Comments on: Storage for worldwide stamp collection (pt2) -pre-printed (commercial) stamp album pages

By: Keijo

Keijo — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 16:36:59 +0000

@Doug… I almost forgot to reply on this (sorry)…

I can’t answer for printed album pages, but as I have printed quite a lot of (business-related) stuff with various types of printers, I do have some experience on this matter.

Yes, it’s possible. But a lot depends on ink/toner, paper, storage conditions and the printer itself. If there’s something fishy with one of these, then transfers become very possible.

Possibly the best advice I can give is don’t even try to be cheapskate, as it backfires. Use original ink/toner, use good quality paper and other storage materials, and put some effort into proper storage (controlling excess heat & humidity & pressure is a must do operation)… If all goes well, then it will likely last till the end of days; at least I haven’t had major issues in 20+ years.

Possibly the only thing you can’t really control is if there’s something quirky with the printer (for example laser printers can use too much/little heat to ‘melt’ the toner into paper).

So the bottom of it all… There’s really no way to say for sure.

By: Doug

Doug — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 20:00:03 +0000

I have a question for those who have printed their own album pages–has anyone had a problem of the toner or ink transfering to the opposite page, or worse, to a mounted stamp? I worry if this will happen with time and pressure.

By: mrprgrmr

mrprgrmr — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 12:23:30 +0000

Just an update. Over my long weekend, I purchased a subscription to Steiner’s site. I started printing some pages on 65 lb. card stock and found that intermixing letter sized paper (8.5 x 11 inch) with Minkus (9.5 x 11.25 inch) was not too upsetting and more feasible than hiring a printer. The only problem is that I like the new pages better than the ones I already have!

I think I may end up slowly migrating many of my stamps to the self printed pages. I already built a small binder for Australia. I had been avoiding an envelope of Australia stamps because I didn’t have any space left on the Minkus pages.

I estimate my production costs are about 10 cents (U.S.) per page for paper plus ink. Maybe not cheaper in the long run but it’s nice that it grows organically with my collection – I’m only printing pages I have stamps for. No empty pages

By: mrprgrmr

mrprgrmr — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 12:27:14 +0000

Thanks.. the local printer might be worth a try. I just got the second binder, so I will be busy for a while. I wanted to make sure I had a plan moving forward before I spend a lot of time on the current format. Sounds like there are enough options that there is no need to change direction now.

By: Keijo

Keijo — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 18:50:19 +0000

@mrprgrmr… eBay has likely got the most volume, but You might want to check out also DelCampe and StampWants (just google for their names, and you’ll find them easily).

Re, pushing the costs further down… You might also want to contact some local printers, and ask how much they would charge for printing of pages (be specific when asking for quotes – state how many pages, paper size and paper type etc). They might give you an offer that’s very competitive. It’s a bit more work though.