Stamps.com promises to make it easier for you to
pay bills, send out thank-you notes, or communicate with those email-phobic relatives of yours back home. All you need is a PC, a printer, Internet access, some envelopes, some
addresses, and the free software, and you'll be ready to send out piles and piles of chain letters (or anything else that strikes your fancy)!
Once you open your account and download the software, the next step is to purchase
postage using one of the two available plans. The Personal service plan is recommended for
those mailers who send 75 letters or less a month. For higher volume users, a Business
Plan is available. Beyond your postage purchase fee, Stamps.com
charges a convenience fee, 10% for the Business Plan, and $1.99 a month for users of the
Personal Plan. The monthly minimum charge for business users is $3.99, while the minimum
for personal users is $1.99, with a maximum monthly charge of $19.99 for both plans. 
Postage can be purchased 24 hours a day, seven days a week, using a credit card or bank
account. Users can purchase as much postage as they want at a time and keep it in their
account. Convenience charges are charged for postage used only. Users can send letters or
packages First Class, Priority, or Express mail, calculating exact postage using a
built-in-postage calculator.
Internet postage from Stamps.com
is formatted two ways. First, information that is "human-readable" is utilized.
In addition, information is formatted using a 2-dimensional bar code system that includes
the postage amount, destination zip code, date and time, and an authenticity stamp for
Postal verification.
Special features available at Stamps.com
include:
- Compatibility with standard envelopes and printers
- Online address verification and correction
- Integration with commonly used word processing programs
- Customizable envelopes
- Postage calculation
- Express and Priority mail
- High volume mailing efficiency
- 24 hour instant access
Stamps.com features are currently
compatible with the following common word processing programs:
- Word 97, and 2000
- Lotus Word Pro 97, and 2000
- WordPerfect 8.0
- Symantec ACT! 4.0
Stamps.com also supports the
following address books:
- Microsoft Outlook 97, 98, and Outlook Express
- Symantec ACT! 4.0
- Lotus Organizer 5.0, and 6.0
- Windows Address Book
So, if you have a lot of stuff to mail, or just don't have the time to drive down to
the post office to buy stamps, try Stamps.com.
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Let's Play Post Office!