Royal Mail Signed For™ 1st Class

• Aims to deliver next working day including Saturdays
• Proof of delivery including a signature from the receiver
• Confirm online or on mobile when item has been delivered
• Prices start at £4.30 for delivery next day
• Drop your parcel of at any of our 11,000 Post Offices
• Save time at 2,000 Post Offices® with Drop & Go
• Compensation cover up to £50
• Seller protection for online goods

Prices for Royal Mail Signed For™ 1st Class are the same no matter where items are being sent in the UK. The amount customer pay depends on the size and weight of the item being sent. Each format has its own size and weight limits.

COUNTER POSTAGE LABELS ("HORIZON" LABELS)

An Horizon label is an adhesive postage label that is a type of variable value stamp. The labels were introduced in the United Kingdom in 2002 as part of the computerisation of the counter services of the post office network of Royal Mail using the Horizon System. The first labels were large plain labels composed purely of text but later labels are of a gold colour with a Machin head and a repeating pattern of the words ROYALMAIL in order to prevent forgery.

Machin Horizon Label is stamp/label that are oversized Machins measuring 59 x 64.5 mm and printed in pale ‘gold’ with full bleed (no white frame around design). It was introduced in June 2009.
 
The Queen’s Head was produced using a wavy line ROYAL MAIL pattern printed in micro text pale ‘gold’.
 
The complete label was overprinted with a repeating iridescent wavy line ROYAL MAILpattern for the background while the head itself had a different pattern.
 
These labels were not printed with phosphor lines and they are self-adhesive paper.
 
Produced by De La Rue and printed in photogravure. Original version has simulated perforation while the revised has ‘straight edged’ and rounded corners. The revised versions were introduced on 23 August 2010 to address problem with operational difficulties by clerk when feeding the second label after the first one has been removed.
 
The printing for different services are produced at the point of sale using ink jet printer and in black.

From 26th September 2011, a change in software to distinguish the VAT status of transactions resulted in additional characters being added to each label. These consist of lower-case letter after "Royal Mail", and a number after "POSTAGE PAID UK". A list of the codes and their significance was included in the October 2011 'BPS Journal'

New codes were introduced in April 2013, when Packet (1PK, 2PK) and Standard Parcel (SP) services and indicators were replaced by Small Parcels (1SP, 2SP) and Medium Parcels (1MP, 2MP).

From the Label

Service Indicator / Tariff Code : 1LG (1st Class Large Letter)
Royal Mail code : c
UK code : 4
VAT rate : Exempt rated VAT
 
Post Office : S1 - Sheffield (Yorkshire) 

Two set of numbers at the bottom are Post Office Branch Identifier on the left and on the right, the transaction number. Transaction number is also recognised as 'Session' printed on receipt upon payment. 

Original Characters


  1LG
Royal   Mail.c
POSTAGE    PAID   UK.4
17/03/14 £2.70             S1
315340             2-4908714

Royal Mail Accounting Codes - September 2011

The Horizon software was changed in late September 2011 to classify the VAT rating of posted items. As a consequence the Machin Horizon labels were printed with two codes indicating the accounting classification and can be found at the end of the lines as follows :
 

Line on Label	Indicator Type
Royal Mail	Accounting Code
POSTAGE PAID UK	VAT rating code

‘Accounting codes' are solely for easy identification of the VAT rate or product combination for each label, where a subsequent refund has to be made, ensuring any VAT is accounted for correctly.