From Me To You stamp for National Card and Letter Writing Month

A simple new forever stamp with a hard-to-miss message will be offered by the United States Postal Service beginning April 1.

The stamp is called From Me To You, and the design features only those four words stacked in block letters on a white background.

The stamp pane margins are decorated with cheery phrases and symbols that can be used to add a personalized message to a mailed card or letter.

Each word in the stamp vignette appears in one of two sizes, either small or large, and each is printed in a different color.

The words “From” and “To” are small, while “Me” and “You” are larger.

At the bottom of the stamp is “Forever.USA” printed in small text. The 2015 year date reads down in the upper right corner.

The outer margins of the pane of 20 stamps contain what the Postal Service describes as “self-adhe­sive labels and decals in bright jewel tones and primary colors to be used to embellish envelopes, letters, and greeting cards with a personal touch.”

The messages printed on the 11 labels across the top of the pane are “Thank You” (twice), “Get Well Soon,” “With Love,” “Congrats” (twice), “Happy Birthday” (twice), “Miss you” (twice), and “Hello.”

“Decorative decals include hearts, envelopes, flowers, mailboxes, and a kiss (red lips),” the Postal Service notes.

The stamps are being issued in conjunction with April’s designation as National Card and Letter Writing Month.

“This issuance celebrates the personal connections we make through the mail,” according to the USPS.

The stamp artist is Michael Osborne, whose earlier designs for the Postal Service include the 37¢ Love Candy Hearts stamp issued in 2004 (Scott 3833) and the two Wedding Flowers stamps issued in 2013 (4764-4765).

The Postal Service had 45 million stamps printed, or 2.25 million panes of 20.

This stamp is also available in uncut press sheets of 120 stamps for $58.80. The Postal Service printed 500 sheets with the die cuts that separate individual stamps, and 1,500 without die cuts.

The Postal Service is also offering two uncacheted first-day covers: one with a black four-bar First Day of Issue postmark, and the other with a digital color postmark that includes the phrase “From Me To You” and shows small symbols similar to those on the stamp pane margins.

The technical details and first-day cancel ordering information for the From Me To You stamp are as follows:

Nondenominated (49¢) From Me To You forever stamp

FIRST DAY— April 1, 2015; city— Washington, D.C., and nationwide.

DESIGN: artist, designer and typographer— Michael Osborne, Palo Alto, Calif.; art director— Ethel Kessler, Bethesda, Md.; modeler— Joseph Sheeran.
PRINTING: process— offset; printer and processor— Ashton Potter USA Ltd., Williamsville, N.Y.; press— Muller A76; inks— Pantone Matching System 638C blue, PMS 7440C purple, PMS 368C green, PMS 3258C turquoise, PMS 1795C red, PMS 702C pink, PMS 144C orange; paper— nonphosphored type III, block tagging; gum— self-adhesive; issue quantity— 45 million stamps; format— pane of 20, from 240-subject cylinders; size— 0.77 inches by 1.05 inches (image); 0.91 inches by 1.19 inches (overall); 5.55 inches by 6.91 inches (full pane); plate numbers— “P” followed by five single digits; marginal markings— plate numbers in one corner, multiple labels with printed greetings or symbols (front); “©2014 USPS,” USPS logo, plate position diagram, two bar codes 473000, promotional text, vector artwork, verso text (back); USPS item No.— 473040.

First-day cancel ordering information
Standard ordering instructions apply. Collectors requesting first-day cancels are encouraged to purchase their own stamps and affix them to envelopes. The first-day cover envelopes should be addressed for return (a removable label may be used), and mailed in a larger envelope addressed to From Me To You Stamp, Special Events, Box 92282, Washington, DC 20090-2282. Requests for first-day cancels must be postmarked by June 1.

The Postal Service’s uncacheted first-day cover for the From Me To You stamp is item No. 473016 at 93¢. USPS order numbers for stamps and FDCs also appear in Linn’s 2015 U.S. Stamp Program.

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