How do I distinguish the different printing methods used on the Machins? I appreciate any help with understanding how to tell the difference when viewing the stamps.
Photogravure and, later, gravure use a screen visible as dots. Under magnification, you will see that the coloured area has been made up from dots. This is best visible on the borders of the image, where the colour meets the unprinted area. Lithography has no dots and the outlines are sharp.
Engraving,sometimes used for the higher values, is made up of lines.
This is typical photogravure. Look at the border, the number and the portrait at the top right and notice the dotted pattern or screened appearance of the portrait.
In later gravure done with computers, this becomes sharper, but the lithography is quite different.
This is as difficult as it gets. Ireland 'Gerls.' The red one is photogravure, the turquoise one is lithography. When you look carefully, you will see the right outline on the red stamp has what looks like smears. Also look at the top bar of the '1.' These are the screen dots. The turquoise has running colours, but no dotted-pattern
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Posted 02/19/2022 10:57 am
