# Straight Dope on postage rates needed **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 10, 2018, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-dope-on-postage-rates-needed/825919 "2018-12-10T23:14:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 2\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![BwanaBob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bwanabob/32/2985_2.png) [@BwanaBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BwanaBob)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2018, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-dope-on-postage-rates-needed/825919/21 "2018-12-13T15:10:43Z")
Some odd-shaped (square) greeting card manufacturers have been putting a butterfly symbol on the envelope on the spot where the stamp goes. Although you can use any stamp combo that adds up to the non-machineable rate, the post office actually has stamps specifically for this rate and wouldn’t you know it, they have a butterfly on them. With the rates changing in January, a new one is going to be issued showing a California Dogface butterfly. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2024, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-dope-on-postage-rates-needed/825919/22 "2024-11-12T21:12:18Z")
UPDATE: This is tangentially related to the thread about paper sizes which I also just updated. The above link to the USPS mailing template is extinct but here’s an updated one: > **[usps\_letter\_template.pdf](https://www.cod.edu/about/campus-departments/campus-services/pdf/usps_letter_template.pdf)** > > 127.11 KB in response to my original question, what I think happened was that I mailed something printed on cardstock and it was just a little too stiff to meet flexibility guidelines, thereby defaulting to the postcard limit rather than the envelope limit. Lesson learned, use thinner cardstock. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-dope-on-postage-rates-needed/825919.md?page=1)