The United States Postal Service announced that, effective May 12, the prices of stamps and other services will increase.

While the USPS will be adjusting the costs for their mailing services, the increase in prices for mailing services cannot exceed the rate of inflation from the Consumer Price Index, according to the USPS Web site.

And the USPS announces the price changes 90 days before the change takes place, to better prepare mailers, the site said.

After the increase, First-Class Mail stamp will cost 42 cents, letters weighing two ounces can be stamped for 59 cents and a postcard will cost 27 cents, all these being one-cent increases.

Harrison Brendle, a freshman in the First Year College, said that his family could be affected by the increase.

“Although this probably doesn’t affect me much, I know it affects somebody who uses the mail a lot, like my parents,” Brendle said. “My mom probably writes 15 to 20 letters a month. She sometimes sends bigger packages to family members that use more than one stamp. It adds up.”

Megan Fries, a senior in international studies, said the price increase is understandable.

“Prices of everything go up — it is called inflation,” Fries said. “This is why they came out with the ‘Forever Stamp,’ so people wouldn’t complain next time there was an increase.”

Forever stamps can be bought and used to mail one-ounce first class letters at any time, no matter what stamp prices are.

“You buy them and they are good forever, hence the name, so it doesn’t matter if the price increases of other stamps, you can keep using them,” she said. “But they aren’t cool with designs and such.”