nixdorf machines that will include the facility to post letters and packets and dispense the first real ‘Postage Labels’ the UK Post Office has issued since 1984.

I am also including the steps taken to reach this point, including the different types of ‘Horizon’ Labels, the ‘Weigh and Vend’ experiment of 2004 and the close cousins ‘Smartstamps’ .. with which, as  you will discover in the not too distant future, a significant amount of convergence will take place..