The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1912-10-14
POSTAGE STAMPS
The Story of Their Making Is an
Interesting One.
ENGRAVING THE STEEL DIES.

TOW MS DeItcdto WORK IL DoNe AM
the Processes by Which the Design
Are Transferred to the Plates-Print
ing and Cumming the Sheets.
The manufacture of postage stamps
involves process not altogether sim
pie. There is much labor given to the
making of the little waters with which
everybody is so familiar The first
step toward the production of the
stamp is, of course. the engraving OF
the die with which it Is printed Only
steel of the finest quality is used for
the purpose, and upon this the engrav-
ers slowly and laboriously cut line by
line the portrait or the emblem that
the government has selected for the
particular stamp in hand.
Engravers call this die a negative"
for the reason that II Is a reversal OF
the design that the stamp will exhibit
! Upon the completion Of the die
proofs are pulled" Should these
prove satisfactory the die is then
hardened and fixed in the bed of a
DLNSo Va u tdL pphtls hNh "a SltNi
roller whose circumference IS several
times the diameter of the die Is pass
ed over 1t, immense pressure being
applied. so that every line cut on the
surface of the die may be Impressed
upon that OF the roller as many
times as the circumference of the
roller is larger than the area of the
die, The result is that there are re-
produced on the roller four perfect
copies of the die. but copies that are
reversed Engravers call these impress
sions 'positlves."
The next step Is to harden the roller
in order that 1t may give the impress
sions once more. this time to the plate
from which the real printing is to be
obtained. This plate. which is also OF
the finest steel. il of size large |
enough to print a sheet of stamps, |
numbering from 200 to 300. at single /
impression, Great pressure is brought I
TO bear upon the surface of this plare,
once for each stamp In the subsequent
sheet, and then the plate is hardened.
II 1ttiOn ~ VI Npli Sc lAIAL SnAh iillHAtS-
sions are negatives" and that the
prints obtained from them-the stamps
themselves-are ''positives."
1t should be stated at this point that
the reason why the printing is done In
this way instead of from q single die
lies In the fact that such enormous
of stamps are required. Then.
too. the printing could not be done from
the roller. inasmuch as on the roller the
lines are in relief instead of being
Incised" Furthermore. IL would not
DO practicable to employ several dies
)r great number of them engraved
rhe expense would be too great, and
40 two stamps would be absolutely
like.
When the wori1men have obtained
hree satisfactory printing plates these
ire fastened to the bed Of special
lind of printing press. Peculiar care Is
In the process OF linking.
Jpon the starting OF the machinery the |
Irst plate is linked and wiped automat !
cally until the plate fairly shines. This
viping takes away all the ink except ,
hat which clings TO the lines II the
90 or 800 engravings. q
The printers lay over the plate sheet .
( dampened paper. a slight degree of
eat is applied to the plate in order
hat the ink may swell" and then 81
lore pressure is applied. During all :
lis time the second plate has been re- y
Ewing its ink, and subsequently the Ut
lird is brought into action. with the ID
,suit that, although all three plates
re OH the same press, each one Of p
lem is at a given moment undergoing io
different process from its fellows. ee
When the printed sheets have t7e3 ef
'operly dried they are sent to a gum OF
ing machine. In this they are passed II
,tween dry roller on one side and a co
Her moistened with mucilage on the sc
her. From the rollers they emerge
1T side up. on to an endless web that
nveys them through a steam heated
X. vI
From this box they reappear 80 re, A.
i've the perforations. which are made en-
passing the sheets between cylin, ID
r provided with steel pins and cyl IN,
der perforated with holes TO match n ,
e pins. wi
rhe last step in the manufacture of ra,
3 stamp is the pressing of the sheets .v
overcome their tendency TO curl by o.,
lson of the mucilage used. This
essing is accomplished by hydraulic
wer. 9
The stamps are now ready for the 10,
Weekly. C1o
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