Lithography, Offset, Offset/Litho, Photo/Offset

350th Anniversary of the Greek painter Theotokopulos, better known
as El Greco.

The Disrobing of Christ

Scott 813 Michel 870 1965






When I compare the stamp with the pic of the actual
painting I think of it as a piece of art depicting
a masterpiece of art.

If this stamp were printed in multicolour photogravure it would
be just basically a mirror image of the real painting whereas
this offset/litho stamp interprets it in its own unique way.

The design on most stamps in recent years is just a
photo image of whatever, stuck on a stamp.

Boring, boring. Maybe that's another reason for the lack
of interest in stamp collecting.

Why would you even notice what's on a stamp if its just like
any of the other millions of photo images you see everywhere
all the time.




100th Anniversary of the Cretan revolt against Turkish Rule

Scott 852 Michel 907 1966


Look at expression on this Cretan chieftains head and his beard.

All done with only a few lines.

(West) Germany also started issuing multicolour offset/litho
stamps in the late fifties, early sixties.

Again, just like the Greek ones shown in the last two previous posts
notice the solid colours, no screening whatsoever.

Both of these are part of a set of 12 showing State (Länder) capitals.

Printer: Schwann-Bagel

Scott 873 Michel 420 1964

Wiesbaden




Scott 876 Michel 423 1964

Düsseldorf

(West) Germany again, this time the printer was the
Federal Printer (Bundesdruckerei) in (West) Berlin.

FIP Congress 1966

Scott B416, B417 Michel 516, 517








Semi - postal for Youth charities.

Scott B425 Michel 532 1967

By the late sixties, early seventies changes were appearing in
offset multicolour stamp printing, particularly with
Canadian stamps.

Beginning in 1968 Canada Post added a new printer (British American Bank Note)
to compete with the existing Canadian Bank Note Co.
to bring more variety and colour to Canadian stamps.

Ashton Potter was also put under contract in 1970.

Halftone screening allowed for a wider use of colour and more realistic images.

But instead of more or less uniform dots as in photogravure the offset
process was composed of a rosette type pattern.

It reminded me of the printing in colour comic books.
Coarse, crude, not very sharp details.

Here are a few examples from the 3 security printers
working for the Canada Post Office Department at that time.

Printer : Canadian Bank Note Co., Ottawa

Christmas 1970

Scott 529




Printer: Ashton Potter Ltd, Toronto

Maple Leaf in Autumn 1971

Scott 537





Printer : British American Bank Note Co., Ottawa

Paul Kane 1971

Scott 553

lithograving - Quote:
"350th Anniversary of the Greek painter Theotokopulos, better known as El Greco. The Disrobing of Christ Michel 870 1965
Images
When I compare the stamp with the pic of the actual painting I think of it as a piece of art depicting a masterpiece of art.
If this stamp were printed in multicolour photogravure it would be just basically a mirror image of the real painting whereas this offset/litho stamp interprets it in its own unique way.
The design on most stamps in recent years is just a photo image of whatever, stuck on a stamp.
Boring, boring. Maybe that's another reason for the lack of interest in stamp collecting. Why would you even notice what's on a stamp if its just like any of the other millions of photo images you see everywhere all the time.

100th Anniversary of the Cretan revolt against Turkish Rule Michel 907 1966
Images
Look at expression on this Cretan chieftains head and his beard. All done with a few lines."


Thank you for your insightful analysis. Most appreciated. Stamps like these are certainly not sterile and tedious.

If looking for the creator of these stamp beauties see e.g.: http://www.acgart.gr/acg-collection...Tass-bio.htm

I agree Florian in that A. Tassos was quite an artist : painter, designer , engraver and
printmaker using woodcutting techniques.

Actually when I look at the Christ stamp again it does
give me the feeling as if it was printed from a wood cut plate.

Thanks for pointing this out.

We did give him a mention in the Collecting by Engraver's thread
on page 19

https://goscf.com/t/9106&whichpage=19#148067

I noticed that by the late 1980's the appearance of stamps
printed offset was constantly improving at least those
of some countries' printers.

Canada Post during the last 20 years has contracted out
stamp production to the Canadian Bank Note Co, Ashton Potter
(in it's various forms), Lowe-Martin (starting in 2002) and for
about a year in 1994 Leigh-Mardon Pty the Australian
printer who went bankrupt in 1995.

They are/were all fine printers although I
find Lowe-Martin's stamps of the highest quality.

In the last decade or so I have a hard job differentiating
between offset and photogravure.
Actually I believe that photo/offset now prints colours
just as lively and bright as photogravure and the details
are even sharper.

Here is one recent example from Lowe-Martin using a
Heidelberg offset sheet fed press.

Canada Regiments 2012
Scott 2577




Look at the detail

I needed some stamps to mail Valentine cards so I decided
to get a booklet of the Canada Pride definitives
which are excactly the same design as the ones issued
last January except the denomination is now 63c instead of
Permanent.

(I'm sure most Canadian members know all this but many
non-Canadian might not)

These stamps were printed by the Canadian Bank Note Co
on a 6 colour Heidelberg sheet fed press.

Print quality is top-notch. Only 4 colours were used,just
basic CMYK colour process compared to the seven colours
used to print the previous Regiments SS.

Here are 3 of the 5 in the booklet
They all include micro-printing

Scott 2693




Scott 2695




Scott 2696

Lithograving,

since around 1990 you will find offset-litho printings with stochastic screens. The recent Lowe-Martin products are typical - at least for us here with Dutch stamps printed in Canada!

The stochastically screened offset-litho should be divided in two groups:

- the fake stochastics - at first glance it looks like a stochastic screen but when you look closer you see a cross-lines pattern: all early Australians, Danish stamps
- the real thing: more recent Australians, Canadians, etc.

Lithograving,

The Canadian examples above are with a stochastic screen!

groetjes, Rein

The first fake stochastic screens in Australia, in 1996:




take a good look at the screens!

Denmark Post Office Printers:





Fake stochastics!

German State Printers:





And the real thing!


Swiss Post Office Printer:

Rein, thanks for your input as always.

I still don't understand what is meant by stochastic screens.
Wether real or fake.


From the stamps you show, on the Danish one I do see the criss cross
pattern and the German Bundesdruckerei stamp is similar.

The Luxembourg one even though offset looks more like
photogravure looking at the blotchy solid colours.

Appearance wise I prefer the 2 fake stochastics over your real fake stochastic.

None of the three come even close to the colours and sharpness of
detail to the Canadian ones. IMHO.

So LM is printing stamps for the Netherlands now?
How long? Which ones?

I've known that Lowe-Martin prints many of the UN stamps lately
but wasn't aware of any other.

But nowadays its getting more and more difficult in keeping
track of who prints what for whom with all the printers
going out of business or being taken over by larger
companies.

We should start a new thread about which printers have disappeared
in the last decade or so and from the current ones a list
of all the postal agencies they print stamps for.