page_title: Postage stamp paper
section_title: Stamp paper varieties
hierarchical_section_title: Postage stamp paper / Stamp paper varieties
caption_attribution_description: English: Latvia SC60 Laid paper
context_page_description: Postage stamp paper is the foundation or substrate of the postage stamp to which the ink for the stamp's design is applied to one side and the adhesive is applied to the other. The paper is not only the foundation of the stamp but it has also been incorporated into the stamp's design, has provided security against fraud and has aided in the automation of the postal delivery system.
  Stamp catalogs like Scott's Standard Postage Stamp Catalog often document the paper the stamp is printed on to describe a stamp's classification. The same stamp design can appear on several kinds of paper. Stamp collectors and philatelists understand that a stamp's paper not only defines a unique stamp but could also mean the difference between an inexpensive stamp from one that is rare and worth more than its common counterpart.
  Making an accurate determination of the stamp's paper may require special tools such as a micrometer to measure the thickness of a stamp, certain fluid chemicals to reveal hidden features, magnifying glasses or loupes to see fine details, digital microscopes to examine the minutest details of the paper or ultraviolet light to illuminate the paper to reveal its glowing aspects.
context_section_description: Philatelically, stamp paper can be partitioned into a few large groups.  The first that is typically encountered in the stamp catalogs describes the texture of the paper, such as wove or laid. Many stamps have been printed with these different paper textures. Other groups can be formed as: Colored paper, safety or security paper and coated paper.
  In a stamp catalog, a stamp's paper is usually identified at the beginning of the issue.  It will also be identified when the paper changes either within the issue or with the next issue.  When colored paper is used for the stamp, the ink colors are listed first and then the paper's color is listed next in italics. Sometimes the paper is described as ordinary, which simply means that the common paper of the period was used.  Coated paper is usually not listed but may be surmised by the printing process used to print the stamp.  For example, photogravure printing yields the best clarity when printed on coated papers.
caption: Vertical laid paper (light and dark lines can be seen in the bottom border)
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