As an expert in retail and consumer affairs, I often get questions from shoppers about printing their own stamps instead of having to go buy books of stamps from the post office. With postage rates frequently increasing, I understand the desire to try and save money. However, there are rules regarding valid USPS postage that customers need to follow.
I‘ll provide an overview of USPS policies on printing postage and stamps, whether you can create your own stamps, using online services to print postage, and options for conveniently purchasing stamps from self-service kiosks. My goal is to equip shoppers with the facts so they can make informed decisions and avoid potential mail fraud issues.
USPS Rules on Printed Postage
The United States Postal Service has regulations in place to ensure all postage is valid. This helps fund their operations and prevent losses from counterfeit postage. Here are the key facts shoppers should know:
- Customers cannot print valid Forever stamps or postage on regular printer paper. Special sticker paper with security features must be used.
- The only valid USPS postage is that purchased directly through USPS or approved 3rd party vendors.
- Printing fake, imitation, or counterfeit postage is illegal and punishable by fines or imprisonment.
So if you were hoping to just print some stamps on paper to avoid a trip to the post office, unfortunately that cannot be done legally. The good news is there are convenient alternatives for buying real USPS postage online or printing postage from home.
Online Services For Printing USPS Postage
While the USPS Click-N-Ship tool does not allow printing Forever stamps, services like Stamps.com and Endicia.com provide home and office solutions for conveniently printing USPS postage.
These are authorized USPS vendors that provide monthly subscriptions for accessing discounted postage rates and printing from your own computer. Here‘s an overview:
Stamps.com
- Monthly fee starts at $17.99
- Print postage directly on envelopes or labels
- Special sticker paper used (Netstamp labels)
- Postage discounts available with qualifying mailing volumes
- Apps available for mobile printing
Endicia.com
- Monthly fee starts at $19.99
- Users provided with Endicia label printer
- Print labels with tracking barcodes
- Discounted Commercial Plus pricing plans
- Integrates with eBay, Etsy, and other platforms
These services require a monthly subscription to access the USPS postage printing solutions. But for high volume shippers like eCommerce sellers, the postage discounts and convenience often make it worth the costs.
Casual users may only need postage every so often. So visiting a post office or using a self-service kiosk still allows accessing real stamps without subscriptions.
Using Self-Service Kiosks To Buy Stamps
For shoppers that still want to avoid the post office line to buy booklets of stamps, USPS offers self-service kiosks in many locations. These machines allow you to use a debit or credit card to conveniently purchase books of Forever Stamps, 1-ounce stamps, or additional package postage.
The interface walks you through selecting the quantity and type of stamps needed. Payment is made on the touch screen. Then the kiosk prints out the actual stamp booklet to take home and use at your convenience.
One advantage of the self-service kiosks is that no monthly commitment or subscription is needed. Shoppers only pay for the quantity of stamps they need at the time. And there‘s no need to supply envelopes or labels to print on like with the online services.
Here‘s a quick 1-minute video showing how to use the kiosk touch screens to buy USPS stamps:
So while we may wish we could just print stamps on paper ourselves, the kiosks make buying legitimate USPS postage quick and convenient without subscriptions.
Can You Create Your Own Personalized USPS Stamps?
In the past, customized postage services existed that allowed consumers to turn photos into valid USPS First Class Mail postage. Companies like PhotoStamps and Stamps.com offered personalized stamp creation directly approved by USPS.
However, USPS officially ended this customized postage program in 2022. So all the vendors had to shut down their custom designing options. At this time there is no way create fully customized, legally valid stamps directly through the Post Office.
The legacy vendors now offer alternatives like photo return address labels that complement real stamps. But the days of turning baby pictures into postage bearing your own design are unfortunately gone. Regular Flag Forever stamps have to suffice now.
That said, be on the lookout for possible resurrection of customized stamps or special design postage from USPS someday. Their initial pilot opening the doors may eventually return based on public demand. But likely with much stricter control by USPS this next time around. Vendors got too liberal on acceptable stamp imagery before.
Final Thoughts on Stamp Printing Options
To summarize the key options covered for legally accessing USPS postage:
Print:
- Services like Stamps.com or Endicia allow home/office postage printing using special label stock
- Monthly subscriptions provide access to discounts & printing software
- Only for high volume mailing needs
Purchase:
- Buy sheets of Forever or specific value stamps at Post Office
- Use self-service kiosks to conveniently purchase stamp booklets on the spot
- Pay by credit/debit card and get stamps printed without waiting in line
I hope this guide has equipped my fellow shoppers with helpful facts about buying real USPS postage online or creating your own stamps. While the ability to fully customize and self-print postage is gone for now, there are still convenient options for accessing stamps using USPS approved channels.
Let me know in the comments if you have any other questions. I‘m happy to lend my expertise to help shoppers save time and money while still following postal regulations around postage.
