Stamps.com Inc. and Microsoft are working to forge tighter integration of Stamps.com's online postage technology with Microsoft's Word software. The enhanced electronic postage printing functionality is currently being tested in the beta version of Microsoft Office 11.

"We collaborated closely with Stamps.com to provide our users with a seamless experience when finding, signing up for, and printing electronic postage directly from Microsoft Word," said Jeff Olund, general manager of Office eServices for Microsoft.

Users who print envelopes using Microsoft Word 11 will be offered the option of checking a box to add electronic postage. When they do so, they will be able to print the address and postage on the envelope in a one-step seamless process powered by Stamps.com, without leaving the Word interface. In addition to easier access to postage, Word will offer automatic calculation of postage rates based on mail class and weight of mail piece.

The company targets its services to small businesses, home offices, and individuals, and currently has partnerships with companies including Auctionwatch, Comp USA, Earthlink, HP, Microsoft, NCR, Office Depot, PayPal and the U.S. Postal Service.

http://www.stamps.com