Written by: Lloyd Lewis



Jan 14, 2006

Personalized Postage Stamps

There is a large variety of postage stamps all over the world. Personalized postage stamps, is a postage stamp where your personal picture or photograghs can be uploaded on your computer and turn into postage stamps.

PhotoStamps are so different, that they can practically represent anything and even anyone.

Imagine having the ability to put photos of children, families, friends and pets on a stamp. PhotoStamps are a fun and easy way to add a personal touch to everything you send in the mail!

On the creativity side, personalized postage stamps can represent a great innovation source, and can produce the smallest fine art available and affordable to all people around the world.

Also, the maker of these personalized postage stamps can use them as a promotional tool.

There have been important personalities in history that had the desire to put their mark on almost anything important, and so, in the late 90's, the first personalized postage stamp had been released.

However, there are some issues concerning these personalized postage stamps.

Copyright.

The publishing of some collectable stamps that represent personalized things, such as a picture or a personal note, is still a debatable problem today.

Making personalized postage stamps requires the approval of postal legislation, which provides strict rules for the reproduction and sale of postage stamps.

Personalized postage stamps are a matter of law as well as a matter of art and creativity.

Definitely, Personalized postage stamps are authorize U.S. Postage, based on computer technology called PC Postage, which is what create the bar code you see to the right of the image area on Personalized postage stamps.

When Personalized postage stamps first launched in 2004, it was the first ever customized postage product in the U.S.. Only representative that are licensed and authorized to produce PC Postage may display the trademark seen below:

An approved Licensed Vendor

UNITED STATES

POSTAL SERVICE

PC Postage

Stamps . com, the company behind Personalized postage stamps, has been a United States Postal Service- sanctioned provider of PC postage since 1999, and is the industry pioneer.

Since the legislation has given it's approval on the publication of your personalized postage stamps, you can promote your entire image to countries and places all over the world.

Having postage stamps with signatures of famous people can increase the demand of such collectable items, and personalized postage stamps can become an individual business.

The human imagination has no boundaries, and the innovating ideas have no limit.

Personalized postage stamps are a real valid proof of that.

Collecting an entire small collection of rare paintings can now become an affordable hobby, or having your name travel all over the globe, written on a personalized postage stamp, is really a possible and achievable goal.

What is the cost?

The total charge of your order will depend on the postage value of your Personalized postage stamps and the number of sheets you order. Each sheet contains 20 Personalized postage stamp labels, and the smallest amount you can order, is one sheet.

How large are Personalized tamps?

Stamps . com try to achieve the largest possible picture display area while also making the overall personalized stamp dimensions reasonable for most applications. Each individual Personalized Stamp measures 1.9 inches in width and 1.4 inches in height, and the image area is 1.1 inches in width and 1.1 inches in height.

Millions Sold Already

The successful subsequently market test during 2004 in which over 2.75 million Personalized postage stamps were sold in just 7 ½ weeks, Personalized postage from Stamps . com returned in May 2005 under authorization of the U.S. Postal Service.

After the return of personalized postage tamps in May 2005, an additional 3.5 million stamps have been sold. That is over 6 million letters, greeting cards, gifts and invitations that have already been made more sensational by using Personalized postage.

Personalized postage in the News.

Take a look at some details quotes from some of the hundreds of news articles that have come out on Personalized Postage Stamps:

The Wall Street Journal 4/27/05

"Your face on a stamp again? Custom photo postage is back… The PhotoStamps test indicates that, especially for invitations and announcements, 'the ability to personalize a message caused people to use mail where they might have used email.'"

Chicago Sun-Times 4/27/05

"Stamps . com is now accepting orders and image uploads at photoStamps."

Los Angeles Times 4/27/05

"The popular PhotoStamps service will resume May 16..."

The Arizona Republic 4/28/05

"Stamps . com Inc. and the U.S. Postal Service again are offering people a chance to put their personal photos on postage stamps."

International Herald Tribune 4/30/05

"So, with visions of Christmas presents for my family in mind, I signed on and place my order at their site, PhotoStamps. The site design was a joy in its simplicity and ease of use.

After I uploaded my snapshots, I could crop them, center them, enlarge them and add colorful borders, all online."

Daily News 4/30/05

"New moms, brides and narcissists rejoice! Personalized postage once again has been given the stamp of approval... The vanity campaign by Stamp . com was a big hit when it debuted, selling close to 3 million stamps."

NPR 5/01/05

"The United States Postal Service is now allowing people to make their own customized stamps…..in an earlier two-month trial, consumers bought 2.75 million PhotoStamps..."

The New York Times 5/09/05

"Put (Almost) Anything On A Stamp..."

Times 5/16/05

"Want real, customized U.S. Postage? Upload an image to Photostamp . com and see what it would look like on a stamp."

USA Today 5/27/05

"PhotoStamps are back in the picture."

Scoop du Jour 5/19/05

"But before you go totally postal on us for advocating handwritten letters, turn ASAP to PhotoStamps and make your memos picture perfect."

Alloy 5/31/05

"Rather than waste time at the post office or risk bad stamp options, head to Photostamps . com where you can personalize your own stamps with a picture of your choice! Send surprise party invites with the guest of honor's goofy face on the front, or personalize your own for those 'Thank You!' moments!"

The San Diego Union-Tribune 6/05/05

"Now anyone can join the ranks of George Washington, Dr. Seuss and Elvis and get their images on a U.S. postage stamp... the Postal Service and Stamps . com have teamed again..."

Parenting 8/05

"Give those thank-you notes a twist with customized stamps (yep, they're real postage). Each 37-cent stamp ends up costing 85 cents (a sheet of 20 is $17), but your kid's grinning mug sure beats a snowy egret (order using a digital picture at PhotoStamps)."

Horizons 8/05

"PhotoStamps lets you convert digital photos from your trip into official U.S. postage, which you can then use to mail out your postcards."