Franking machine

A franking machine is disclosed which has a thermal printer for printing variable (11) and non-variable (10, 12, 13) information at a single print station. The non-variable information is printed by thermal print elements (14) having a form corresponding to the information pattern and the variable information is printed by arrays (16) of selectable print elements (15). The elements (14, 15) are preferably heated by passing electric current through the elements. Alternatively, the elements (14) for non-variable information may be heated from a heated substrate (17).