Spanish double impression stamp: double print, kiss print or simply overinked?
Here’s something that will hopefully cause some debate. Is this double impression on a Spanish stamp caused by a double print, kiss print or simply overinking?
Spain 1976. Royal visit to American continent. Michel # 2226
And here’s a close-up showing more precise details of doubled impression on top inscription:
A close-up showing the doubled impression
A kiss print (also known as slurred print) occurs when the printing face of a sheet comes into contact with the printing plate prematurely and gets an amount of ink (and therefore design) on it.
A double print on the other hand is a printers error that occurs when a sheet of stamps is passed twice (or more) through the press by accident.
And overinking…Well, it simply means that during the print process there has been so much ink in use that some of it has bleeded to areas where it should not be.
So each and everyone of the above reasons can lead to something that looks a doubled impression on a stamp. Personally I’d believe this stamp is a result of kiss print, but what say You dear readers?
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Hi everyone;
I think this is caused by improper handling/drying of ink. The press web sheet touched a surface before it was fully dry and caused this smear. In other words, just sloppy printing job.
Ken Tall Pines
I wonder if the Block of the print where the stamp was printed off was loose and had some movement in it,or the stamp didnt come away from the block quickly and moved causing tne double to appear as a shadow.
Cath.
Hi Cath;
That’s a good question, and it’s nice to know that some collectors are interested in the technical details of how stamps are produced. If you live in an area where there are large printing companies, visit one. Tell them you are a stamp collector, and are interested in how things are printed. If you nicely ask for a tour, they would be only too happy to oblige.
Better yet, if you belong to a stamp club, organize a field trip for the whole club. It’s a great way to contribute to your club’s knowledge base, and you will gain an understanding of how stamp errors might occur.
All stamps are printed with a single ‘plate’, with all the impressions of the entire sheet as one big piece of metal plate. There are no individual ‘blocks’ for each image in the sheet. Most stamps that are printed in very large quantities are done on rotary presses, like newspapers. The ‘plate’ would be attached to a large round cylinder, which the paper would have to pass over, and under a pressure roller, to force the paper against the inked plate.
After the stamps are printed they are cut into full sheets and stacked. Usually these sheets would consist of four ‘panes’, of 50-100 subjects. If a dryer failed and the stamps were stacked with wet ink, they could smear. Just like on an ink jet printer, that has a set of flaps to hold the last printed page up off of the stack of completed print-outs.
On older US stamps, if you look on the backs of them, especially the ‘Washington-Franklins’ you may see a light impression in ink. This is from a transfer of damp ink on the sheet below in the stack, attaching itself to the stamp above. This is a fairly common occurrence with older US stamps.
Well gotta get back to sorting this pile of 100,000+ mixed stamps, so I can start listing them.
Ken Tall Pines
Well Ken…cause I live in a remote part of the country, it would be difficult for me to have access to one of those factories…instead, I prefer to read the comments that you kindly offer us and enjoy a nice sip on my couch, so…please keep going on with such interesting dissertations and then probably we can defeat Keijo…L O L ! !
@Fred… Actually few weeks back I was at one of the major printing houses of Finland (doing work related stuff). I had a nice guided tour at their premises (including the penthouse garden). That said, AFAIK stamps are no longer printed at all in Finland, and I fear a lot of smaller European countries have followed the same path.
Hey Keijo…! pls translate: AFAIK (?) and what they get print there?…money and official papers?… I suppose so!
Stamps are made on bulky amounts call ‘omnibus’ for 50 or more clients at the same time and then only change the name of the country…is a good way of saving money thou!…and get the complete revenue!!! L O L!
@Fred…
AFAIK – As Far As I Know
What they print in Finland? Newspapers, magazines etc. Stamps, money etc. “security printing” happens these days fully in Europe. Enschedé (NL), Bundesdruckerei (DE) and De La Rue (UK) are likely the 3 biggest names.
Good pun with omnibus sets