Stamp Color Chip Imagess

Since there seems to be some of discussion over color fairly often I would suggest that everyone get one of these.

(Might be slow to load)

Chip #1

Color Chip #2

Color Chip #3 of 3

Are those chips like what you get in a paint store or do you get them from a stamp supplier?

Donna

[quote]Are those chips like what you get in a paint store{/quote]

No, They are STAMP Colors.

***NOTE*** If you try to print them they WILL NOT be correct unless you have a "CMYK" Color Printer!

Thanks for sharing. Good info. to have handy!

Great Resource!

Might I ask which catalogs follow these "definitions". Does Yvert? Or Gibbons?

I guess, the question is - who created these "Chip Sets"?

I see discrepancies within Scott all the time in between various editions and albums.

Normally, this might be a humorous footnote to stamp collecting, but when many of the earlier varieties in many countries can only be determined by color, it is no longer a laughing matter.

And I believe all the catalogs treat colors differently. I would imagine it wouldn't be that difficult to pull up a stamp in Scott, Gibbons and Yvert/Michel/Edifil/etc. and end up with different color definitions.

There is a thread about a week old that Edwin started about a stamp from Portugal (#771).

He was getting two different color pictures from Scott and...

Gibbons said: greenish black on pink paper
and
Afinsa (Portugese Catalog) said: Salmon Black


I think the complaint about colors has more to do with how the catalogs are not being consistent.

It's just frustrating - that's all.

Of course, experience helps. And so do your charts that you have so generously uploaded!!

Thanks!

Where do you get a set of those?

I've never understood why a reddish-purple shade would be called "lake"

advice from SCF member Ryan on another NG a while ago:

Main Entry: 2 lake
Function: noun
Etymology: French laque lac, from Old Occitan laca, from Arabic lakk --
more at LACQUER
1 a : a purplish red pigment prepared from lac or cochineal
b : any of numerous usually bright translucent organic pigments
composed essentially of a soluble dye absorbed on or combined
with an inorganic carrier
2 : CARMINE 2


I will remember that the lake colour is at litlle bit more purplish than
the carmine one.

Ahhhh - all is clear, thanks Rod.

India again.....

Lac insect (Laccifer lacc)
Lac insect (Laccifer lacc)
Lac is a resinous substance which is secreted by lac insects.

The scientific name of lac insect is Laccifer lacca. It is generally found as a parasite living on the sap of trees like kusum, palas, Ber etc. in the district of Hazaribagh, Ranchi, Palamau and Gaya of Bihar state in India. Lac industry is well-developed in Bihar and a Lac Resarch Institute is located at Namkum near Ranchi. Lac is also produced in W. Bengal, Madhya Pardes, Maharastra, Gujrat and Uttar pardesh of India.

The culture of lac insect on commercial scale by scientific techniques for procurement of lac is known as lac culture.

This one is SG. Most of the "Big Boys" will conform to these reasonably closely.
The biggest problem with the smaller Catalogs is that on early issues they did not "announce the colors" in a press release. So it is up to the Author to decide. Many of the smaller ones have sought to "Correct" the larger General Catalogs.




Most of the bigger stamp supply stores have them. Or, do a net search. Cost is around $40-$50.




Printing Ink colors don't make sense to most of us. I have been told, that most come from the names of the minerals, plants, bugs, where the pigments come from or what they emulate. A few examples: Prussian Blue, Mustard(seed)Yellow, Lavender, cinnamon, lemon Yellow.

Frankly, fascinating. Thanks everyone.
As mother of girls, fashion color names always were interesting. Every
year, subtly different, with a totally different naming conventions.
How else could they
get you to purchase the same item all over again?

Is there anyway to get the scans with full lossless resolution (with a calibrated scanner) ? I am hoping to write a color matching program.

Hi,
I have to agree with you all......... and add..........
- goodness knows how many different mixes were used by all the stamp issuing countries to produce colors of the same name. There are just sooo many shades, and not so many color descriptions.
- the effects of sunlight and other conditions certainly can affect the stamp's color over time. Often its hard to tell if the color shade is due to weathering or the pigment itself.
- I confess that I had to go to the dictionary to determine what some color names represented (i.e. "lake", etc.). Sometimes I think we would be better off with red, green, blue, yellow, etc., and adjectives preceeding them.