Editing Postage stamp (section)

== Design ==
{{Main|Postage stamp design}}

When the first postage stamps were issued in the 1840s, they followed an almost identical standard in shape, size and general subject matter. They were rectangular in shape. They bore the images of queens, presidents and other political figures. They also depicted the denomination of the postage-paid, and with the exception of the [[United Kingdom]],{{NoteTag|When the [[Universal Postal Union]] began requiring the name of the country on stamps used in the international mails, the United Kingdom, as traditionally being the first country to issue stamps for postage, never put the country name on their stamps.<ref>Miller, Rick (2003) "Refresher Course: Symbols can be useful in identifying stamps" ''Linn's Stamp News'' 10 March 2003, archived [https://web.archive.org/web/20101228105659/http://linns.com/howto/refresher/symbols_20030310/refreshercourse.aspx here] by Internet Archive on 28 December 2010</ref>}} depicted the name of the country from which issued.{{NoteTag|Stamps not intended for international mail, such as postage due stamps, do not need to have the country's name.}} Nearly all early postage stamps depict images of national leaders only.

Soon after the introduction of the postage stamp, other subjects and designs began to appear. Some designs were welcome, others widely criticized. For example, in 1869, the [[United States Postal Service|United States Post Office]] broke the tradition of depicting presidents or other famous historical figures, instead using other subjects including a train and horse.(See: [[1869 Pictorial Issue]].) The change was greeted with general disapproval, and sometimes harsh criticism from the American public.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.uspcs.org/uspcs1869.html| title = The U.S. Philatelic Classics Society| access-date = 31 July 2010| archive-date = 14 May 2011| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110514154008/http://www.uspcs.org/uspcs1869.html| url-status = live}}</ref><ref name="Kenmore">Kenmore Collectors Catalogue, 2010</ref>

=== Perforations ===
{{Main|Postage stamp separation}}
[[File:Perforations US1940 issues-2c.jpg|thumb|Rows of perforations in a sheet of 1940 postage stamps]]
[[File:Stamp UK Penny Red pl148.jpg|thumb|The [[Penny Red]], 1854 issue, the first officially perforated postage stamp]]
[[File:Washington 1857 1st perf-3c.jpg|thumb|The first officially [[Postage stamp separation|perforated]] United States stamp (1857)]]

Perforations are small holes made between individual postage stamps on a sheet of stamps,<ref>{{cite web|title=Glossary of Terms|publisher=American Philatelic Society|date=2017|url=https://stamps.org/Glossary-of-Terms|access-date=7 July 2017|archive-date=7 April 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170407003242/http://stamps.org/Glossary-of-Terms|url-status=live}}</ref> facilitating separation of a desired number of stamps. The resulting frame-like, rippled edge surrounding the separated stamp defines a characteristic meme for the appearance of a postage stamp.

In the first decade of postage stamps' existence (depending on the country), stamps were issued without perforations. Scissors or other cutting mechanisms were required to separate a desired number of stamps from a full sheet. If cutting tools were not used, individual stamps were torn off. This is evidenced by the ragged edges of surviving examples. Mechanically separating stamps from a sheet proved an inconvenience for postal clerks and businesses, both dealing with large numbers of individual stamps on a daily basis. By 1850, methods such as rouletting wheels were being devised in efforts of making stamp separation more convenient, and less time-consuming.<ref name="SNPL-Perforations">{{cite web| url = http://www.postalmuseum.si.edu/museum/1d_Perforation_Machine.html| title = Smithsonian National postal Museum: Early Perforation Machines| access-date = 14 September 2010| archive-date = 25 July 2010| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100725041345/http://www.postalmuseum.si.edu/museum/1d_Perforation_Machine.html| url-status = live}}</ref>

[[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|The United Kingdom]] was the first country to issue postage stamps with perforations. The first machine specifically designed to perforate sheets of postage stamps was invented in London by [[Henry Archer]], an [[Irish people|Irish]] landowner and railroad man from [[Dublin]], Ireland.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ffestiniograilway.co.uk/history1.htm |title=Ffestiniog Railway Co.|access-date=14 September 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070421153313/http://www.ffestiniograilway.co.uk/history1.htm|archive-date=21 April 2007|url-status=dead}}</ref> The 1850 [[Penny Red]]<ref name="SNPL-Perforations"/><ref name="Linn's">{{cite web| url = http://www.linns.com/howto/refresher/perforations_20020701/refreshercourse.aspx| title = Linn's Stamp News, Refresher Course, Janet Klug| access-date = 14 September 2010| archive-date = 30 November 2010| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20101130084028/http://www.linns.com/howto/refresher/perforations_20020701/refreshercourse.aspx| url-status = live}}</ref><ref>Stanley Gibbons Ltd, ''Specialised Stamp Catalogue Volume 1: Queen Victoria'' (8th ed. 1985) p. 207</ref> was the first stamp to be perforated during trial course of Archer's perforating machine. After a period of trial and error and modifications of Archer's invention, new machines based on the principles pioneered by Archer were purchased and in 1854 the United Kingdom postal authorities started continuously issuing perforated postage stamps in the Penny Red and all subsequent designs.

In the United States, the use of postage stamps caught on quickly and became more widespread when on 3 March 1851, the last day of its legislative session, Congress passed the ''Act of March 3, 1851'' (''An Act to reduce and modify the Rates of Postage in the United States'').<ref>[http://arago.si.edu/index.asp?con=1&cmd=1&mode=1&tid=2027498 National Postal Museum, Charles Toppan & Co.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111124213816/http://arago.si.edu/index.asp?con=1&cmd=1&mode=1&tid=2027498 |date=24 November 2011 }},</ref> Similarly introduced on the last day of the Congressional session four years later, the ''Act of March 3, 1855'' required the prepayment of postage on all mailings. Thereafter, postage stamp use in the United States quickly doubled, and by 1861 had quadrupled.<ref name="SNPL-Perforations"/>

In 1856, under the direction of [[James Campbell (Postmaster General)|Postmaster General James Campbell]], Toppan and Carpenter, (''commissioned by the United States government to print United States postage stamps through the 1850s'') purchased a rotary machine designed to separate stamps, patented in England in 1854 by William and Henry Bemrose, who were printers in [[Derby]], England.<ref name="National Archives">{{cite web| url = http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/a2a/records.aspx?cat=026-d5239&cid=-1#-1| title = The National Archives| access-date = 14 September 2010| archive-date = 1 May 2011| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110501055548/http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/a2a/records.aspx?cat=026-d5239&cid=-1#-1| url-status = live}}</ref> The original machine cut slits into the paper rather than punching holes, but the machine was soon modified.<ref name="Linn's"/>

The first stamp issue to be officially perforated, the 3-cent George Washington, was issued by the United States Post Office on 24 February 1857. Between 1857 and 1861, all stamps originally issued between 1851 and 1856 were reissued with perforations. Initial capacity was insufficient to perforate all stamps printed, thus perforated issues used between February and July 1857 are scarce and quite valuable.<ref>Kenmore Collector's Catalog, 2010, #906.</ref><ref>{{cite web| url = http://values.hobbizine.com/stamps/us-1847-57.html| title = Hobbizine| access-date = 14 September 2010| archive-date = 25 February 2010| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100225140020/http://values.hobbizine.com/stamps/us-1847-57.html| url-status = live}}</ref>

=== Shapes and materials ===
In addition to the most common rectangular shape, stamps have been issued in geometric (circular, triangular and pentagonal) and irregular shapes. The United States issued its first circular stamp in 2000 as a [[Holography|hologram]] of the [[Earth]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.postalmuseum.si.edu/stampstakeflight/holography.html|title=Holography: Into the Future|publisher=National Postal Museum|access-date=22 January 2011|archive-date=27 April 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110427093902/http://www.postalmuseum.si.edu/stampstakeflight/holography.html|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|agency=Associated Press|url=http://www.seattlepi.com/national/stmp141.shtml|title=First round United States postage stamp on the way, and that's not all...|newspaper=Seattle Post-Intelligencer|date=14 June 2000|access-date=22 January 2011}}</ref> [[Sierra Leone]] and [[Tonga]] have issued stamps in the shapes of fruit. Stamps that are printed on sheets are generally separated by perforations, though, more recently, with the advent of gummed stamps that do not have to be moistened prior to affixing them, designs can incorporate smooth edges (although a purely decorative perforated edge is often present).

Stamps are most commonly made from paper designed specifically for them, and are printed in sheets, rolls, or small booklets. Less commonly, postage stamps are made of materials other than paper, such as [[Paper embossing|embossed]] foil (sometimes of [[gold]]). [[Switzerland]] made a stamp that contained a bit of [[lace]] and one of [[wood]]. The United States produced one of [[plastic]]. [[East Germany]] issued a stamp of [[Chemical synthesis|synthetic chemicals]]. In the [[Netherlands]] a stamp was made of [[Vark|silver foil]]. [[Bhutan]] issued one with its [[Postage stamps and postal history of Bhutan|national anthem on a playable record]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sandafayre.com/philatelicarticles/talkingstamps.html|title=Bhutan – Talking Stamps and Other World Firsts!|publisher=Sandafayre (Holdings) Ltd.|access-date=19 May 2013|archive-date=19 August 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130819182611/http://www.sandafayre.com/philatelicarticles/talkingstamps.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Graphic characteristics ===
[[File:The Soviet Union 1985 CPA 5624 stamp (Portrait of Lenin based on an photography of Y.Mebius (1900, Moscow), Tampere Lenin Museum, Finland) small resolution.jpg|thumb|The 1985 postage stamp for the 115th birth anniversary of [[Vladimir Lenin]].  Portrait of Lenin (based on a 1900 photography of Y. Mebius in [[Moscow]]) with the [[Tampere Lenin Museum]].]]
The subjects found on the face of postage stamps are generally what defines a particular stamp issue to the public and are often a reason why they are saved by collectors or history enthusiasts. Graphical subjects found on postage stamps have ranged from the early portrayals of kings, queens and presidents to later depictions of ships, birds and [[satellite]]s,<ref name="Kenmore"/> [[List of people on stamps|famous people]],<ref name="Mallon">[http://www.americanheritage.com/articles/magazine/ah/2006/6/2006_6_22.shtml Thomas Mallon] {{Webarchive |url=https://archive.today/20071020152554/http://www.americanheritage.com/articles/magazine/ah/2006/6/2006_6_22.shtml|date=20 October 2007}} "Stamp: Sober Superheroes", American Heritage, November/December 2006</ref> historical events, comics, dinosaurs, hobbies (knitting, stamp collecting), sports, holiday themes, and a plethora of other subjects too numerous to list.

Artists, designers, engravers and administrative officials are involved with the choice of subject matter and the method of printing stamps. Early stamp images were almost always produced from an [[Line engraving|engraving]]—a design etched into a steel die, which was then hardened and whose impression was transferred to a printing plate. Using an ''engraved'' image was deemed a more secure way of printing stamps as it was nearly impossible to counterfeit a finely detailed image with raised lines for anyone but a master engraver. In the mid-20th century, stamp issues produced by other forms of printing began to emerge, such as [[lithography]], [[photogravure]], [[Intaglio (printmaking)|intaglio]] and [[Offset printing|web offset printing]]. These later printing methods were less expensive and typically produced images of lesser quality.

===Scents===
Occasionally, postal authorities issue novelty "scented" or "aromatic" stamps<ref name = Cyprus>{{cite web|url=https://www.cypruspost.post/en/filotelika-proionta |title=Philatelic Products. Stamps|access-date=2024-05-24|website=[[Cyprus Postal Services]]}}</ref> which contain a scent, more readily apparent when [[Scratch and sniff|rubbed]].<ref name = bread_LeMonde/><ref name = mintageworld>{{cite web|url=https://www.mintageworld.com/media/detail/197-Scented%20Stamps/|date=2015-12-17|title=Scented Stamps|access-date=2024-05-24|website=mintageworld.com}}</ref> The effect is achieved by using ink which contains microcapsules that provide the desired fragrance when broken.<ref name = bread_LeMonde/> The scent usually only lasts for a limited time after production, such as a few months or years. Such stamps are usually related to aromatic subjects including coffee, roses, grapes,<ref name = 2020.Viticultura.A>{{cite web|url=https://shopping.correios.com.br/wbm/store/script/wbm2400901p01.aspx?cd_company=ErZW8Dm9i54=&cd_product=6Z9nvNFAyeE=|date=2020-12-22|title=2020 - Folhas. Emissão Postal Especial: Viticultura - 1º Porte da Carta (PPC) (2020 - Sheets. Special Postal Issue: Viticulture - 1st Postage of the Letter (PPC))|access-date=2024-05-24|website=[[Correios]].com.br}}</ref><ref name = 2020.Viticultura.B>{{cite web|url=https://blog.correios.com.br/filatelia/?p=44240|date=2020-12-22|title=A História da Viticultura Brasileira (The History of Brazilian Viticulture)|access-date=2024-05-24|website=[[Correios]].com.br}}</ref><ref name = 2020.Viticultura.C>{{cite web|url=https://gazeta-rs.com.br/programa-de-melhoramento-genetico-e-a-viticultura-brasileira-ganham-selo-dos-correios/ |date=2020-12-22|title=Programa de Melhoramento Genético e a Viticultura brasileira ganham selos dos Correios (Genetic Improvement Program and Brazilian Viticulture receive stamps from Correios)|access-date=2024-05-24|website=gazeta-rs.com.br}}</ref> chocolate,<ref name = wikitimbres.fr>{{cite web|url=https://www.wikitimbres.fr/public/stamps/pdf/POSTE-2009-40.pdf |date=2009-05-25|title= Timbres de France. 2009. (héliogravure Le bloc est imprégné d'une senteur de chocolat)|access-date=2024-05-24|website=wikitimbres.fr/}}</ref> vanilla, cinnamon, pine needles<ref name = JaneAustenPenpalClub>{{cite web|url=https://www.janeaustenpenpalclub.com/single-post/2016-1-22-scents-on-stamps|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210122182041/https://www.janeaustenpenpalclub.com/single-post/2016-1-22-scents-on-stamps|url-status=usurped|archive-date=22 January 2021|date=2017-09-23|title=Scents on Stamps|access-date=2024-05-24|website=janeaustenpenpalclub.com}}</ref> or freshly baked bread.<ref name = bread_LeMonde>{{cite web|url=https://www.lemonde.fr/en/france/article/2024/05/17/france-s-la-poste-celebrates-baguette-with-scented-stamp_6671788_7.html|date=2024-05-24|title=France's La Poste celebrates baguette with bakery-scented stamp|access-date=2024-05-24|website=[[Le Monde]]}}</ref> The first scented stamps were issued by [[Bhutan]] in 1973.<ref name = JaneAustenPenpalClub/><ref name = arpinphilately>{{cite web|url=https://blog.arpinphilately.com/top-10-smelly-stamps/|date=2008-10-30|title=Top 10 Smelly Stamps!|access-date=2024-05-24|website=blog.arpinphilately.com}}</ref><ref name = mintageworld/>