PostNet

Brand Overview

PostNet is an established printing, shipping, design, marketing, and business-services franchise built around becoming a convenient one-stop resource for businesses and consumers in the local community.

Founded in 1993, PostNet has developed into a global franchise system with nearly 700 locations across North America, Central America, South America, and Africa. In 2017, PostNet became part of the MBE Worldwide family, connecting the brand to a broader global network of business-service and logistics concepts.

The modern PostNet center is much more than a pack-and-ship store. Franchisees provide a diverse combination of printing, graphic design, marketing, signage, shipping, mailbox, and business-support services from a professionally branded retail location.

The concept is designed around a simple idea: make it easier for customers to get the things they need to operate, market, and grow their businesses—all in one place.

A Diversified Business-Services Model

One of the defining characteristics of PostNet is the number of different services available within a single center.

Rather than relying exclusively on shipping or printing, franchisees can generate business from multiple complementary service categories. A customer who initially visits to ship a package may later need business cards, banners, graphic design, direct mail, promotional materials, or other services.

Likewise, a small-business customer who initially comes to PostNet for printing can eventually become a regular shipping, marketing, and design client.

Core service categories include:

• Printing and copying

• Graphic design

• Signs and banners

• Marketing materials

• Direct mail

• Packing and shipping

• Freight and logistics support

• Mailbox services

• Promotional products

• Business services

• Document finishing

• Ecommerce fulfillment

This broad service offering gives owners multiple ways to acquire customers and expand relationships over time.

Printing Services

Printing is a major component of the PostNet business and creates opportunities to work with both individual consumers and commercial accounts.

Centers can assist customers with products such as:

• Business cards

• Brochures

• Flyers

• Postcards

• Presentation materials

• Invitations

• Manuals

• Booklets

• Menus

• Newsletters

• Forms

• Labels and stickers

• Calendars

• Stationery

• Marketing collateral

• Copies and document reproduction

Small and mid-sized businesses continually need printed materials for sales, operations, recruiting, events, promotions, and customer communication.

For the franchise owner, those ongoing requirements can turn individual print projects into repeat B2B relationships.

Graphic Design and Creative Services

PostNet differentiates itself from traditional shipping stores by offering professional graphic design and creative services.

Customers do not necessarily need to arrive with finished artwork. PostNet can help develop the materials themselves, allowing the center to participate earlier in the customer's marketing process.

Signs, Banners, and Visual Communications

PostNet's printing capabilities extend into large-format graphics and signage, giving franchisees access to another significant category of business demand.

These services complement PostNet's traditional print and marketing capabilities and give franchisees additional opportunities to capture more of a business customer's overall marketing needs.

A company preparing for an event, for example, might need business cards, brochures, banners, signs, promotional materials, and shipping assistance. PostNet can coordinate several of those needs through one relationship.

Multi-Carrier Shipping

Shipping remains another core component of the PostNet model.

Rather than being tied exclusively to one carrier, PostNet operates as a multi-carrier shipping provider. This allows centers to help customers evaluate different shipping solutions based on factors such as destination, package characteristics, timing, and service requirements.

Customers can bring items into their local PostNet center and receive assistance with:

• Packing

• Packaging materials

• Domestic shipping

• International shipping

• Express shipping

• Ground shipping

• Package tracking

• Freight and logistics needs

• Specialized shipments

The franchisee and center employees can help customers navigate the shipping process rather than requiring them to determine everything independently.

This service-oriented approach is particularly valuable when customers are shipping unusual, fragile, valuable, oversized, or important items.

Small-Business Shipping and Logistics

PostNet also has opportunities to develop recurring relationships with businesses that ship regularly.

Instead of treating each package as an isolated retail transaction, franchisees can work with local businesses to understand their broader shipping and logistics requirements.

Potential commercial customers can include:

• Ecommerce sellers

• Professional service firms

• Retailers

• Manufacturers

• Real estate professionals

• Contractors

• Medical offices

• Law firms

• Local entrepreneurs

• Home-based businesses

• Online retailers

• Other organizations with recurring shipping needs

PostNet has also expanded its capabilities into areas such as commercial shipping, logistics support, and ecommerce fulfillment, giving centers opportunities to become more deeply integrated into their customers' operations.

Mailbox and Mail Services

Private mailbox services add another recurring component to the PostNet model.

Customers such as entrepreneurs, remote workers, small businesses, frequent travelers, and home-based business owners may want a professional mailing address and a secure location to receive mail and packages.

Mailbox customers also regularly visit the center, creating additional opportunities for PostNet to introduce printing, shipping, design, and other business services.

This creates an attractive ecosystem in which one service can naturally introduce customers to another.

Serving Both Businesses and Consumers

Unlike a purely B2B printing company or purely consumer-oriented shipping store, PostNet can serve both markets.

Individual consumers may visit a center to:

• Ship packages

• Return merchandise

• Print documents

• Create invitations

• Produce signs or banners

• Package valuable items

• Use mailbox services

Businesses can use PostNet for much broader and more recurring needs involving:

• Commercial printing

• Marketing materials

• Graphic design

• Direct mail

• Signage

• Shipping

• Fulfillment

• Promotional materials

• Mailbox services

This combination provides franchisees with daily retail traffic while also creating opportunities to develop larger, recurring commercial accounts.

A Relationship-Based Local Business

PostNet emphasizes personalized service and community relationships as important differentiators.

The goal is not simply to process transactions quickly. PostNet owners are encouraged to know their customers, understand what they are trying to accomplish, and become a trusted resource within their local business communities.

The franchisor describes its model around characteristics such as knowing customers by name, solving problems, providing convenience, completing projects quickly, and delivering strong customer service.

That creates a different customer experience from dealing exclusively with an online printer, anonymous shipping counter, or large corporate service provider.

Customers receive the resources and capabilities of an established international brand while working with a locally owned business.

Helping Small Businesses Grow

Small-business customers are particularly important to the PostNet model.

Many entrepreneurs do not have internal graphic designers, marketing departments, shipping departments, or printing capabilities. They frequently need outside partners to perform those functions.

A PostNet franchisee can effectively become an extension of that customer's business.

A new company, for example, could potentially work with PostNet to create its logo and business cards, establish a mailbox, produce signage, print marketing materials, execute direct mail, and ship products.

As that customer's business grows, its needs can grow as well.

This creates an opportunity for PostNet franchisees to develop meaningful long-term relationships with the entrepreneurs and organizations they serve.

Cross-Selling Opportunities

The breadth of the PostNet service menu creates substantial opportunities for cross-selling.

A shipping customer can become a printing customer.

A printing customer can become a graphic-design customer.

A mailbox customer can become a shipping customer.

A business-card customer can eventually need banners, brochures, direct mail, signs, promotional materials, or fulfillment services.

Instead of continually acquiring a completely new customer for every transaction, owners can focus on increasing the number of services used by existing customers.

This is one of the fundamental advantages of the diversified PostNet model.

Recurring Revenue Opportunities

PostNet specifically identifies recurring revenue as an important component of its business model.

Recurring activity can come from several areas.

Mailbox customers may maintain their services over extended periods. Businesses repeatedly order printed materials. Commercial clients continually ship packages. Ecommerce businesses may need ongoing fulfillment. Companies regularly replace signs, marketing materials, forms, labels, and promotional items.

The result is a model in which an owner can gradually build a portfolio of repeat customers rather than depending exclusively on one-time retail transactions.

A Community-Focused Retail Environment

PostNet centers are physical businesses located within the communities they serve.

That gives owners an opportunity to become involved in local chambers of commerce, networking organizations, schools, nonprofits, business associations, and community events.

The owner can develop relationships with other local entrepreneurs while simultaneously building awareness of PostNet's services.

PostNet places significant emphasis on this community-focused approach and describes its franchise owners as locally invested entrepreneurs supported by the resources of a much larger organization.

For owners who enjoy networking, helping people, and becoming known within their communities, this can be an important part of the business.

Owner's Role

PostNet is well suited for an owner who enjoys people, problem-solving, sales, community involvement, and business development.

The franchise owner does not necessarily need previous experience in printing, shipping, or graphic design.

Instead, the owner's role is primarily to build and lead the business.

Responsibilities can include:

• Developing local business relationships

• Networking within the community

• Building commercial accounts

• Managing employees

• Maintaining high customer-service standards

• Overseeing center operations

• Marketing the business locally

• Developing repeat customers

• Cross-selling products and services

• Managing vendors and production

• Monitoring business performance

• Building a strong local reputation

Owners who successfully move beyond the counter and spend time developing outside B2B relationships can create another channel of customer acquisition beyond traditional retail traffic.

Comprehensive Training

PostNet provides a structured training program designed to prepare new owners for the different components of operating a center.

New franchisees complete approximately 10 days of training at PostNet headquarters covering areas such as:

• Center operations

• Products and services

• Business systems

• Sales

• Marketing

• Finance

• Customer service

• Operational procedures

Owners then spend approximately one week training inside an existing designated PostNet center, providing hands-on exposure to the day-to-day operation of an established location.

PostNet also provides approximately five days of hands-on support during the franchisee's opening week.

This combination of classroom, online, existing-center, and opening support is designed to allow candidates without previous printing or shipping experience to learn the business.

Site Selection and Center Development

PostNet assists franchisees through the process of developing their retail location.

The franchisor's real estate team helps owners identify potential sites that meet the brand's criteria and provides guidance through the lease process.

Once a site is selected, PostNet assists with the development process, including coordination surrounding construction, fixtures, equipment, supplies, and operational readiness.

The objective is to provide franchisees with a defined path from site selection through opening rather than requiring a first-time owner to navigate the entire process independently.

Marketing Support

PostNet provides marketing resources both before and after opening.

During the development stage, franchisees work with the marketing team to create awareness of the new center, develop an initial marketing plan, and prepare for a grand opening.

Ongoing marketing initiatives are also supported at the system level, while individual franchisees continue building relationships and promoting their centers locally.

Local marketing can include community networking, relationship building, B2B prospecting, customer referrals, digital marketing, direct outreach, and participation in local organizations.

Ongoing Franchise Support

Support continues after the center opens.

Franchisees have access to PostNet's headquarters team as well as the experience of other owners throughout the network.

The system provides resources related to:

• Operations

• Sales

• Marketing

• Technology

• Training

• Purchasing

• Business development

• Center management

• Customer service

• Ongoing franchise education

PostNet also emphasizes collaboration between franchise owners, giving newer operators access to an established community of entrepreneurs who understand the same business model.

New Locations, Resales, and Conversions

PostNet provides several different pathways into the franchise system.

Candidates can develop a new PostNet center in an available market or potentially acquire an existing PostNet location.

The company also has a conversion strategy designed around independent printing, copying, mailbox, and pack-and-ship businesses.

An existing independent business can potentially convert to the PostNet brand, allowing the owner to retain an established customer base and local operating history while adding PostNet's brand, systems, technology, training, marketing resources, and franchise support.

PostNet also works to connect franchise buyers with owners of independent businesses who are ready to exit, providing another potential avenue for franchisees interested in acquiring an operating business rather than starting entirely from scratch.

Multi-Unit Growth Potential

The model can also provide a pathway to multi-unit ownership.

PostNet permits qualified franchisees to expand into additional centers after gaining operating experience with their first location.

An owner can therefore begin by learning the model and establishing a successful local operation before considering additional locations.

The company reported continued multi-unit activity in 2025, with existing owners among those awarded additional franchises during the year.

Why PostNet Stands Out

PostNet occupies an interesting position within the business-services industry because it combines several traditionally separate businesses under one roof.

The model brings together:

• Printing

• Graphic design

• Signs and banners

• Marketing services

• Packing

• Multi-carrier shipping

• Mailbox services

• Logistics support

• Ecommerce fulfillment

• Business services

This diversified structure allows owners to serve both businesses and consumers while creating multiple opportunities to deepen each customer relationship.

The customer who walks through the door to ship one package today could eventually become a commercial printing customer, mailbox customer, direct-mail customer, signage customer, or recurring shipping account.

PostNet's opportunity is therefore much broader than operating a traditional shipping store.

It is a community-based business services center designed to become a trusted resource for local entrepreneurs, businesses, organizations, and consumers.

By combining the personal service of a locally owned business with the systems and resources of an established global franchise network, PostNet gives franchise owners the opportunity to build a diversified business around something virtually every community needs: help getting things designed, printed, marketed, packed, shipped, and accomplished.