Stamps.com continues customized stamp testing

Stamps.com has announced that the U.S. Postal Service is expected to lift the restriction on business advertising on customized postage, which has been in place since the second customized postage market test began in May 2005. Stamps.com plans to participate in the new market test with its PhotoStamps product, and will begin marketing PhotoStamps for business use as soon as the business advertising restriction is lifted.

Stamps.com Pleased With New Market Test For Customized Postage

New Test Expected to Allow Commercial Images on Customized Postage

Stamps.com, the leading provider of Internet-based postage services, today announced that the U.S. Postal Service has notified the public of a new market test for customized postage that is expected to begin later this month or next month, and is expected to continue for a period of two years. In addition, beginning with this new market test, the U.S. Postal Service is expected to lift the restriction on business advertising on customized postage, which has been in place since the second market test began in May 2005. Stamps.com plans to participate in the new market test with its PhotoStamps(R) product, and will begin marketing PhotoStamps for business use as soon as the business advertising restriction is lifted.

The third market test, expected to commence prior to the May 2006 end date of the second market test, will continue to allow consumers to turn their photos, designs or images into valid U.S. postage. Since the beginning of the second market test in May 2005, more than 10 million individual PhotoStamps have been shipped to customers. This third test is expected to remove the restriction that was in place for the second market test that prevented businesses from using PhotoStamps for their business advertising, logos or other advertising images. The removal of this restriction is the result of the passage of a clarifying amendment to a longstanding law, 18 U.S.C. Section 475, which was previously viewed as potentially prohibiting advertising on custom postage.

"This new market test is a validation of the success and popularity of the PhotoStamps product," said Ken McBride, Stamps.com President and CEO. "We are thrilled to continue to provide consumers with the personalized postage options they love and to now also be able to offer businesses a new way to advertise their products and services or to include their logo on their corporate mailings."

PhotoStamps is a patented Stamps.com product that couples the technology of PC Postage with the simplicity of a web-based image upload and order process. Consumers can use PhotoStamps to create customized postage with pictures of their children, pets, vacations, celebrations, and more. PhotoStamps can be used as regular postage to send letters, postcards or packages and is currently available for the most common mail rates in denominations ranging from $0.24 to $4.05. Each sheet includes 20 individual PhotoStamps. To order, customers simply upload a digital photograph or image file at www.photostamps.com, customize the look and feel by choosing one of ten different border colors to complement the image, select the value of postage and place the order. The interface is fun, functional and incredibly easy-to-use.