The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1905-05-23
MAKING POSTAGE STAMPS.
They Are Printed Rapidly, But With
Great Care.

manufacture OF postage stamp is the
cutting or engraving Of the die. This
is a piece of steel of the finest quality,
or the polished surface OF which a
man slowly and patiently cuts, line by
line, the portrait or other emblem
which has been adopted for this par
ticular stamp. 4 steel engraving is
what is called an incised plate; that is.
every line which is to show in the
finished print is cut into the surface
instead of being left in relief, as in
wood engraving, says writer in the
Youths Companion.
The die which the engraver cuts is
negative; in other words, reversal
of the design which the stamp will
show. The reason for this soon be-
comes apparent.
When the die is finished and proofs
show it to be satisfactory, it is har-
dened and fixed in the bed of a pow
erful press. Over it is then passed
steel roller, the circumference of
which is several times-perhaps four
times-the diameter of the die. I'm
mense pressure is applied, so that ev-
ery line on the surface Of the die is
impressed upon the surface of the
roller as many times as the circum-
ference of the roller is larger than the
area of the die. In this way four per-
feet copies of the die are reproduced
on the roller. but reversed. Each of
these impressions is positive.
This roller is now hardened in turn
in order that it may transmit the i'm
pressions once more, this time to the
plate from which the actual printing
is to be made. This plate is also of
steel. The size is sufficient to print a
whole sheet of stamps-from 200 to
,soo-at single impression.
Into the surface of this plate the
impression on the roller is forced by a
great pressure, once for each stamp III
the subsequent sheet. and then the
plate is hardened These impressions
are negatives, so that the prints from
them-the stamps themselves-wlll
be positives.
The reason for all this preliminary
work is most interesting. In the first
place, printing could not be done from
single die. because of the vast guam
titles of stamps required. In the
second place. it could not be done
from the roller, because on that the
lines are in relief instead of being in
cised; and in the third place, it would
not be feasible to have several dies, or
a large number OF them, engraved,
both because the expense would be
prohibitive and because no two would
then be exactly like every other of the
same lot-a great safeguard against
counterfeiting.
When three printing plates have
been made they are all fastened to the
bed of a special printing press. When
the machinery is started the first
plate is linked. then automatically
wiped until it is like a mirror. The
wiping removes all the ink except
what clings in the lines OF the 200 du-
pEcate engravings which dot the STIR
face
Over the plate is laid a sheet Of
damped paper. the plate is slightly
warmed in order to permit the ink tc
swell, and heavy pressure IS applied
Meanwhile the second plate is receiv,
ing its ink. and then third comes into
play, so that although all three are or
the same press each is at a given mo-
ment undergoing different process.
from either OF the other two. Thi:
has wrought great saving OF time
over the old process OF printing BY
hand. When the printed sheets ar
dry they go to the cumming machine
in which they pass between dr.,
roller on one side and one moistenet
with mucilage on the other. From
these rollers they are cast out, we
side up, upon an endless web, which
carries them through steam -hcatet