Systems and methods which provide parasitic postage indicia comprising thin indicium information and corresponding postage indicium data are shown. The thin indicium information may be disposed in a mail scan block in parasitism for use in identifying the corresponding postage indicium data. This thin indicium information may comprise one or more pieces of information configured to be carried within a structure of a mail scan block present on a mail item and which uniquely or substantially uniquely identifies a postage indicium data packet comprised of postage indicium data. The postage indicium data may be generated as proof of payment for postal services and stored for access using the thin indicium information. As a mail item is processed a mail scan block thereon may be scanned and the thin indicium information extracted for identifying a corresponding postage indicium data packet for proof of payment for postal services.

In certain embodiments, reduction of delay related to postage indicia dispensing may be facilitated. In some embodiments, a postage distributor system may retrieve indicia data representing postage indicia from a postage provider system associated with a postage provider. The postage distributor system may store the indicia data representing the postage indicia at a storage system of the postage distributor system. The postage distributor system may receive, via a user device, a request to purchase one or more indicia subsequent to the storage of the indicia data representing the postage indicia at the storage system. The postage distributor system may provide indicia data representing the requested indicia to the user device from the indicia data representing the postage indicia. In some embodiments, the postage distributor system's receipt of the request and providing of the indicia data representing the requested indicia occur during a downtime period of the postage provider system.

Systems described herein for controlling, requesting, and coordinating the creation and generation of labels can be a label broker, providing a centralized location for storing label information created by various entities, and managing the requests for generation of physical labels coming from various sources and entities.

Embodiments of the invention involve an integrated thermal printer with a scale that is connected to a computer. The computer is connected to a web server that is authorized by a government postal agency, e.g. the USPS, to issue postage.

Systems and techniques are provided that allow for efficient and simple provision of reprint indicia, refund requests and refunds for erroneous or damaged indicia, and combinations thereof, without the technical and administrative overhead common to conventional postage systems.

Aspects of the technology described herein provide a pre-printed postage. As an initial step, the pre-printed postage is printed on a media, such as an envelope or sticker. Each instance of pre-printed postage comprises a unique identifier encoded in a machine-readable format. Postage is paid for through a payment process. In order to pay for an individual instance of pre-printed postage, the unique identifier encoded in the pre-printed postage needs to be provided to the payment application. At the end of the payment process, a central database is updated to associate the unique identifier with a postal value calculated during payment. When the Postal Service receives an item with pre-printed postage it validates the pre-printed postage and then indicates usage of the pre-printed postage by updating the central database.

Systems, methods, and articles of manufacture for protecting personal data in digital and physical worlds in which the personal data of a networked computing system is used for physical world communications. Preauthorized permissions or rules of a computing system specify how personal data of a first user, as a user that will receive a mailer, can be used by a different, second user to communicate with the first user in the physical world by sending the first user a mailer. The mailer may be a greeting card is generated and includes personal data (such as recipient name and address) to be sent to the receiving user, but the sender is not provided with the receiving user's personal data such that the sending user may not know the receiving user's address or even the receiving user's real name.

A limited-function computing device is provided that allows a user to print postage indicia or other value-bearing items on demand, without requiring the user to log in to or otherwise access specialized software executing on a general-purpose computer.

Systems and methods which prevent or limit access to protected content (e.g., value bearing indicia (VBI)) by a general purpose user interface application (e.g., web browser) are shown. Embodiments implement techniques to avoid displaying protected content by a general purpose user interface application, or displaying protected content during a time in which a user does not have access to particular functions of the general purpose user interface application, to protect the content from various operations, such as repeated printing, electronic copying, etc. Data presentation formatting control in the form of style sheets may be utilized to control access to content. Additionally or alternatively, executable code or an executable object may be implemented within a page or other content to control access to content. Similarly, separate areas, such as windows or pages, may be utilized to control access to content.

A host computer, a plurality of thermal carving machines, and a user terminal are connected to a network. The host computer includes seal image creation means that permits edition of a seal image using the user terminal, site selection means that allows a user to specify one site from a site candidates list, ID issuing means that issues an order ID for identifying the contents of an order, and order information registration means that registers the issued order ID and order information in a database. A control device of the thermal carving machine includes order acceptance means that accepts an order ID input when information on the input order ID is registered in the database, and carving control means that performs seal carving of a stamp based on seal image data associated with the order ID.