Modern Australian Stamp Printers
Saturday, July 19th, 2008: Australia & Dependencies, Printers, Printing ProcessesRichard Breckon. One of the confusing aspects of modern Australian stamps is the large number of printing firms that have been involved in stamp production.
Why Poortman stamps printed on the Wifag press are shorter than those from the Stickney press
Wednesday, July 9th, 2008: Belgium, Printers, Printing ProcessesMichael Barden. The engraved portion (effigy) of stamps printed from the new Swiss Wifag press in 1951 were soon observed to be some 0.4 - 0.5 mm shorter than those previously printed using the old US made Stickney press. Notwithstanding the ...
Blind Stamp
Saturday, July 5th, 2008: Glossary, Printing ProcessesAn extra unprinted area of paper of stamp size left between two other stamps or between a stamp and the sheet margin. This was necessary in certain combinations of printing format and paper/perforation layouts. A somewhat risky practice, since it ...
Stamps of Thailand (Siam): The First Issues (1883)
Thursday, June 26th, 2008: Asia, Classic Stamps, First Issues, Printers, Printing Processes, Siam, Stamp Profiles, Thailand, WaterlowThailand’s first postage stamps appeared in August 1883, Waterlow and Sons recess-printing printing different designs and using different colours to denote the values: solot (½ att), att, sio (2 atts), sik (4 atts) and salung (6 atts).
The New York Exhibition (1913)
Tuesday, June 24th, 2008: Editor's Choice, Exhibitions, Printers, Printing Processes, United StatesThe following account of the first New York Stamp Exhibition was written by Fred J Melville and originally published in The Postage Stamp (1913). Today has proved a great day for American philately. The International Philatelic Exhibition opening in New ...
Stamps of Thailand: UNICEF Issue (1964)
Thursday, June 12th, 2008: Asia, Printers, Printing Processes, Stamp Profiles, Thailand, Topicals or Thematics, UNICEFThe seventeenth anniversary of UNICEF was marked by 50 satangs and 2 baht stamps, issued in January 1964. The stamps reproduced the mother and child emblem of UNICEF and were designed and printed in photogravure by the Japanese Government Printing Bureau, ...
Printer’s Type on Stamps (1893)
Monday, June 9th, 2008: "Stanley Gibbons Monthly Journal", Nostalgia, Philatelic Publications, Printing ProcessesThe following article was first published in Stanley Gibbons Monthly Journal (December, 1893) and it stands as a interesting window into the history of typesetting. Many of the fonts described are now known by other names. In describing the inscriptions, or ...
Stamps of Haiti: The First Issues (1881-91)
Monday, June 2nd, 2008: Classic Stamps, First Issues, Haiti, Printers, Printing Processes, Surcharges, West IndiesHaiti’s first stamps, depicting the head of Liberty, were typographed from electrotypes, made from a die engraved on wood.
Botswana: 10th Anniversary of Independence (1976)
Monday, June 2nd, 2008: Africa, Botswana, Printing Processes, Stamp ProfilesThe five Independence stamps, issued September 30, 1976, are sand grained, sand being the name of the texture and they are, quite probably, the first stamps with a texture since the United States of America issued stamps with an embossed ...
Pair
Sunday, May 4th, 2008: Glossary, Printing ProcessesTwo stamps still joined together either horizontally or vertically. If the sheet gutter runs between, they are known as a gutter pair.
Double Prints and Blurred Impressions in Recess-printed Stamps
Thursday, May 1st, 2008: Printing ProcessesGordon Piper. This article from the Philatelic Database archives was first published in the Philatelic Journal of Great Britain April 1936 and read before the City of London Philatelic Society on 2nd March, 1936. It was awarded the “E H. Brandt” ...
Millésime
Monday, April 21st, 2008: France & Colonies, Glossary, Printing ProcessesMarginal marking in use between 1876 and 1826 on sheets of French stamps to indicate the year of printing. A Millésime pair indicates a gutter pair with the millésime printed on the gutter margin between the two stamps. Their use ...
Ribbed Gum
Friday, April 18th, 2008: Glossary, Printing ProcessesGummed paper tends to curl and therefore certain stamps have been printed with the gum applied in narrow parallel bands, in order to counteract this curling tendency.
Key Plate
Friday, April 11th, 2008: Glossary, Printing ProcessesIn stamps having the same design on all values and printed from two plates. The key plate prints the general or common part of the design, having space for the duty plate to print in the value. Also known as ...
Head Plate
Monday, April 7th, 2008: Glossary, Printing ProcessesWhere more than one plate is required to print the stamp, the head plate is that which prints the portrait. The part of the design including the value is printed by the duty plate.
Interspace
Sunday, April 6th, 2008: Glossary, Printing ProcessesIn some printing and perforating formats a blind stamp is left between two others or between a stamp and the stamp and the sheet margin.
Moiré
Sunday, April 6th, 2008: Glossary, Printing ProcessesA security device in the form of wavy lines sometimes printed on the backs of stamps.
Gravure
Sunday, April 6th, 2008: Glossary, Printing ProcessesAnother name for photogravure and similar printing processes operated under various trade names.
Belacryl
Wednesday, April 2nd, 2008: Glossary, Printing ProcessesA form of multicoloured litho printing used by De La Rue and Co. Ltd.
Multipositive
Sunday, March 23rd, 2008: Glossary, Printing ProcessesA photographic glass plate used in the production of the printing plate in photogravure printing.