Nobody ever called QR codes pretty to look at. But then, nobody has taken QR codes to heart in quite the same way as Chunghwa Post, the postal system of the Republic of China (Taiwan). For Valentine’s Day, the agency has turned the stark black-and-white of these print-leveraging symbols into a palette of pastels with an underlying message of love—a sentiment that’s welcome in the mailbox on any day of the year.

According to Chunghwa Post, young people in Taiwan now widely celebrate the western tradition of Valentine’s Day on February 14. Hoping to attract the younger generation to stamp collecting as well as to encourage letter-writing, Chunghwa Post has released another set of two Valentine’s Day stamps to coincide with the observance in 2011. (The first in this series of stamp sets was issued on February 6, 2007.)

The design of the stamp features a heart formed by a row of perforations, as well as images of roses, presents, hearts, and the word “LOVE” created from pixels. “Through the interaction between the sender and the receiver,” says the postal service, “these stamps convey love and heighten the romantic atmosphere of Valentine’s Day.”

When scanned by a smartphone with software capable of reading QR codes, the NT$5 stamp reveals the message “Happy Valentine’s Day.” The NT$25 stamp says “I Love You” once decoded. According to this blog, some of the stamps will carry special messages, others will have images, and others can be customized to include short videos to loved ones.

The stamps are designed by Jigsaw Puzzle Design Company and offset printed by China Color Printing Co., Ltd. Lovers (and philatelists) can order them from Chunghwa Post here.