Mexico - avant garde printing techniques - 1916-now

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Mexico - avant garde printing techniques - 1916-now

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During the First World War 1914-1918 several Latin-American countries were in the avant garde as far as the use of new printing methods were concerned...

We saw Argentina introducing offset-litho in 1916, Mexico did experiment with the unscreened photogravure parallel to the use of recess; the first stamps appeared in 1916 . Ten years later Mexico issued the first stamp printed in bicoloured recess using just one [1] plate.... Mexico was 12 years ahead of the next stamp issuing country: Poland used that method once in 1938, France followed in 1939 and continued to use it till now!

to be continued ....
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Re: Mexico - avant garde printing techniques - 1916-now

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Since 1916 and before 1936 the Mexican stamps were printed by the Oficina Impresora de Hacienda [State Printing Works] in recess/intaglio or in a very similar process that resembled more the later photogravure. As a matter of fact they used both the traditional recess AND the adapted process for the very same stamps! In other words they were experimenting with the printing process and eventually went on with what we now know as photogravure.

From 1936 the TIEV [Talleres de Impresion de Estampillas y Valores] took over using the same process [unscreened photogravure] on the newly imported printing press made by GOEBEL, Darmstadt, Germany.

The history of the Mexican stamps as to their printing methods has not really been written up to now. It is thinkable that even the experts writing catalogues like Celis Cano had no idea about the richess of Mexican stamp printing history.

Today, the emphasis had been on the modern definitives like the "Mexico Exporta" series with some 20 different types of paper - according to the experts :) - so they completely forgot about the earlier issues!

This thread is meant to set things right!

the traditional version:

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The unscreened version:

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to be continued ...
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Re: Mexico - avant garde printing techniques - 1916-now

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The 1c Eagle of 1915 is just the start of the experiments. Some 15 years later the Oficina de Hacienda had perfectioned the unscreened process:

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A side line is the complexity of the Mexican watermarks:

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The blue lines following the diagonals of the symmetrical paper wire, the orange line pointing in the direction of the text line; and the yellow line following an identical character in a subsequent line of watermark - "MEXICO CORREOS"

No doubt they must have had contact with European printers like the Nederlandsche Rotogravure Maatschappij, at Leiden, the Netherlands and the printing press manufacturer GOEBEL AG at Darmstadt, Germany.

The NRM had played an important role in introducing the then rather new printing process of photogravure in Europa and also had had their own particular contribution in the form of the so-called "unscreened" method. A method with a result very close to that of recess printing but so much more cheaper! The poor-mans recess they might have called it.

to be continued ...
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Re: Mexico - avant garde printing techniques - 1916-now

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After a quantum leap in time the TIEV proceeded with the autotypical photogravure - unlike the traditional screened photogravure in which the hole were depth-variable, the autotypical holes were surface-variable resulting in smaller and larger dots.

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to be continued ...
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Re: Mexico - avant garde printing techniques - 1916-now

Mensaje por leonardoleidi »

Thanks for publish Mexican Stamps... Do you have something of Air Mail of Colombia (German Company)?
Saludos a todos

Leonardo Daniel Leidi Mora
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Re: Mexico - avant garde printing techniques - 1916-now

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leonardoleidi escribió:Thanks for publish Mexican Stamps... Do you have something of Air Mail of Colombia (German Company)?
SCADTA?? NO ;)
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Re: Mexico - avant garde printing techniques - 1916-now

Mensaje por leonardoleidi »

Yes, SCADTA.
Saludos a todos

Leonardo Daniel Leidi Mora
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Re: Mexico - avant garde printing techniques - 1916-now

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The 1917 Próceres - Statesmen series seems to have been printed in screenless photogravure. Some values resemble traditional recess a bit more like the 4c but about most others I have no doubt!

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Apart from the technical aspects look at the ornamentals!

to be continued ...
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Re: Mexico - avant garde printing techniques - 1916-now

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At least 2 values seem to have had both engraved [steel-engraving?] and etched [copper-etching?] plates:

5c Maclovio Herrera:

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10c Francisco Madero:

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the 5c has a completely different design and there is no name mentioned!


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Re: Mexico - avant garde printing techniques - 1916-now

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maptrekker escribió:Fascinating thread!

The design (frame) of the 5c is from the 1915 issue.

What characteristics do you look for that tell you whether the stamp was etched rather than engraved?

When I was in the NRM printing works around 1970 - they told me about their secret screenless process. How they adapted any design the make sure there were enough askew lines and empty dots to keep the fluid ink on the cylinders.

So when you have "recess" printed stamps and the dots are empty and the askew lines are more or less empty you may expect the "screenless" process.

The NRM was involved in introducing the screenless process in South Africa in 1929. Practically all stamps of South Africa in the 1929-1948 period had been printed - on Goebel rotaries - using that method!

See Colin's tutorial some 2 years ago:

http://www.stampboards.com/viewtopic.ph ... 0&start=50

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Re: Mexico - avant garde printing techniques - 1916-now

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lithograving escribió:Great thread Rein, you do some fine research.

I have a question. The Liechtenstein ones below from 1920 were engraved using copper plates (as stated in Michel) and look similar to the Mexican one.

Did Mexico also use copper plates ?

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They really don't look like typical engraved stamps.
The suggestion that it may have to day with cooper etched plates rather than steel-engraving is highly precious! Thanks Lithograving!

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Re: Mexico - avant garde printing techniques - 1916-now

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Following the steps of the Mexican Post Office other Latin-American countries came up with comparable printings!

Uruguay since 1928:

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Re: Mexico - avant garde printing techniques - 1916-now

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The Uruguay stamps. Are these stamps etched, engraved or screenless photogravure?

No, not photogravure, they are etched, not engraved! But what would make them photogravure?

The moment a flexible "plate" got wrapped around a cylinder or got mounted on a cylinder!

The other aspect is the photomechanical reproduction - through a step-by-step repeat production machine!

I will show - by means of the Mexican stamps - the fluent transition from what might have started from a copper-etched plate to a cylinder of a modern photogravure rotary press like the Goebel the T.I.E.V. started to use in 1936!

to be continued ....
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Re: Mexico - avant garde printing techniques - 1916-now

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For most philatelists recess-intaglio is a printing method connected with nice engravings made by skilled engravers. This used to be the case for many decades, but already in interbellum this wasn't true anymore. But at least no philatelist noticed it at that time...

At least 4 stamp printers have been making attempts to tear down the walls - I get inspired by Fred Neil sing this on his records right now - between the 2 printing methods that are basically the same - the ink is either present in deep lines or in deep dots making up the design to be printed. For recess printing the ink is thick and it needs an enormous pressure to have it come out of the recesses and stick on the stamp paper and the superfluous ink will be wiped off by cloths. In photogravure the ink is very fluent and it will run out of the recesses hadn't it been for the fact that the design is made up of so many dots or short lines/curves that enolugh will keep there until the cylinder meet the stamp paper. The superfluous ink will be wiped off by a doctor's blade [sort of a long knife].

The photogravure press is quicker and the cylinders are easier to produce; the design needs several photo-mechanical (plus chemical ) steps before it is on the cylinder. The chemical part has been abandoned since some 15 years now, the electro-mechanical engraving as it is called now is omnipresent.

In recess printing the manual engraving had been replaced in most cases by the same photo-mechanical (plus chemical) steps. Even on modern-day banknotes [Euro's] some parts of the design are stil being engraved other parts have been etched.

It's all a matter of economy, and most printing firms don't really bother what the stamp collectors think about it.

I will deal with some border-line stamps shortly here - including pictures!

to be continued ...
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Re: Mexico - avant garde printing techniques - 1916-now

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The Austrian airmail stamps issued in 1935 - August 16th - are mentioned in the Austaian Netto Katalog [ANK] as being printed in recess. They make however an impression of being printed in photogravure???

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to be continued ...
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