Stamps.com sent me several emails advertising that they place customer supplied photos on official U.S. postage stamps. The idea seemed like fun.

I sent them a photo of my daughter, taken some years ago. A copy of this photo did appear on the cover of the Episcopalian magazine. I retouched the photo with Adobe Photoshop to make it appear like a current black and white photo.

Stamps.com decided that the photo was a "vintage" photo. They advised me that they do not accept my photo, as follows:

"You received an email stating that we did not accept your image because it appeared to be a vintage image or from an older era (please see our Terms & Conditions section 3, sub-section B).

We apologize that we were unable to accept your image. We frequently receive vintage or older images that depict notorious or infamous individuals from a different era, and recognizing those individuals in those types of images is difficult for us. Unfortunately, for this category, the actions of a few individuals that violate our Terms & Conditions in order to try to put infamous individuals on PhotoStamps make it impossible for us to accept the majority of images which are totally innocent and harmless.

We would encourage you to order again using a modern photograph or image as the subject of your product. Alternatively, you might consider adding modern picture(s) of the same individual(s) that are depicted in a vintage or older era photograph to the same order so that we may view the individual(s) in a more recent photograph during our image screening process."

In fact, I am prepared to PROVE that my daughter is not "notorious" or even "infamous". Does Stamps.com think that only vintage photos can depict notorious or infamous individuals? Would they print a current photo of Osama Bin Laden?

Unfortunately, it will be impossible for me to take a current photo of my daughter when she was 3 years old, as she in now in her 30's, so I am unable to meet the stamps.com proposal for submitting a current photo. Perhaps they only accept color, digital photos, as film cameras are of that "vintage" category?

The questionable photo? 

The U.S. Postal Service should get a firm that does not discriminate against "vintage" photos. In fact, I even see some pictures on current U.S. Post Office stamp issues that might qualify as "vintage" photos.

I suggest that Stamps.com has failed to provide the promised service. They have stated that they will refund my payment, in due time.