Also, shop the graduation center for everything you will need for that big new job or your first day on campus at a new school (have you seen our cool profile cards?!).

(Permalink)

There are three top prizes:

• Grand Prize: The Washington D.C. trip and your photo stamps in the Smithsonian
• First Runner Up: Canon PowerShot digital camera
• Second Runner Up: $250 gift certificate for photo stamps

Place your order for photo stamps now and be automatically entered to win!

Also, you have a chance every month to win and become a finalist for the big prizes! Monthly winners get a special commemorative unique framed custom set of photo stamps using your finalist image.

How's that for a little push to get you to create some personalized postage stamps! I think it's pretty cool!

Here's one of the winners from last year:

So get to it! Click here to get your own photo stamps and get in the contest!

Shop for your photo stamps by clicking here.

These are neat! Real, actual postage you make yourself from any digital photo! You upload your photo at the photo stamps site, tweak your design, and place your order.

Packaged in sheets of 20 stamps, they arrive in a few days. And you'll notice they're quite large compared to regular stamps. And these personalized postage stamps are actually stick on labels.

I'll be writing more about photo postage stamps on this blog. For now, here's another blog with more information about photo stamps.

Postcard Requirements
It's become popular to send save-the-date postcards and RSVP postcards because they save on postage.
To qualify for the 27¢ postcard rate:
Minimum Size is 3.5"x5" / Maximum Size is 4.25"x6"

Invitations (and other items sent in envelopes)
1-oz. 42¢ rate:
Minimum size is 3.5"x5" / Maximum size of 6.125"x11.5"
Entire package must weigh 1 ounce or less. (Weigh the invitation set right before mailing if it's close, especially in humid areas, as humidity can tip the scales on something already very very close to 1 oz.).

2-oz 59¢ rate:
Same size requirements as 1-oz rate, but can weigh up to 2 oz.

3-oz 76¢ rate:
Same size requirements as 1-oz rate, but can weigh up to 3 oz.

3.5-oz 93¢ rate:
Same size requirements as 1-oz rate, but can weigh up to 3.5 oz.

Larger-Sized Invitations - 80¢ and up
Sizes from 6.125"x12" to 11.5"x15" need "Large Envelope" postage, which starts at 80¢ for 1 0z.

Square Envelopes - Any Size
It's not hip to be square if you're on a tight budget!
Automatically add 17¢ to the postage determined by weight for square envelopes.

Thick Invitation Sets
Envelopes up to 1/4" thick qualify for the standard rates listed above.
If embelishments or bows or special packaging make your invitation more than 1/4" thick
(they will measure if it looks close!), you move into package rates. Ask for rates at your post office.

My biggest suggestion: if you have any doubts about how much postage you need, take your invitations to the post office to be weighed BEFORE buying and applying your stamps.

Second-biggest suggestion: Have your invitations hand-cancelled to ensure they arrive in your guest's hands looking their best. Postal machines can bend, tear, smear and smudge that beautiful package before anyone else gets to see it! I've heard that not all post offices will hand-cancel, so call around before heading out to mail them.

Postage = Fun?
The most interesting thing you can do with postage is to order custom stamps. Any image or piece of artwork can be turned into a stamp that coordinates with your invitation. It's a great alternative to the "Love" stamps that only match if you happen to have pastels in your invitation color scheme.
Right now at Custom Paper Works, custom stamp artwork is free if you've ordered your invitations from me. That doesn't include the actual cost of postage though, so check both stamps.com and zazzle.com for pricing, because they do cost more beyond the postage charge, depending on the quantity you need.