Practice Aid Review: Stamps.com and Dymo LabelWriter Twin Turbo

NB: The following review is written by TIS Guest Author Kimberly DeCarrera. If you’d like to publish a review of your favorite practice aid – be it book, software, hardware, or office technology of any flavor – read the note following the post!

Stamps.Com and Dymo LabelWriter: Practice Savers

Stamps.com has been a lifesaver in our offices. The software allows you to print out the exact amount of postage that you need for your envelope or package. We have a free-standing scale, but you can buy a scale that will connect to your computer. Just weigh the package, tell the software what class of mail, and it will select the proper amount of postage. The software also allows you to add additional services like return receipt and certified mail to the postage. Our local post office will postmark most envelopes without making you wait in line if all the postage is already included. No waiting in post office lines here!

Dymo LabelWriter Is the Key

Making the whole system more efficient is the Dymo LabelWriter Twin Turbo. Instead of having to load labels into a printer everytime you need to print postage, the labels are right there waiting for you. The LabelWriter takes up less space than most desktop phone systems. We use two different type of stamp labels. One is the “NetStamps” that works like regular stamps (of course, you can change the amount on them). These work great for the business reply or pre-addressed envelopes. Also, we print off a couple of extra to stick in our briefcases so that we always have a stamp ready if needed. The second label that we use is the two-part label. The first part is the stamp and the second is the mailing address. The address prints out with the proper bar code for easy sorting at the post office. The Stamps.com software will verify that the mailing address is proper and fits the USPS standard format.

Key Features: Address Book, Reordering, Multiple Sizes

The Stamps.com software also has an address book that stores previously used addresses. As such, you do not have to input frequently used addresses but one time. When you keep a credit card on file, the software allows you to easily re-order labels and more postage. You quickly get confirmation emails when you purchase items from Stamps.com. The software also keeps a history of your mailing activity and your purchasing activity. One more benefit of the software is the multiple size mailpieces. This allows you to pick Letters, Bills, Postcards, Large Envelopes and Flats, Thick Envelopes, Flat Rate Envelopes, Priority Mail, or Packages. This makes sure that you get the right postage and no returns because it does not fit the new postal standards. Did I mention that the software itself is free? Just buy the labels and you are set to go.

Label Jams

I have found that the software is pretty “smart” when it comes to label jams. It does not happen often with the Dymo LabelWriter, but when jams happen, they can be a mess. Nothing like getting a small, sticky label caught in an automatic feeder to wish you had a pair of tweezers handy.

Drawbacks

The main drawback of online postage, no matter which service you use, is the cost of the labels. Labels are where these companies make their money. But we have found that it is useful tool to have – no standing in post office lines and printing the exact amount of postage you need.

If you have any questions about the Stamps.com or Dymo LabelWriter, please feel free to contact me via email at law@decarreralaw.com. My website is http://www.decarreralaw.com/ and visit my Georgia Business and Family Law Blog at http://legalblog.decarreralaw.com/.

To Order

How to Sign Up to Write a TIS Review

TIS would like to thank Kimberly for this well-written and helpful review! If you’re interested in seeing your own work on The Inspired Solo, it’s easy to do. Just drop me a line at sheryl dot schelin at gmail dot com and let me know the particulars of what you’d like to write. (Alternatively, leave a comment to this post.) Articles may be edited for form and style.

Technorati Tags: , ,

Like This Post? Share It!

The Inspired Solo

The Inspired Solo is your source for the best time management and productivity tips for solo and small firm lawyers. Share your thoughts in the comments area below, and tell your friends about us!

By The Inspired Solo
0 Comments - Leave a comment!
  • http://www.stamps.com Stamper

    I agree with Kimberly. The service is pretty handy. I work full time (at stamps.com) and go to school full time at night.. Its hard to ever make it to the post office really.
    If I go home I log into my software.. put in my labels and select the postage I need and the mail class and print it out onto a netstamp. On my out the door in the morning I drop the mail piece in my mailbox and its done. Use it for warranties, car insurance bill, and letters to my grandmother. I dont have to drive out of my way and beat the clock to make it to my local P.O. or wait in line listening to kids crying.