A mailing machine including a postage meter for printing postage impressions on tape, a removable tape dispensing module, and a device for receiving the removable tape dispensing module. The removable tape dispensing module includes a support housing, a shaft translatably mounted in the housing, an advance roller slidably mounted on the inner end of and rotatably with the shaft, a paddle pivotably mounted on the housing and biased downwardly onto the advance roller to thereby clamp the tape, a cam fixedly mounted on the interior portion of the shaft, the cam being engagable with the paddle to lift the paddle away from the advance roller, a rotatable knob mounted on the outer end of the shaft and capable of rotating the advance roller, and a device for effecting translation of the cam in the direction of the axis of the shaft.