diff --git a/SciPost_v1/settings/local_jorran.py b/SciPost_v1/settings/local_jorran.py
index 62c4a1796226d35cfddb214d1c75916aa56b914b..c746498691715ab4439cbd805998f65a77820f86 100644
--- a/SciPost_v1/settings/local_jorran.py
+++ b/SciPost_v1/settings/local_jorran.py
@@ -37,5 +37,5 @@ CROSSREF_LOGIN_PASSWORD = get_secret("CROSSREF_LOGIN_PASSWORD")
 CROSSREF_DEPOSIT_EMAIL = 'jorrandewit@scipost.org'
 
 # Customized mailbackend
-EMAIL_BACKEND = 'mails.backends.filebased.EmailBackend'
-EMAIL_BACKEND_ORIGINAL = 'django.core.mail.backends.filebased.EmailBackend'
+EMAIL_BACKEND = 'mails.backends.filebased.ModelEmailBackend'
+EMAIL_BACKEND_ORIGINAL = 'mails.backends.filebased.EmailBackend'
diff --git a/mails/backends/filebased.py b/mails/backends/filebased.py
index 64a6c9200c712bb37567e232efe6b7af37825165..a41f483cdb7f455a09e65c6b6fa85a617914d2dd 100644
--- a/mails/backends/filebased.py
+++ b/mails/backends/filebased.py
@@ -12,6 +12,8 @@ class EmailBackend(FileBacked):
         self.stream.write(b'Bcc: ' + bcc_str + b'\n')
         super().write_message(message)
 
+
+class ModelEmailBackend(FileBacked):
     def send_messages(self, email_messages, force_original=False):
         """Write all messages to the stream in a thread-safe way."""
         if force_original:
diff --git a/mails/management/commands/send_mails.py b/mails/management/commands/send_mails.py
index a10fb859d0515987e49db7f507fb2cd19e2ee70c..651b92f5d744fa0d8994de12ed828893b6ff2c99 100644
--- a/mails/management/commands/send_mails.py
+++ b/mails/management/commands/send_mails.py
@@ -19,7 +19,12 @@ class Command(BaseCommand):
         if hasattr(settings, 'EMAIL_BACKEND_ORIGINAL'):
             backend = settings.EMAIL_BACKEND_ORIGINAL
         else:
+            # Fallback to Django's default
             backend = 'django.core.mail.backends.smtp.EmailBackend'
+
+        if backend == 'mails.backends.filebased.ModelEmailBackend':
+            raise AssertionError('The `EMAIL_BACKEND_ORIGINAL` cannot be the ModelEmailBackend')
+
         connection = get_connection(backend=backend, fail_silently=False)
         for db_mail in mails:
             mail = EmailMultiAlternatives(
@@ -32,8 +37,11 @@ class Command(BaseCommand):
                 connection=connection)
             if db_mail.body_html:
                 mail.attach_alternative(db_mail.body_html, 'text/html')
-            print('mail ' + str(db_mail.id))
-        return mail.send()
+        response = mail.send()
+        if response:
+            db_mail.processed = True
+            db_mail.save()
+        return response
 
     def handle(self, *args, **options):
         if options.get('id'):