EXHIBIT 10-17   EDITED VERSION--
               SUBJECT TO CONFIDENTIAL TREATMENT REQUEST

                       ADVERTISING AGREEMENT


     This  Agreement  is  by and between ARTISTIC GREETINGS INCORPORATED, a
Delaware corporation with its principal office at One Komer Center, Elmira,
New York 14902 ("Artistic")  and  VALASSIS COMMUNICATIONS, INC., a Delaware
corporation with an address of 36111  Schoolcraft  Road,  Livonia, Michigan
48150 ("Valassis").

                         R E C I T A L S:

     WHEREAS, the parties hereto, along with Valcheck Company ("Valcheck"),
are parties to an Asset Purchase Agreement of even date herewith,  pursuant
to  which  Artistic is purchasing certain assets of Valcheck, a partnership
of which Valassis  Direct  Response,  Inc.,  a  Delaware  corporation and a
wholly-owned subsidiary of Valassis, is an 80% partner; and

     WHEREAS,  Valcheck  is  engaged  in  the  direct  mail  marketing   of
personalized bank checks ("checks"); and

     WHEREAS,  Valassis currently has long-term contracts for the placement
of advertising in  print  media  with  a total of over 55,000,000 in weekly
circulation; and

     WHEREAS, as a material element of the  transactions contemplated under
the Asset Purchase Agreement, Valassis has agreed  to  grant  Artistic  the
rights to place Artistic's advertising set forth hereinafter, in return for
which Artistic has agreed to pay the consideration set forth hereinafter;

     NOW, THEREFORE, the parties hereto hereby agree as follows:

     1)   RIGHT  OF  FIRST  REFUSAL.Valassis  hereby  grants to Artistic an
exclusive  right of first refusal with respect to the placement  of  weekly
newspaper full-page  "free standing insert" ("FSI") advertising, as well as
in any newspaper supplement  or  similar  advertising in which Valassis has
placement  contracts, in all such circulation  in  which  Valassis  now  or
hereafter during  the  term  of this agreement has placement contracts with
respect to advertising, subject  to Valassis' standard terms and conditions
of such advertising placement.

     2)   EXCLUSIVE PLACEMENT.Valassis  guarantees  Artistic  that  for all
circulation  in which Artistic elects to place FSI advertising pursuant  to
this agreement  for checks, Artistic's advertisements will be the exclusive
check advertising  contained  in that edition of each  publication in which
such advertising is placed.

     3)   ADVERTISING; PRICING.(a)  During  the  term hereof, Valassis 
guarantees to Artistic that Valassis shall use its best efforts
to maintain  the right to place full-page FSI advertising in newspapers 
with weekly circulation of no less than 40,000,000 copies.
     
     (b)  For any FSI advertising placed by Artistic  under this agreement,
Artistic shall pay Valassis the applicable price as set forth in Schedule 1
hereto.  The prices listed in Schedule 1 shall be subject to an increase of
3% annually for each twelve-month year during the term hereof, beginning on
the  first anniversary date of the execution of this Agreement.   Provided,
however,  that  if  the  price  at which Valassis would have sold the space
purchased  by  Artistic  to  a  third  party  drops  materially  below  the
applicable price set forth in Schedule  1  hereto  such that the Schedule 1
price then in effect is uncompetitive, the parties shall  negotiate in good
faith toward a reasonable decrease in the Schedule 1 price  then in effect.
If  the  parties cannot agree on such an adjustment, the Schedule  1  price
then in effect  shall  remain in force.  For any other newspaper supplement
or similar advertising, including, without limitation, ROP and C&D Inserts,
placed by Artistic under this Agreement, Artistic shall pay Valassis market
prices for such products.

     (c)  In addition to  the  payments set forth in Section 3(b) above, in
consideration of the circulation volume offered, the right of first refusal
and  the  advertising  pricing  that   Valassis  is  granting  to  Artistic
hereunder, Artistic agrees to pay Valassis  the  following amounts, whether
or not Artistic elects to place any advertising pursuant to this Agreement:

     PAYMENT DATE:                                      AMOUNT:

Year 1 - Upon execution of this agreement and
the closing of  the transactions contemplated
in the Asset Purchase Agreement
(the "closing date"):                                   $3,000,000

Year 2 - On the first anniversary of the closing date:  $2,000,000

Year 3 - On the second anniversary of the closing date: $2,000,000

Year 4 - On the third anniversary of the closing date:  $2,000,000

Year 5 - On the fourth anniversary of the closing date: $1,000,000


All such payments shall be made by certified check or bank draft payable to
the order of Valassis or as directed by Valassis or  by or wire transfer to
an account designated by Valassis, and shall be made in advance of the year
for which the payment is made, within three business days following the due
date for each such payment.

     4)   TERM; TERMINATION.This agreement shall remain  in effect for five
years  following the date of its execution, subject to earlier  termination
only upon  the  mutual agreement of the parties hereto or in the event of a
material breach of  any  of the terms hereof by either party.  In the event
of a material breach, the  party  alleging  such breach shall promptly give
written notice to the party alleged to have committed  such  breach,  which
notice  shall  describe  with  reasonable detail the breach alleged to have
occurred.  Upon receiving such notice,  the party alleged to have committed
the  breach  shall have 30 days to remedy such  breach  to  the  reasonable
satisfaction of  the non-breaching party, or this agreement shall terminate
at  the end of such  30  day  cure  period  without  further  notice  being
required.   In the event that this agreement is terminated, the obligations
of both parties hereto, including but not limited to Artistic's obligations
to  make  any  further   payments   to  Valassis  hereunder  and  Valassis'
obligations   to   place   advertising  for   Artistic   hereunder,   shall
automatically expire.

     5)   GENERAL.

     (a)  NOTICE.Any notice  required  or  permitted  hereunder shall be in
writing and shall be deemed to have been duly given (i) upon hand delivery,
or (ii) on the third day following delivery to the U.S.  Postal  Service as
certified  mail, return receipt requested and postage prepaid, or (iii)  on
the first day  following delivery to a nationally recognized U.S. overnight
courier service,  fee  prepaid  and return receipt or other confirmation of
delivery  requested,  or  (iv)  when   telecopied   or  sent  by  facsimile
transmission.  Any such notice shall be delivered to a party at its address
first set forth above, or at such other address as may be designated by one
party in a notice given to the other from time to time  in  accordance with
the terms of this paragraph.

     (b)  ASSIGNMENT.  This Agreement may not be assigned in  whole  or  in
part without the written consent of all parties.

     (c)  ENTIRE  AGREEMENT;  AMENDMENT.This  Agreement,  together with all
Schedules  hereto,  contains  the  entire  understanding among the  parties
hereto and supersedes any prior agreements, understandings, discussions, or
writings among the parties with respect to the subject matter hereof.  This
Agreement may only be amended by a written document  signed  by all parties
hereto.   There are no representations, warranties, or obligations  of  any
party not expressly contained herein.

     (d)  WAIVER.No  waiver  by  any  party  of  a  breach  of  any term or
condition of this Agreement by any other party shall be effective unless in
writing  and  duly  executed  by  the  waiving party.  No such waiver shall
constitute a waiver of any subsequent breach  of the same or any other term
or condition of this Agreement.

     (e)  CONSTRUCTION.Should an occasion arise  in which interpretation of
this Agreement becomes necessary, such construction or interpretation shall
not presume that the terms hereof be more strictly  construed  against  one
party by reason of any rule of construction or authorship.

     (f)  DUPLICATE ORIGINALS.This Agreement may be executed in two or more
counterparts,  each  of which shall be deemed an original.  It shall not be
necessary in making proof  of this Agreement to produce or account for more
than one of such counterparts.

     (g)  HEADINGS.The headings  included  herein  are for convenience only
and do not constitute a portion of this Agreement and  shall not be used in
any construction hereof.

     (h)  APPLICABLE LAW; SEVERABILITY.This Agreement shall be governed and
construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New  York  pertaining
to  contracts  made  and  to be wholly performed within such state, without
taking  into  account  conflict  of  laws  principles.   If  any  provision
contained herein is held  to  be invalid or unenforceable, the validity and
enforceability of the remaining provisions shall not in any way be affected
or impaired.

     (i)  JURISDICTION AND VENUE.In  the  event  that any legal proceedings
are commenced in any court with respect to any matter  arising  under  this
Agreement,  the  parties  hereto  specifically  consent  and agree that the
courts of the State of New York and/or the Federal Courts  located  in  the
State  of  New York shall have jurisdiction over each of the parties hereto
and over the  subject  matter of any such proceedings, and the venue of any
such action shall be in  Monroe  County,  New York and/or the U.S. District
Court for the Western District of New York.

     IN WITNESS WHEREOF,  the parties hereto  have  executed this agreement
as of the 30th day of May, 1995.


ARTISTIC GREETINGS INCORPORATED         VALASSIS COMMUNICATIONS, INC.

By: /s/ David C. Lee                    By: /s/ Robert L. Recchia

Title: President and COO                Title:CFO and Treasurer

<PAGE>
SCHEDULE 1

               FSI PRICING
*DENOTES CONFIDENTIAL TREATMENT REQUESTED OF REDACTED INFORMATION

1995 June      $[  ]*
     July      $[  ]*
     August    $[  ]*
     September $[  ]*
     October   $[  ]*
     November  $[  ]*
     December  $[  ]*

1996 January   $[  ]*
     February  $[  ]*
     March     $[  ]*
     April     $[  ]*
     May       $[  ]*