Wheeling, Ill., April 20, 2006 – BOWE BELL + HOWELL, a leading provider of document processing and postal solutions, is pleased to introduce the WayMarkTM weight verification and management system that will allow mailers to easily submit mailings to the U.S. Postal Service without the use of a postage meter. Following a successful product preview at the National Postal Forum in Orlando, Fla., in early April, WayMark modules will be available for delivery and installation June 1, 2006. Postage typically accounts for the largest portion of the cost per mailpiece in a document production environment – often representing over 50 percent of the cost of each mailpiece. With the USPS mandate to gradually phase out mechanical postage meters, high-volume mailers with the proper equipment and systems can dramatically save on the annual cost of postage application through alternative postage payment options. “There are two parts to postage costs, the actual cost per piece to mail an item, and the technology used to apply that postage,” said Mike Swift, president and general manager of BÖWE BELL + HOWELL’s Postal and Sorting Products Division. “WayMark integrates these two parts into one seamless process on our CriterionÒ sorters, resulting in substantial savings to the mailer. WayMark enables mailers to significantly reduce their cost of postage application and apply a high-quality indicia inline as part of their normal sorting process. The use of WayMark eliminates meters and their associated maintenance and supply costs. The weight verification capabilities of WayMark also enable mailers to achieve document integrity and postage verification at throughput rates that were previously not attainable.” By adding the WayMark weight verification module to BÖWE BELL + HOWELL’s CriterionÒ sorting system, mailers can verify the weight of every mailpiece, calculate the correct postage and produce postage reports in one easy process. With deviations of four percent or better at speeds up to 36,000 pieces per hour, WayMark eliminates costly errors due to overestimating First-Class or Standard-Class mailpiece weights, or underestimating weight and postage, which can lead to incorrect postage statements. For service bureaus and other mail consolidators, the inline operation of WayMark makes it easy to commingle mail of varying weights, and allows them to use a single permit number for multiple client mailings. For more information on the WayMark weight verification and management system, contact Rami Mishal at (847) 423-7588 or [email protected], or visit www.bowebellhowell.com.