Printing USPS Postage Stamps

Pitney has been in the postage meter business it seems forever.  They answered the support phone number with no waiting.  This on 17 May just after the USPS rate changes!  A #1 for support.
753207 Mail-Marking Machine, A. H. Pitney, Feb 23, 1904, 101/91 ; 101/236; 101/352.08; 101/367; 101/77; 235/101 - a machine not much bigger than a typewriter that can be used at a table or desk to print postage on envelops on the premises of a business.  The start of the Pitney Bowes business.

This is a thermal roll printer used with your computer that can print either a plain stamp or a double wide stamp that has a pre approved photo.  They say it's a 24 hour email process to get a photo approved. 
This PB printer can be used when connected to a computer or can be setup from the computer then used in stand alone mode.  In stand alone mode there are 3 buttons that can be pre loaded with the value of the stamps (which much be prepaid and downloaded) and 2 buttons to select a photo image (200x225 pixel jpg).
About 200 plain stamps (7.5¢) or 100 photo stamps (15 ¢) per $15 roll.

This is a stand alone ink type printer that can print on up to 1/4" think envelopes or Avery type labels.  It comes with a 5 pound scale that's linked to the printer.  No computer needed.  But an analog telephone line is needed to load postage into the printer. 

Dymo has been making label machines for many years.  The narrow roll type have been used for printing address and return labels for some time.  A modern extension if to now print postage stamps.

They have a number of  postage plans based on your computer and printer using their blank stamp sheets or rolls.
$16/200 roll (8 ¢) or $4/125 sht ( 3.2 ¢) 17 May 2007 sheets out of stock.

PictureItPostage

20 photo stamps per 8.5" x 5.5" sheet (I'm guessing 1.5" x 2.25" for each photo stamp).
$ 17.95 for one sheet including 41 cents for mailing a first class envelope ($9.75 for the blank stamps or 49 cents for each blank stamp).  Other prices for use on post cards or other postage amounts.  Because of the indluded postage not suitable as a general purpose stamp printer.

Winows Standard Plan

Print postage for all package and first class mailing services.  InstaPostage is their stamp printing that's part of the standard plan.  These stamps can be prined on very special sheets in your printer or from very special rolls in a Dymo label printer.

Note that Endicia is the company that sells the labels needed for the DymoStamps system.  You do NOT need to join the Endicia plan to buy the labels for the Dymo turbo 400 printer.  $ 16/200 roll (8 ¢)

The USPS offers a free service that allows you to print a label with postage.  You use your charge card to pay for the postage.  Advantages No monthly fee No special paper or ink needed.  Uses your computer printer on a sheet of 8.5 x 11 paper. The 13 ounce limit for stamps does not apply.  For example you can ship a 10 pound box from your home or business. The USPS will come and collect your package (no need to drive to the post office and stand in line) Disadvantages The software has bugs Can not use for first class mail, only Priority or Express mail Can not use to print stamps, only a label with postage Uses the top half of an 8½ x 11 sheet for the label and the bottom half for your receipt Takes some time on the computer.  Each of the below items is a new web page. sign -in To Address Priority, Flat Rate, Express, etc Shopping Cart Billing Pay & Print Print Verification Windows Printer choice and setup Printable receipt Took about 8 minutes.  Would be faster if multiple items were done toghther. To access Click-N-Ship Depending on how  you have the security options set in Windows XP you may need to  add the following trusted sites into IE. If you get a bunch of Java errors you need to do this. Tools\Internet Options\Security\Trusted Sites\Sites - enter and add: https://ecap-ws-prod.usps.com https://ecap21.usps.com https://sss-web.usps.com You can access the Click-N-Ship page from the main USPS page by clicking on "Print a Label" or if you have computed the postage in the table with the price for the different services there is a link to the right of the price that says "Print a Label" which means print a label with postage. If  you put a value in the box that means you want insurance in that amount.  So if you don't want insurance don't put a value in the box. Near the end of the process there's a check box for Schedule a pickup and the USPS will come and collect your parcel.

At the USPS home page along the top edge there are links for: Find a Zip Code, Calculate Postage, Print a Shipping Label, Schedule a Pickup, Locate a Post Office, Track & Confirm.  So it's clear from these links that the USPS does not offer postage printing.  But that's not the case.  The link to "Print a Shipping Label" does not send you to a web page about the Shipping Assistant PC download  application for printing labels without postage, but instead takes you to the Clik-N-Ship web page about printing postage and a label.  If you have URL display turned on in your browser you can see the link for Print a Shipping Label is: http://www.usps.com/shipping/label.htm?from=home&page=printpostage  so internally this is called PRINT POSTAGE, yet that's not what they tell you.  This is sloppy.  The USPS is like many businesses not clear about what they are doing.  If they were a large publicly traded company with stock I'd be tempted to sell them short.

The USPS has their own service, good for both domestic and international, Priority and Express mail, but neither First Class postage, nor stamps.
When you use the USPS rate calculator on the web page showing the rates for the different options, those options for Priority and Express mail have a link on the right saying "Print Postage" that leads to the Click-N-Ship page (same as link in the title of this paragraph).  Here you can go to a page to register.

I've tried three times to register today and on all three occasions have met with java errors.  My one phone call , after being forwarded to web tech support, was someone how told me what happened could not happen, i.e. that I used my email address as my user name.  So after the call retraced my steps and got the same error, which I emailed to the USPS.  This after noon I really wanted to sign up for this service so picked a user name that's all letters.  I don't know if it's an identical error message, but it's a bunch of java errors.

So for now I can't say much about this service except it seems to have fatal bugs.
  Yet, I've yet to find anything resembling technical support for Click-N-Ship.

The reason for the Java errors may be because you need to add the following trusted sites into IE.
Tools\Internet Options\Security\Trusted Sites\Sites - enter and add:
https://ecap-ws-prod.usps.com
https://ecap21.usps.com
https://sss-web.usps.com

After printing a Click-N-Ship label some comments.
1) It takes a full 8.5x11" sheet of paper for 1 label.  A huge waste of paper! 
2) If you goto the USPS web page for "The Postal Store" and search on Click_N-Ship there is only one item:
Click-N-Ship Self-Adhesive Labels - 25 June 2007 - they don't have any

Item # 841578
Click-N-Ship Self-Adhesive Labels
Price: $9.00

Availability
Back Order
Usually ships in 2 weeks.

Note you get 25 sheets, i.e. 25 lables for $ 9.00 which is 36 cents per label.

Label Universe will sell you 25 sheets of their "LUPOSTSLW10" stick on lables for $ 6.90 (just under 28 cents/label).  But if  you use Click-N-Ship it always takes a full 8.5x11" sheet for each label.

23 May 2007 - The reply from USPS was that IE is not supported and to use Netscape or Firefox.  I tried Netscape 8.1 and was able to register and get to the page where it has your return address info and you can fill out the To address.  Also there's a Batch Shipping mode if you are going to ship the same parcel to a number of different recipients.
Strike # 1.

24 May 2007 - letters sent to Thompson, Fienstein, Boxer and Thompson since Congress oversees the postal service.

25 May 2007 - have a package that would be a good test of the Click-N-Ship.  Tried to use IE6 but got error message.  Tried Netscape 8.1 and also got the same:
"We encountered the following error while processing your label(s):
Error- We are sorry but an unexpected error has occurred during the checkout process. Please try again later." error message.
Strike # 2.
3 June 2007 - It's been 9 days since I sent the email message about not being able to print and still no response.
5 June 2007 - got a call from Mr. Moore who runs the local post office responding to the letter to Thompson.

• He likes delivering the mail to the group of boxes that's about half a mile from my house and doesn't want to let me have the box in front of my house.  Someone else in the local post office had told me that I needed "an act of congress" to get the box moved and now I see that's the case.  There are no postal regulations, no appeal, it's entirely up to what he wants to do.
  
• He admits that it takes at least 3 stamps to get $1.30 in postage.  Pushed the automated machine in the post office that prints labels with postage, but that's not viable for my business needs.
• said he would look into Clip-N-Ship not working and no tech support.  I.e. still have received no response (10 days) on my email query of 25 May.

6 June 2007 no word from USPS as to why Click-N-Ship does not work.

about 18 June 2007 - was able to print a Click-N-Ship label on plain 8.5x11" paper.  Half of the page is the actual lable, so this can only be used on good sized packages, not on smaller items.  The other half of the page is the receipt.  Seems like a huge waste of paper.

about  20 June 2007 - Around 11 am woman from the USPS called about my Java script errors and said something about my computer's Java configuration and was willing to help right then.  But I was very busy and asked her to call back after 2 pm.  She never called back.  It's now 25 June 2007 and I haven't heard anything.

28 June 2007 - The USPS page that defines first class letters as being a minimum of 3.5x5" and a max of 6.125x11.5". The thickness is 0.007 min to 1/4" max.  Therefor  my CD-ROM mailer at 5.5 x 5.5 x 0.112" meets these rules.   Ah, here are the "other" rules:

• It is a square letter
• It is too rigid – does not bend easily
• It has clasps, string, buttons, or similar closure devices
• It has an address parallel to the shorter dimension of the letter
• It contains items such as pens that cause the surface to be uneven
• The length divided by height is less than 1.3 or more than 2.5 (calculate this below)

What they are trying to get at is you need to pay more (17¢) if the letter does not work in their current sorting machines.  But the rules as stated are not very well thought out. 

For example the first and last rules are really the same thing and the first one should just be eliminated or made into an example for the last one.  This is related to the address being parallel to the long dimension or not.  In my opinion they need to fix the machine so it works with the address either way.  I can understand the technology 10 or 20 years ago requiring the address be in a small rectangle in a know orientation, but those days are long gone.

The uneven surface causes the current machines problems.  Again in my opinion they need to improve the machines.

The "too rigid" rule has no meaning.  There's no way to determine if an item meets the rule or does not meet it.  Either they eliminate the rule or replace it with something that can be used.  The airlines came up with a rule for the size of carry on luggage that had wording something like if it can be compressed to fit . . , but the test was the box that you needed to get you bag to go through.  So if they can't come up with a rule that has meaning then they need to describe a testing machine that can be used.

So the problem with my CD-ROM mailer is that it's square.  I can fix that by getting a rectangular envelope.  But it's impossible to comply with the "too rigid" rule because it's undefined.  I.e. it's whatever they say it is.

28 June 2007 - Senator Mike Thompson's office called to follow up on the letter that I sent him and to confirm that the USPS had sent me a letter.
I explained the that letter and call from the local guy did not at all satisfy me.

The more I look at the USPS the worse they get.  I don't claim to be a sooth-sayer or fortune teller.  But I can look at the current state of affairs and extrapolate into the near future.  It's clear to me that a home computer can print either an envelope or any standard Avery mailing label with not only the from and to addresses but also with a postage paid symbol.  This does not require any special inks or the expense of safeguarding stamps. 

19 June 2007 - Senator  Dianne Feinstein sent an email giving me the postal address for the post master.  I'm working on a letter to him now.
Have not heard anything from Senator Barbara Boxer's office.
The Honorable John E. Potter
Postmaster General
U.S. Postal Service
475 L'Enfant Plaza, SW
Washington, D.C.
there was no email address included.

11 July 2007 - when trying to Click-N-Ship a priority label w/postage encountered "Invalid Address" error when using an address that if written by hand would have no problems.  No clue as the the problem or in which box it was located.  I guessed that the building number could not be on the same line as the street name and moved it to line 2 and that fixed the problem.  The largest face of this parcel is 5.5 x 4.5" so the 8.5x5.5 label will need to be wrapped around the box, keeping the bar code flat.

30 July 2007 - A man from the San Francisco USPS office called to confirm that my concerns have been satisified.  NOT.
He said he would look into:

• Why IE is not supported and why the women did not call back after 2 pm about the Java issue - a ladywill call
  
• What the regulations are concerning mailbox in front of house - he will get back to me

The reason for the Java errors may be because you need to add the following trusted sites into IE.
Tools\Internet Options\Security\Trusted Sites\Sites - enter and add:
https://ecap-ws-prod.usps.com
https://ecap21.usps.com
https://sss-web.usps.com
The lady who phoned could not give me anything concrete about what "It is too rigid – does not bend easily" means in regards to a CD and said she would email me some information.
Also mentioned that there's a new rule about parcels over 13 ounces.

29 Dec 2007 - tried to use Click-N-Ship and again got an error message.  A few weeks ago I called the USPS and complained about this problem and they person that answered was supposed to call Hawaii USPS to ask about the address and call me back.   Haven't heard anything.  The error message looks like:

---

	Please fill in the following information:   (* Required Fields)
	We're sorry! We were unable to process your request. Please correct the error(s) indicated below:
	You have entered a non-deliverable Delivery Address. Please verify address, including apartment, suite, etc. Additional assistance is available at Find ZIP Codes.

---

All the  * fields were filled in based on the address provided by my customer and I have no doubt that the package will be delivered, but it's going to cost a drive to the post office and standing in line.  They claim a non-deliverable Delivery Address, yet the package gets delivered, so the Click-N-Ship software has serious problems.

4 Feb 2008 - After one of the above We're sorry! error messages I phoned USPS and found the problem for this one.  It was how the address is divided between the lines.
For example the number and street name are on a line and after that the suite or box number, THIS IS NOT ALLOWED.  The suite or mail station, etc. number needs to be on the next line down.

5 Feb 2008 - Patricia called in response to my letter to the Postmaster General and my congress man and women.  She says there is a 90 and 40 cent stamps that add to $ 1.30.  Also gave me the name and phone number of a Mail Design specialist who was very knowledgable about DVD mailers.  I need to do some homwork on that.  More to come.


7 Feb 2--7 - received an email pointing out the Click-N-Ship does NOT conform the from address.  I.e. if you make an error inputting  your own address and the package needs to come back to you, it may never happen.  It would be so simple to use the same programming code to check both addresses.  But the down side is that doubles the chance of the program saying your address is no good.

Here's a number you will not find on the USPS web page:

Click-N-Ship Phone Support 800-344-7779 Internet Customer Care Click-N-Ship = 2 [part of on hold message: icustomercare@USPS.com  <- not  .gov Technical support is available seven days a week from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. EST at the number below: 1-800-344-7779

I gave up waiting after 15 minutes on hold. 
In the outgoing message they give an email address for support, but with a .com address, not a .gov.  Is that another problem or do they mean it? 
2 days later I got a response to my email with the .com to address with the hours for phone support shown above.

Also it sounds like she is saying "we are experiencing an normal call volume . . . . " or maybe that's just my imagination.

DVD CD-ROM Mailers

USPS 13 Ounce Rule

New 13-Ounce Mail Rule to Take Effect July 30 - you can not use stamps for postage over 13 ounces unless the parcel is taken to a post office counter.  This used to be 16 ounces which was the limit for low cost postal scales.



28 Nov 2007 - This is a one pound box headed for Australia.  It's in my household mail box with the red flag up.  The postman will pickup and deliver it.  Note this requires Stamps.com or an extra $9 to use the USPS Priority Mail print a label with postage.








25 Nov 2007 - Ebay gets it wrong.  Both the on line eBay listing software and the run on your computer Turbo Lister software prohibit using first class mail for packages over 13 ounces.  THIS IS NOT WHAT THE NEW RULE SAYS!  It just says you can't use stamps for packages over 13  oz.  This may explain the high shipping fees I've noticed recently on eBay.  The sellers are being forced to use higher priced methods.

13 Aug 2007 - Tried to print a label w/postage and got error message saying something was wrong with address.  Double checked ZIP using USPS lookup and it was OK.  Tried leaving the ZIP box empty since the program should standardize the address.  Emailed to my customer to confirm the ship to address and it came back exactly like what I had entered.  There's no clue given as to what's wrong.

Flat Rate Boxes

The USPS offers a couple of Flat Rate Boxes.  As the words say you pay a flat rate of $8.95 for either box no matter what it weighs.  There are two boxes:
FRB-1 11-7/8 x 3-3/8 x 13-5/8 inches (546 cubic inches) and FRB-2 11 x 8-1/2 x 5-1/2 (514 cubic inches).   You can get the boxes free at the post office or order them on line and they will be delivered for free.  These can be used in a number of ways.  If it's for personnel use and you're not filling it with lead your local postman may (at his option) collect the box with your other outgoing mail. 

If you are a business and have a bunch of these filled with metal the local postman probably will not collect them.   You can call the local post office and schedule a pickup at which time you will need to pay $13.95 for the trip.  BUT, if you use Click-N-Ship to print the label with $8.95 postage then the program has a provision to schedule a free pickup.

Another postal employee told me that they don't charge for pickups.

The first priority is to fix Click-N Ship.  When it's fixed then:

The USPS should allow Click-N-Ship on all service levels, not just Priority and Express.  Note that Click-N-Ship is only for printing labels with both the return and destination addresses, NOT stamps which require a higher level of security.  They also need to get the label size much smaller than it is now.

The USPS also has a PC download application for just label printing (NO POSTAGE) called Shipping Assistant.  The pdf manual is 198 pages and looks as if it was written by a high school dropout.  No Adobe navigation features other than links to USPS web pages and email addresses.  For more on Acrobat navigation see my web page on how to make a pdf document.  It has it's own phone support number.  I get the feeling that the USPS is just starting on this voyage and is learning as they go.

I was hoping that Shipping Assistant would offer more than Click-N-Ship since it requires not only that it be installed on a PC but also there's a registration process.  After all that work you would think that Shipping Assistant would allow you to print labels for any class of mail with the postage.  But NO  . .  . it has less capability than the on line Click-N-Ship application in terms of postage printing.

I think if you asked many people that work at the USPS they would say that there's a huge benefit to them of having machine readable labels on the items they process.  So if people use Shipping Assistant it helps the USPS.  But the latest postage rate increases coupled with the high gasoline prices means the average guy needs to not stand in a line at the post office.  Shipping Assistant needs to be changed to allow printing postage on any label.

"your order will be sent via HFT Shipping".