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What Are Non-Machinable Stamps?

what are non machinable stamps

Have you ever wondered how the United States Postal Service sorts mail so quickly?

The efficiency of USPS is mostly thanks to its mail sorting machines. These machines run very quickly and can sort up to 36,000 pieces of mail each hour. While they work well with standard-size mail, not all mail can fit into them. In this case, stamps have to be canceled by hand, which takes longer and costs customers more money.

So, let’s find out, ‘what are non-machinable stamps?’

What Is Non-Machinable Mail?

All mail that cannot be processed by a sorting machine is known as non-machinable mail. This is because the mail features an irregular size or shape. The most common example is a square or circular greeting card.

Standard-sized letters

USPS sorting machines are designed to process rectangular mail. The mail has to be at least 5 inches long by 3½ inches high and 0.007 inches thick. The maximum size for machinable mail is 11½ inches long by 6⅛ inches high by ¼ inch thick. 

If the mail you want to send does not meet these criteria, the stamps will have to be hand-canceled. It takes much longer to sort mail by hand compared to using a machine. As a result, customers have to pay a surcharge for non-machinable mail. 

What is the Non-Machinable Surcharge for First-Class Mail?

The standard surcharge for non-machinable first-class mail is thirty cents. This covers the extra time employees have to spend sorting this mail by hand. The surcharge will be automatically added if the letter is too rigid to fit into the sorting machine.  

A surcharge will also be given in the following circumstances:

  • Square envelopes.
  • Envelopes featuring buttons, strings, or clasps.
  • Poly-bagged or poly-wrapped envelopes.
  • Envelopes covered in glossy material.
  • Envelopes with lumpy and uneven contents.

What Are Non-Machinable Stamps?

As the name suggests, non-machinable stamps have been specially created to be attached to non-machinable mail. They save customers the time and trouble of having to line up at their post office branch to send mail. The stamps include the surcharge along with the standard first-class fee. This means you can pop the mail in a regular post box after attaching one of these stamps. 

What Are Non-Machinable Stamps

The cost

A single non-machinable stamp will cost you $0.88. This makes them thirty cents more expensive than regular first-class stamps to cover the surcharge. When you purchase these stamps, they feature the words Non-Machinable Surcharge written on them. 

Use on regular mail

If you have picked up a bundle of non-machinable stamps, you can also use them on machinable mail. However, these stamps are designed to cover the additional surcharge as well as the cost of sending the mail. This means that you will end up paying extra if you use these stamps on regular mail. 

Alternative options 

If you don’t have any non-machinable stamps close to hand, you can use a pair of Forever Stamps. The cost of each Forever Stamp is $0.58, meaning that a pair will set you back $1.16. While this will be enough to cover the surcharge, you will end up paying extra if you choose this option. 

Where To Buy Non-Machinable Stamps?

If you are planning a trip to your local post office branch, you can pick up some of these stamps. The main advantage of purchasing these stamps in person is that you can buy individual pieces. This means that you won’t be stuck with a large number if you only send non-machinable mail occasionally.

Alternatively, you can order these non-machinable stamps from the United States Postal Service website. However, you have to pay out for a sheet of twenty when ordering online. If you want to buy in bulk, you can order hundreds of sheets at a time. However, it should be noted that there is no discount for buying in bulk.

Amazon 

Alternatively, you will find several different designs on the Amazon website. They are sold in sheets of twenty, and placing an order is a quick and easy process. However, you will need to pay a little extra if you order the product through this online retailer. 

Available Designs 

Non-machinable stamps are often referred to as butterfly stamps because they feature colorful butterfly images. They were created in a collaboration between the Greeting Card Association and USPS in 2010. These stamps feature the words Non-Machinable Surcharge and USA printed on them.

These stamps boast vibrant and intricate designs and proved to be an instant hit with collectors. After the launch, greeting card companies started to print a butterfly icon on cards that needed a non-machinable stamp. Let’s take a closer look at the main designs you can choose from.

Available Designs 

Colorado Hairstreak butterfly 

This stamp was issued in September of 2021 and is the eighth non-machinable butterfly stamp in the series. It features a small but vibrant Colorado hairstreak butterfly, which is rendered in dark blue with black edges.

 The image was designed by USPS art director Derry Noyes based on artwork by Tom Engeman. Along with the stamps featured in the Butterfly series, Engeman also illustrated the sixty stamps in the Flags of our Nation series. The stamp art was digitally created and used images of preserved butterflies as the starting point. Rather than being an exact replica, it is a simplified and stylized image.

 Colorado’s State Insect

 USA is printed in red below the butterfly illustration, while NON-MACHINABLE SURCHARGE is printed in a gray line along the bottom. The year 2021 can be found in the upper left corner of the stamp. 

The state of Colorado adopted the Colorado hairstreak butterfly as the state insect in 1996. The butterfly is two inches wide and features purple wings with black borders. It also features blue accents on the undersides of the wings and orange accents in the corners. 

California Dogface Butterfly

This beautiful bright yellow butterfly stamp was released in 2019. The California dogface butterfly is only found in California and was designated the state’s official insect in 1972. While the wings are yellow, the black markings are often said to resemble the face of a poodle. 

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail

This stamp was released for sale throughout the United States in June 2015. It was the fifth non-machinable stamp in the collection and features a highly stylized design. Like other editions, the stamp was created by Derry Noyes from an image by Tom Engeman.

The Eastern tiger swallowtail features distinctive black stripes along the upper surfaces of its wings. These butterflies have long tails on the tips of their back wings that give them a unique shape. The 2015 stamp represents a yellow morph female with blue patterns on the bind wings. 

Eastern Tailed-Blue Butterfly

This non-machinable surcharge rate stamp was issued by USPS in 2016. The Eastern tailed-blue butterfly takes its name from the iridescent blue color of the upper wing surface. These butterflies also feature a short, thread-like tail on each hind wing.

Where Can I Buy My Stamps?

If you’re stocking up on postage, you’ll probably want to find out Does Kroger Sell Stamps The CostDoes Publix Sell Stamps, and Does Walmart Sell Stamps, as well as Does CVS Sell StampsDoes Target Sell Stamps, and Does Walgreens Sell Stamps?

You might also be interested in knowing Do USPS Stamps Expire, along with How Many Stamps Do I Need For A Letter To Canada, or how about Does USPS Print LabelsDoes USPS Have First Class Tracking, or Can You Track A USPS Package Without A Tracking Number for your valuable parcels.

Furthermore, if you’re waiting for a delivery, check out Does USPS Deliver On Sunday and Does USPS Deliver At Night, or perhaps you want to know How To Refuse A Package USPS, what to do when USPS Says Delivered But No Package, and How Long Does USPS Hold Packages in 2023.

Final Thoughts

If you’re planning to send irregular mail, you will have to pay a surcharge to cover the cost of hand-sorting it. One way to do this is to take the mail to your local post office branch and pay the surcharge. However, purchasing non-machinable stamps will save you a lot of time and trouble.

These specially created stamps feature a surcharge built into the price. This allows you to simply pop your mail in a post office box and send it on its way. The stamps come in a range of cool designs, and new designs are released fairly regularly.

Hope your mail gets sorted and arrives safely!

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