Zazzle lets you put your stamp on snail mail

Today's San Jose Merc carries a story about a terrific little company called Zazzle. I'll be ordering some items from the company this week. Zazzle makes customized T-shirts, U.S. postage stamps, posters and other personalized materials.

Zazzle, which fosters a community of digital artists by providing interviews and profiles of the contributors, is an enterprise for the digital age, said Ram Shriram, founder of Sherpalo Ventures and a Zazzle board member.

It is a ``confluence of commerce, community and content,'' he said. The Web site links providers of digital art with those looking to create one-of-a-kind T-shirts and stamps.

``I expect this to be global,'' Shriram said. ``There are lots of great doodlers who can create stuff in China, Africa, Vietnam.''

I'm glad the U.S. Postal Service isn't backing off of this inventive idea. Last September, you may recall, The Smoking Gun used a trial program to print stamps bearing the likeness of executed Soviet spies Ethel and Julius Rosenberg. Postal Service partner Stamps.com announced the following month that we'd no longer be allowed to place images of teens or adults on postage stamps.

Photo Stamps subsequently came up with these restrictions, in part:

To upload, order for print, or otherwise transmit or communicate any material that depicts celebrities or celebrity likenesses, regional, national or international leaders or politicians, current or former world leaders, convicted criminals, or newsworthy, notorious or infamous images and individuals;

Zazzle has its own set of appropriate use guidelines. Again, no celebs, politicians, world leaders, criminals or notorious individuals. Sorry, no Jessica Simpson or Dick Cheney stamps.