Printing Methods
Also called how a stamp was printed.
Period: 1840 onward
Distinguishes issues that look alike, and separates genuine stamps from forgeries. It needs nothing more than a lens and a fingertip.
What you are looking at
How the ink sits on the paper — raised, flat, screened or impressed.
What to check
- Intaglio (line-engraved, recess): run a fingertip across the design — the ink is raised and you can feel it. Lines are sharp and vary in thickness. The classic method for early and high-value stamps.
- Typography (letterpress, surface printing): ink from a raised plate, and the pressure leaves a slight impression visible on the back of the stamp.
- Lithography: completely flat ink, no texture either side, and lines that are even in width. Common in forgeries of engraved stamps.
- Photogravure: a screen of fine dots visible under a lens, and softer edges. Twentieth century.
- Offset: modern multi-colour, flat, with dot screens in the colour areas.
What it is worth
This does not usually drive value directly. It matters because it identifies which issue a stamp belongs to, and because a lithographed copy of an engraved stamp is a forgery.
Confused with
A stamp that should be engraved and has flat, even ink with no raised feel. This is the commonest single tell for a classic forgery.
Questions about this
How do you identify printing methods?
Intaglio (line-engraved, recess): run a fingertip across the design — the ink is raised and you can feel it. Lines are sharp and vary in thickness. The classic method for early and high-value stamps. Typography (letterpress, surface printing): ink from a raised plate, and the pressure leaves a slight impression visible on the back of the stamp.
Are printing methods valuable?
This does not usually drive value directly. It matters because it identifies which issue a stamp belongs to, and because a lithographed copy of an engraved stamp is a forgery.