- PhotoStamps
PhotoStamps, a product of
Stamps.com , are custompostage stamp s. The stamps are valid U.S. postage, bearing a custom photo or graphic provided by the purchaser. PhotoStamps were first made available onAugust 10 ,2004 .There was an initial controversy when PhotoStamps were created in the initial market test depicting various notorious individuals and items, including
Monica Lewinsky 's dress, [http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/0831041_photostamps_1.html] but that died down after the company announced more stringent standards and enforcement of them.September 30 ,2004 was the final day for the original market test for PhotoStamps. During the seven and a half weeks in which the product was made available, more than 2,600,000 individual PhotoStamps were ordered, mostly featuring pets, children, and landscapes. These so-called "vanity stamps" were also popular withbride s-to-be and art designers.PhotoStamps postage is valid US postage and can be used at any point in the future. As of
April 26 ,2005 , the PhotoStamps program was once again reactivated withUSPS approval, and "over 19 million PhotoStamps have been sold" since then.A "PhotoStamps of the Year" contest was announced, with the winners to be displayed at the
Smithsonian .PhotoStamps for business
A later phase of the second marketing test allowed the use of business logos on stamps, which had previously been prohibited. [http://photo.stamps.com/PhotoStamps/business/]
pecial Licensed PhotoStamps
PhotoStamps currently offers specially licensed logos in association with
NASCAR ,NFL ,College football , and the work ofAnne Geddes .References
External links
* [http://photo.stamps.com/PhotoStamps/?source=si11036146 PhotoStamps] Official Site
* [http://www.zazzle.com/?rf=238187788113947840 Zazzle] A similar service from Pitney Bowes
* [http://www.wcfcourier.com/articles/2007/02/19/news/metro/7f2f3480b2ce3f0086257287004d00dd.txt Personal postage becoming popular] Postage is getting personal
* [http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/0831041_photostamps_1.html Stamps of Approval] The Smoking Gun's page of personalized stamps that aren't supposed to exist
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