Pre-processing is always free:

You can try out any service on the website for free. This allows you to assess how each mailing has been sorted and the respective mailing costs without incurring any costs.

Pay-you-go fees:

Before the full completed data set can be downloaded, we charge a fee based on the number of items processed or a minimum fee. The highest of the two figures is the one charged. We use Paypal as our payment service. When you click the payment button, you will be transferred to the paypal website, where you can pay with a paypal account or normal credit/debit card. In some cases we may allow payment by normal invoice, subject to a £5 surcharge per invoice. Please contact us to apply for this option.

Annual account:

If you are a frequent user, it may be more cost-effective to set up an annual account with us. With this, we invoice you once per year in advance and then you can use the system as and when you want without being charged each time. Please contact us to discuss the options and prices.

Please also see our Terms and Conditions for payment terms, disclaimers, fair use policy etc.

Free when using an eMHS Test mode:

If you have an eMHS Test account, you can process a file for Mailmark, all the way to generating barcodes and eManifest handling. All for free, but with the limitation of 200 records max.

Using an eMHS Production account:

When processing for Mailmark in "production mode", the fee you pay is the one that applies to the Mailsort
process (step 1. Process Mailsort). Once payment is complete, you may proceed with the steps 2 and 3, both of which are included in the fee.

If you are using the production account for QA testing, this service is provided free of charge.

How do I get started with Mailmark?

Before you can do anything with Mailmark you need to contact the Royal Mail to register for an "eMHS Test Account". Please visit www.royalmail.com/mailmark. to do that. Here you can also find user guides, technical specifications plus a list of Mailmark acredited software providers. Mailsort Online is already on this list.

Why do I need an eMHS Test Account?

As well as software providers, all mail producers need their own accreditation, and this is why you need the test account. With this you can use this website to produce mail piece samples with mailmark barcodes embedded and also go through the eManifest handling and upload of mail piece data via the Royal Mail eMHS system. Only when all the tests are completed successfully, will you gain access to the eMHS production system.

The test account can only use mailsorted files that have not been accepted or paid for. It uses the same sample data as is also avalable for free download in the mailsort section. The file contains up to 200 records, which are then Mailmark processed and given a barcode and can be uploaded to the test eMHS system.

How much does it cost?

Using the system with an eMHS test account is FREE. Using it with a production account is only possible after the mailsorted file has been paid for or if you have a Mailmark enabled annual account (more pricing info).

Who can use the system?

In principle, anyone who sends enough mail to warrant the effort required with preparing the mail pieces in order to benefit from the massive posting discounts on offer. In practice, it is mostly businesses, charities, organisations and authorities alike who would do this.

How long does it take?:

The turn-around time depends on the size of mailing and how busy the system is. Generating barcode image files can easily take a few minutes to process, and so can the eMHS item upload.

Files are placed in a queueing system and are processed on a "first come first serve" basis. We can usually process several files simultaneously and thereby keep waiting times to a minimum. If, however, you are experiencing a long delay (more than 10 minutes) with no apparent progress please contact us to establish what the problem is.