Make Your Own Postage Stamps

Photostamps, a patented product from Stamps.com, are valid United States postage stamps that can be used at any time.

There are a number of companies that offer this service, including the following:

• Stamps.com
• Zazzle
• Endicia
• Snapfish

I've used a few of the companies mentioned but I prefer to use Zazzle, the award winning company for on demand QUALITY custom products and an approved licensed vendor of the United States Postal Service.

Please note: You will find the software for making your own stamps both online and at the U.S. Post Office. Don't bother buying this software though, because it's part of the overall custom stamp making process and is available online for free.

Also, beware of imitators when buying from other sites and ALWAYS look for the USPS symbol, meaning that site has the authorization of the United States Postal Service.

"Earth Angel" Postage Stamp

PhotoStamps were first made available on August 10, 2004, but were stopped on September 30, 2004, less than 2 months later. This was largely due to a controversy of a stamp design that was made featuring Monica Lewinsky's dress.

During the 7 1/2 weeks PhotStamps were available, more than 2,600,000 were ordered. Although each uploaded image was scrutinized by an image approval team to make sure it was original and that it did not infringe copyright in any manner, it was clear after the stamps were made and posted featuring Monika Lewinsky's infamous dress, that firmer rules & restrictions needed to be put in place.

An example of what is prohibited is described above in reference to the stamp featuring Monica Lewinsky's dress. It simply won't be allowed. Other examples of what is prohibited include pictures of celebrities, images of political figures, and any kind of copyright, patent, or trademark infringement.

It's very important for you to read the Appropriate Use Guidelines For Zazzle Custom Stamps for yourself before you begin making custom stamps.

To make your own personalized stamps, simply upload a digital photograph or image file at Zazzle. You can customize the look and feel by choosing vaious border colors to complement your image. Then simply select the value of postage and place the order. The entire process is easy and fun to do!

If you do not want to design a stamp from scratch, there are thousands of images to choose from. Just click here to pick the design of your choice: US Stamp Designs. In most cases, you will be able to add text to further customize the postage stamps, or you can use them just the way they are!

• Choose a photo or artwork that you want to use.
  
  It may be a good idea to pick out two or three stamp designs as backups, because depending on the size of the stamps you want, some images work better than others.
  
  The image should be in JPEG or PGN formats. and should have a resolution of 100 or 200 dpi for a crisp image. Most digital photographs are already in acceptable formats. Note: The image cannot be more than 5MB in size.


• Sign into Zazzle. It's simple and it's free.
  
  Once you are signed in, take a look around and see the various things you can do when designing your stamps.
  
  From Zazzle's home page, you can choose "Postage" from the product drop down menu and see what others have done. When you are ready, go to the next step.
  


• Get Started on Creating your Stamp!
  
  Click on "Create" on the top bar and you'll go to the product template page. You'll see the product icon and link for "Custom postage." Click on it and you'll arrive at the Zazzle Custom Stamp Page.
  
  From there you have the option of various stamp sizes, whether you want a vertical or horizontal layout, and what stamp denomination you want.
  
  Upload your selected image from your computer. Note: Upload times will vary depending on the size of the image and your internet connection speed.


• You can then modify the image right online!
  
  Move your photo or artwork around so it's where you want it. Try zooming in and also zooming out. See how it looks.
  
  There are other options available, such as the option to rotate your image and to add text in various colors, sizes and choose the font. If you want to add a border, you have many colors available to you and you can decide on the width.
  
  Play with your image until you're satisfied. If you're unsure, you can save your image for now and make another stamp.


• That's all there is to it!
  
  When you are all done, you can decide which design you want to buy and put in your cart. When you are ready, simply check out by using a credit card or with Paypal.
  
  Your postage stamp design will be checked to make sure there's no copyright infringement etc. and you should receive your stamps in a few days.
  
  Note: You do have the option of sharing your design with others and putting it the Zazzle's Marketplace. In order to do this, simply click on the "Post for Sale" button on the bottom of the page. At this point, you may want to set up your own free Gallery, but that's a different topic.

Here is a link to a video tutorial on Making Stamps at Zazzle.com. It is somewhat dated but it does cover most of the essentials you'll need to make your own stamps. A new video is in the works and I should have it ready and posted before the end of January.

We have wedding postage for all your needs! We carry wedding invitations postage, save-the-date postage, postage for the bachelorette party, and thousands of unique postage designs that you can customize for your special wedding day.

A Special THANK YOU goes to Tracey Meagher for her Lens Candy and her "Yummy List Graphics."

Also my gratitude to the people who wrote those great lenses showing me how to do lens styling and HTML & CSS coding. Thank you to Music-Resource, Magicality, thefluffanutta, adez7, N376, Greekgeek, Trekkiemelissa, Randell, & stargazer00.

And THANK YOU to Willow who suggested I add the tutorial. (A visual tutorial is in the works).

My apologies to anyone I left out. Squidoo truly is a community. I couldn't have written this, or any other lens, without all of you!