This take on Minted was made by undefined from , a member of Minted's community of independent artists.
Custom postage stamps have been discontinued. Discover new ways to make your envelopes personal and as beautiful as what’s inside.
Sadly, custom postage stamps were discontinued in the United States and are no longer available for sale as of June 9th, 2020. If you were able to stock up on your custom stamps, that is great, as they will always hold the value that is printed on them. The 36 cents, 55 cents or 75 cents denomination can be used indefinitely. One should note that since these stamps show a monetary value, and do not have the word ‘forever’, these are not forever stamps. So if the cost of mailing a letter set by the United States Postal Service is raised, you will have to add incremental postage in order to mail your stationery. You can find additional information on costs for postage and a first-class mail letter or postcard on the U.S. post office’s website.
You will always be able to purchase postage stamps from a United States Postal Service office or their online store. With many great designs, this is an easy way to find what you need for your mailings. On the USPS online store, they have their stamps categorized by theme, so you can quickly find a design that suits your invitation suite and style. You can also explore the idea of using vintage stamps as a different way to dress up your envelope. Stamps always maintain the value that is written on them, be it for 1 penny or 49 cents. You just have to place many stamps together to hit or exceed the cost of sending your piece of mail. This can be a very fun creative exercise in putting together a diverse set of stamps. Vintage stamps are available for purchase from a variety of places. In-person, you can often find stamp-collector stalls at flea markets. Online, eBay and Etsy are good places to start. Sometimes large packs of vintage stamps are available from sellers (think 100 stamps for $10-$20), but you won’t be sure what the designs are until you get them. That can be part of the fun and charm! Also, make sure that you are buying vintage stamps that have never been used. They should be marked as “Mint Never Hinged” or “MNH”. If they are marked “used” anywhere, then they will not be valid for placing on your stationery envelope. Don’t be afraid of mixing and matching vintage stamps with modern stamps. The United States Postal Service has many beautiful designs that they are constantly updating that can complement your stationery beautifully.
When most people buy cards, stationery, or invitations, their focus stays on what goes inside the envelope. However, what goes on the outside is just as important. The whole experience of a letter is not complete without considering the envelope and that beautiful first impression it can have on the receiver. Envelopes from Minted can be brought to life in many ways. Whether it is through matching or coordinated free recipient addressing designs, a stunning envelope color with black or white all-script lettering, wax seals, or more, these luxe envelopes will be spotted from a mile away and make the receiver so excited to tear it open.
In the present day, sending snail mail for friendly correspondence is very uncommon. For some people, the only letters they’ll send in a year are holiday cards in December. If most of the physical mail you receive is bills and advertisements, you’re not alone. But it doesn’t have to be this way. You can brighten someone’s day when they see a fun and beautiful envelope poking out of their pile of boring mail. Make your friends and family excited to get snail mail instead of dreading to clean out their mailboxes. The personal touch of a card and cute envelope is an easy way to express your love and friendship to those you care about.
Additionally, owning elegant and sophisticated personalized stationery might encourage you to write more letters. It’s easy to forget that you can send physical mail whenever you want, not just during the holidays or other special occasions. Sending handwritten correspondence is a heartfelt and intimate way of showing someone how much you care about them. Whether you write a letter to a parent, a partner, or a friend who lives abroad, the person to whom you write will feel touched by the thoughtfulness of your letter – and cute envelopes are often the perfect finishing detail.
When you send something important in the mail, such as a Christmas card, thank you card, moving announcement, or wedding invitation, a strong first impression can bring joy to the receiver. Your recipients will of course see the outside of the envelope before opening your card. Consequently, they will make subconscious conclusions about the whole letter just by looking at the envelope. It’s optimal to make a first impression that will excite them about what’s inside the envelope.
With thousands of unique cards designed by our community of independent artists, you’ll also find coordinating or matching designs for the outside of the envelope. This is a completely free product to add when you also add your mailing addresses into our address assistant tool. Not only is Minted making it easy for you by printing your recipient names and addresses, but we let you also choose the beautiful and chic design the addresses will be printed in. Our address assistant tool will then safely store all your addresses until the next time you need to send correspondence.
Minted now has twelve gorgeous envelope colors to choose from when customizing your stationery. These colors include Ruby, Emerald, Aubergine, Spruce, Black, Navy, Charcoal, Antique Rose, Grey Mist, and Cloud Blue, White, Silver, and Kraft. Perhaps Antique Rose is the perfect shade of pink for that baby shower you are throwing your best friend. Or navy complements your wedding invitation, and the palette you’ve selected for not only the invitation but the entire weekend of events. Ruby is a brilliant red and emerald a joyous green that would enliven any holiday card sent out to loved ones.
For colored envelopes where an artist-designed multi-color illustration is not an available option, white or black ink all-script addressing is a stunning alternative. These hand-styled fonts come in a range of looks and can suit any stationery, be it a wedding invitation or a holiday card. Choose this look as you go through the customization options of your card and envelope.
Minted artists love designing beautiful matching designs for the front of the envelope, and they do not ignore the back either! Continue to dress up your envelope with matching designs for the return address space on the envelope flap. These designs tend to be smaller and simpler than the recipient envelope designs, but perfect and chic nonetheless.
Every Minted stationery selection on our site will display a recommended coordinating envelope liner. These are pieces of designed or foiled paper that adhere to the inner side of the envelope so that when the recipient opens the flap on the envelope, they first see this liner. It’s a truly fun and unique way to dress up the interior of your envelope. You can select from three foil colors (gold, silver, or rose gold) that come already attached and pre-lined in the envelope. Alternatively, there is a matching liner you can opt to purchase that is designed to perfectly complement the stationery you’ve chosen. Simply peel off the adhesive sticker on the liner and slip it into the inner envelope.
Wax seals are an old tradition that have been brought back to life in the world of stationery. The traditional method of dripping hot wax to seal an envelope closed and pressing a monogrammed stamp in the wax to leave a mark has been reimagined. We now have adhesive wax seals that can be easily thumbed onto envelopes. This new wax seal method still maintains the original timeless appearance. You can easily purchase peel-and-stick wax seals for your envelopes that will ship right with your Minted order. Simply select a color for the seal and a design pattern that will be etched into the wax. Options include imagery of flowers, custom greetings, and even a monogram. You can also visit our partner’s site, Artisaire, to make a custom stamp perfectly suited with your stationery. Wax seals can add a truly remarkable flair to your envelope design.
Another alternative to showcasing your return address is matching or coordinating skinnywrap™ address labels. These long and thin stickers are both fun and eye-catching because they accomplish the job of displaying your return address while also extending a continuous design across the back of your envelope. Most of these return address labels have a fully customizable back panel design as well, be it through the colors, the words, greeting printed, or even adding photos of your children or pets. These are available in thousands of matching or coordinating designs to make that perfect impression on your recipient by decorating your envelope in an elegant or festive way.
Collecting addresses can be tedious, but Minted offers a free service that makes this process incredibly easy. All you have to do is input your recipient’s email address, and hit the ‘send’ button for an email to be sent to them to request their address. They then enter their address in the form provided, and done, their mailing information is part of your Minted online address book! If you are planning a wedding, you can even select a digital address collection card that perfectly matches your wedding invitation stationery. For holiday cards that you send every year, you can go into your online address book and select “Request Update” on any person whose email and mailing address you think may have changed. This will trigger those contacts to confirm their most recent address. No more returned cards! Having all your mailing addresses digitally saved in one spot makes the process of addressing your envelopes with beautiful design easy and free.
With all the above ideas for your outer envelope design, you’ll be sure to make a beautiful first impression, stick out in that stack of mail, and bring a smile to your recipient before they even open the envelope.
We uncover design genius through ongoing design competitions. At Minted, all that matters is good design. Designers submit, and the Minted community votes to tell us what to sell.
