How to lick higher postage prices

BY ROBERT S. ANTHONY

Monday, May 5th 2008, 4:00 AM

In one week, the price of a stamp will jump a penny to 42 cents, but your computer could help you get around that and other price increases the Postal Service plans.

Among the changes coming next Monday: The cost of mailing a flat 9-by-12-inch brown envelope will rise significantly and Express Mail rates will be based on distance.
But there will be discounts for computer-generated postage. By buying postage online and printing your own stamps and address labels, you can save money on certain types of postage. You can also be precise, creating postage that's the exact price rather than affixing whatever stamps you have handy.

Among the ways to save, Express Mail users will get a 3% discount for using electronic postage. While conventional stamp users will pay $16.50 to ship an Express Mail envelope after May 12, electronic postage users will pay $16.

Priority Mail customers will actually get a rate decrease by going to electronic postage. While stamp users will pay 6% more, electronic postage users will receive discounts resulting in rates that are 2.2% lower, according to the postal service.

Electronic postage is sold by vendors certified by the Postal Service, including Endicia, Pitney Bowes and Stamps.com. All offer software that automatically adjusts to new postal rates and all let you reload your postal accounts online. And all offer postage that qualifies for the discounts.

Dymo, a manufacturer of label printers and hand-driven label makers, offers Dymo Stamps, a simple solution for those who just need basic postal services. The service is managed by Endicia which, like Dymo, is owned by Newell Rubbermaid.

There's no subscription fee for Dymo Stamps. Users pay for postage and rolls of blank stamps ($14.95 for a roll of 200; $139.95 for 10 rolls). Once you load the software, you can calculate and print First Class, Priority Mail, postcard and International Airmail stamps (for up to one ounce), and generate mailing labels, as well.

The service can only be used with one of three compatible Dymo LabelWriter thermal label printers: the 400 Turbo ($139.99), the Twin Turbo ($189.99) or the Duo ($209.99). The LabelWriter Twin Turbo can print two labels at once, allowing you to print address labels and stamps at the same time.

Stamps.com offers a single monthly subscription plan for $17.99 and many of the same services as Endicia, and is also compatible with many printers, labels and forms. Stamps.com offers a starter package that includes $25 in postage, a digital scale and $5 in supplies.

Pitney Bowes has been in the postage business for many of its 88 years. While it still offers the familiar office postage meters, it also offers a number of low-cost home and small business services.

The company's Stamps Expressions-brand printer ($159.99) and postage service lets you design and print your own stamps.

You can use your own digital images or select from a library of graphics. Customer-supplied images have to be approved by Pitney Bowes in order to make sure they comply with postal regulations.

Like Dymo Stamps, using Stamps Expressions postage requires no subscription fee, only the cost of postage and labels. The printer comes with a free digital scale.
If you don't want to deal with any of these companies, the Postal Service offers its Click-N-Ship electronic postage service through usps.com.

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