Where Stamps are Made in the USA

Postage stamps have long been enjoyed by people needing to mail letters and bills. Businesses nowadays tend to use postage meters verses stamps. People with computers at home can purchase postage from the United States Postage Service. Then it is just a matter of printing it, applying it to the envelope, and dropping it into a mailbox. The use of computers with email and instant messaging has reduced the use of the postage system, but stamps continue to be valued by collectors. Most people that have used postage stamps never had the thought cross their mind to wonder where they are made.

The Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee is the group that decides when a stamp is to be made in the United States. The Committee works with people from the Postal Service to select from a wide assortment of stamp ideas. Once the decision is made on what stamp will be produced the next step is to either have the Bureau of Engraving and Printing do the job or an outside business source. There are currently about fifteen companies within the United States that are regularly hired to produce postage stamps. If the volume of postage stamps is large the Bureau and another company may both create the stamps to meet the demand.

The Bureau of Engraving and Printing was the first business to print stamps for use by Americans. Due to their ability to hire artists and engravers needed to create stamps, much like they had done in the use of American currency, the choice of this Bureau was obvious.