This year marks the 250th anniversary of the official start of our country’s postal system, when the great printer/publisher/inventor/statesman Ben Franklin was hired by the Continental Congress as postmaster general.
Growing up in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, I knew all about his role in creating postal services well before the first shots were fired in the fight for independence. It seems fitting that I thought about that history — and my own — as I drove to Washington D.C. days before the official observation in late July to visit the National Postal Museum for the first time.
Long before I scrutinized mail campaigns on the daily for their marketing and print inspiration and insights, the post office has been a part of my life and, well, all of ours, really.
As a kid, I collected stamps and got to know the nice folks at my local post office and the hobby shop across the street, who educated me on the printing processes behind the mail.
Read the rest of this feature on Printing Impressions.
