The first feed paid stamps were first introduced in 1840 after the postal reform. The concept was design by James Chalmers & Sir. Rowland Hill, the idea was to be able to send mail through the Kings Mail service. The Penny Black was world's first adhesive postage stamp, before all stamps used glue. The Penny Black was an Intaglio print, the stamp was printed using 11 plates.
There where two adhesive in 1840 the Penny Black & Two penny Blue, the Penny Black could post a letter weighting up to half an ounce while the Two penny Blue could deliver a letter weighting a full ounce. The Penny Black ran from May 1st 1840 & wasn’t official until the 6th of that month, the Black penny stopped a year later.
Stamps have been known to use such printing techniques like Intaglio, Lillo, Offset, & Lithograph. The most common used today print stamp is Offset. Offset printing is where a picture or design is first made chemically on to aluminium or copper plate. Once attached to the printing press the plate is placed into ink and water. While the non-image parts are placed within water, this acts as a “repellent” to the ink so the design will only transferred onto the paper.
The most common print method in the 1850 was Intaglio, this is method is the most time consuming but gives out more detail. This method was later scarped for a less expensive & time consuming method which is the one we used today.
Some of the earlier stamps weren’t multi-coloured until 1854, the world’s first multi-coloured was printed in India by the East India Company. The stamp was of a portrait of Queen Victoria. It was lithograph print; the stamp was printed in two colours blue and red.
The penny black and most other early stamps needed to be separated with a scissors. In 1854 with the invention of perforated stamps that could be rip off each other. They only appeared in England at 1854, it wasn’t until 1857 that the United States started to print them perforated.
There have been many types of stamps designs for different events, the first stamp design to be design for an commemorate propose was issued in 1888 by New South Wales to mark its 100th anniversary. Commemorative stamps today are usually photo base & done digitally.
Stamps in the future look like they’re going to be replaced by a Postage Meter. A Postage Meter is a device that can be used to create evidence of post, this meter can be followed online. Postage Meters act as proof of payment just like an adhesive stamp. The meters have only appeared in Austria, Belgium, France & the USA.
By, Simon Burdall.
Finally saying 'Good-bye'.
12 years ago
