Hibrite Paper - What Is It

Sorry if this is a bit long with a lot of questions but I am quite confused about this.

I know what Hibrite is as described in Unitrade it is just that I do not understand how or why it came to be used on parts of such a wide range of issues.

I have always considered the various fluorescent papers of Canadian stamps from the mid QE2 period as just accidents of the paper making process and something that was not of any interest to the printers. Either the fluorescence was picked up from the materials that went into the pulp or as an optical brightener added to the pulp so the paper matches a specific whiteness specification.

However Hibrite paper is so fluorescent that it appears to be totally different. I could understand it if the printer deliberately chose to use this for a whole issue of stamps, if for example it gave a superior printing, but do not see why it appears to have been used more or less at random over a long period of time. Why would the printer choose to use Hibrite paper for just part of a print run.

It would appear that for the printer any batch of paper would do so long as it met their specification and this specification made no reference to fluorescence. Did they just use the next batch from the paper maker Hibrite or not. Was Hibrite even made by the same paper maker.

In that case does Hibrite become just another accident of the process with no real philatelic significance. Unlike a change in perforation or a deliberate change in paper maker as in the later issues.

Why would the paper manufacture even make Hibrite if it was not required by the printer as it presumably cost more than regular paper? Optical brighteners are expensive to use in papermaking.

Is there any literature that covers these points?. I have not been able to find any yet as and as you can probably tell I am somewhat confused.

AQ

Hibrite paper is a paper that has a chemical brightener added to make the paper look whiter. It is used in all types of paper making. Hibrite paper should not add anything to the fluorescence of the paper.
Hibrite paper can be detected here in the States with a Short Wave UV light.
Fluorescence does not react to short wave UV, one needs a Long Wave UV light to detect it.
I do not know if the same is true for Canadian stamps however!

Peter

http://www.nwpl.org/documents/bookr...eb2012.2.pdf

The first mail processing equipment activation experiment using luminescent compounds was conducted in
1959 and 1960 and involved the use of fluorescent compounds, i.e., those that are visible under longwave
ultraviolet light. [Only a few stamps were used in this phase of experimentation and today all of these are
extremely rare.] The results from this experiment were not reliable, however, and attention shifted to the
use of phosphor compounds. Fluorescence, though, still came into play inasmuch as chemical optical
brighteners were added in the manufacture of stamp paper to make it whiter. This is known as "hi-brite"
paper. Some observers may confuse the source of the "glow" of a stamp from that period. A stamp tagged
with phosphor compounds will glow green [ordinary postage] or red [air mail] under shortwave UV light; hibrite
paper will glow bluish white under longwave UV light. Use of High-brite paper was ordered stopped on
December 10, 1964.

[References only U.S. stamps?]

Hi Anthraquinone,

As you make reference to Unitrade's mentioning of Hibrite, then you probably have the Unitrade catalog of Canadian Stamps. If so, then the Introduction of this catalog includes very good descriptions of the 'Tagging' and 'Paper' used for Canadian stamps as well as many other information that a collector of Canadian stamps should be aware of.

www. stamporator .com

You seem to be confused. The optical brighteners in hibrite paper do indeed increase the flourescence of the paper. Hibrite paper shows a strong bluish-white with both my long wave and short wave.

Thanks for the replies.

Two points. Hibrite paper AND modern Canadian tagged stamps react react to both long and short wave UV. These are both a fluorescence phenomenon which is technically different to phosphorescence.

Paper is not naturally fluorescent this can only come from fluorophores being added at some stage either by accident or design.

Although Unitrade goes into much detail about the different grades of paper fluorescence but does not say anything, as far as I can see, about the source of this fluorescence or the reasons for the variation. This strikes me as a major omission given the impact paper fluorescence can have on catalogue values.

Having, over the last few days gone through many journal back issues, I have had my opinion that the different levels of paper fluorescence have nothing to do with stamp production reinforced. I have also come to the conclusion that Hibrite paper falls into the same category as not significant from a philatelic point of view. I still have no understanding as to why it made to be so bright.

It appears that the printers did just use the next available batch of paper provided it met their specification, whatever that was.

I would like to be PROVED wrong about this but so far have seen no information to the contrary.

AQ