If you have Photoshop and a bit of patience, it is easy to roll your own stamp icon for Mail.app.

Thanks to John Godfrey, you can download an icon template in PSD format from his web site.

The zip file contains instructions on how to insert your desired image into the template. It helps if you rotate it about 11.2 degrees counter-clockwise and resize it to a width of about 85-90 pixels.

When the image is ready, you can use a freeware utility like img2icns to convert it into an icon file.

Img2icns has just been updated. The new version (0.3) is a universal binary, handles .tiff files better and is smarter about saving the finished product.

Obviously, you can have an enormous amount of fun playing around with this:

Here, after ten minutes work, are a Cult of Mac icon, a productivity-enhancing Merlin Mann talisman, a Daring Fireball logo and a Leopard stamp, just itching for 10.5 to be released.

The template itself has a small graphical bug in it. The space between the lines in the postmark is not fully transparent. It’s not fatal, but I can’t fix it without wrecking the rest of the image (Photoshop genius that I am). Perhaps you can.

Once your .icns file is ready, you can follow the instructions in an earlier Hawk Wings post to replace Mail.app’s default icon.

So get to it. Post me your coolest work and win the coveted “Hawk Wings Icon of the Week” award.mail.app, apple mail, icon, dock, tips, stamp icons, make your own

Hawk Wings lists 202 different Stamp icons for Mail.app, all free.

I’ve just noticed, though, that it is possible to buy Mail Stamp icons.

The Wacky Pixel company offers some free ones, but also sells complete sets in an online store.

You can pick up a set of 28 musical instrument stamps for USD 3.95, 40 African Safari icons for USD 4.50 or 40 WWII air combat icons for USD 4.50:

Cheaper than real stamps!

You can also order custom icons online using your own images, one for USD 5.50 and three for USD 9.75.mail icons, stamp icons, mail.app, apple mail, icons

I’ve added two things to the Hawk Wings’ Plugin and Addon List:

1. High Priority (menubar management of iCal ToDos) was added to the iCal section.
2. MySync (.Mac syncing without a .Mac account) was added to the Miscellaneous or helpful apps section.

That makes 110 entries.

I also added the “Hot mail” icon to the list of different mail.app stamp icons.