posted 08-11-2004 10:41 PM               

quote:

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Stamps.com today announces a service that allows people to design their own postage — from kids to cats to corporate logos — on their computers.

[snip]

A sheet of 20 self-adhesive, 37-cent PhotoStamps costs $16.99, more than twice the $7.40 cost of a sheet of traditional First Class stamps. (There's also a $2.99-per-order shipping and handling charge.) The personalized stamps also are available in other denominations, including 23-cent postcard (20 for $13.99) and $3.85 1-pound Priority Mail (20 for $89.99).

The process is simple: Log on to photostamps.com, upload an image, edit the design, place an order. The stamps arrive in four to seven business days. Next to the design is a bar code and unique serial number to prevent counterfeiting.

PhotoStamps fall under the USPS regulations for metered mail, so they are exempt from the regular-stamps rules that no living people can be featured and that those dead must be gone for 10 years (except for historic and presidential stamps).

There are PhotoStamp limits: no nudity, no controversial or politically partisan images and no copyrighted material. Fans hoping to honor, say, the New York Yankees or Jennifer Lopez won't get a stamp of approval.

[snip]

Humans, not machines, will screen each image to make sure it complies with company guidelines. During a brief trial period last week, the most submitted images were babies, pets and family photos.

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Assuming Stamps.com's employees are savvy enough to recognize the distinction, NASA photographs are public domain and should be permissible for stamp placement.

This could then hold some interesting possibilities for (very) custom event cancellations. Imagine: a launch cover with a picture of the launch itself on the stamp (using the USPS 30-day grace period). Or a crew emblem cover with a stamp featuring the emblem as well.

That said, the American Philatelic Society does not expect stamp collectors to show much interest. "At almost $1 apiece, stamp collectors are unlikely to buy into them, [Janet] Klug [president of the APS] says. They are 'very thrifty individuals.'"

posted 08-12-2004 05:10 AM               

I have not seen any sales figures for them. Pricing varies in those countries - and I personnally opted against the Belgian type as I found the price outrageous. But I know that in Austria they are very popular. I have seen stamps honoring Chinese cosmonaut Yang lately, they were sold out from the issuing club in a pop. Another issue commemorating the ISS was put up by a German club - I don't know about sales results yet.

Personnally, I have just seen my bid for a stamp commemorating the 60th Anniversary of the 1st V-2 launch to London refused by the Netherlands. Despite our explanation of the public domain nature of the NASA images, they camped on their position that using a photograph of Wernher von Braun required authorization of the latter. Tough to get ....

posted 08-12-2004 10:07 AM               

Their first attempt was on the International Stamp Exhibition in Brussels in 2000 - they had a stand with digital cameras mounted and printed the stamp sheets on the spot. I still have the sheets with my own portrait .....