Patent ID: 7483956

Claim:
A method comprising: receiving by an e-mail application an e-mail from a client, wherein the e-mail comprises at least one recipient identifier, wherein the at least one recipient identifier identifies an intended recipient of the e-mail; determining by the e-mail application whether each recipient identifier including the at least one recipient identifier in the e-mail that identifies the intended recipient of the e-mail comprises an e-mail address; in response to the determining, for the each recipient identifier in the e-mail: if a recipient identifier does not comprise an e-mail address, removing the recipient identifier that does not comprise an e-mail address from the e-mail, printing the e-mail, printing postage on an envelop, printing a street address associated with the recipient identifier on the envelop, and subtracting a cost of the postage from an account associated with an originator of the e-mail; and if a recipient identifier does comprise an e-mail address, retaining the recipient identifier comprising the e-mail address in the email; wherein the removing, the printing of the postage, the printing of the street address, the subtracting, and the retaining are performed by the email application; and sending by the e-mail application the e-mail to recipient identifiers retained in the e-mail if any recipient identifier comprising an e-mail address is retained in the e-mail after the determining and the removing.