Postage Scales Buyer's Guide

Manual and digital postage scales

Postage scales come in both manual and digital versions. Manual postage scales use a balance or spring to weigh envelopes, while digital postage scales use a pressure-sensing microprocessor.

Manual postage scales can be accurate, but require users to read the weight from a mechanical needle, which increases the chances for human error. In contrast, digital postage scales provide an unambiguous digital readout, unlikely to cause any confusion.

Manual scales simply give you the weight of your item — you'll have to reference a table of current postage prices to get the mailing cost. Many digital postage scales are programmed with rate information, so they can display the exact price for you.

Of course, digital postage scales that convert weight to postage must be adjusted each time postal rates change. Older scales required that you replace a chip (or chips) every time postal rates changed — a pricey and potentially frustrating task. Now, some digital postage scales can download updated postal rate information from the Internet.

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