During my research I was able to enlighten myself on the process of how several things are made but became truly fascinated by how the US Postal Stamp is made. Please click on the following link to watch a short video on the thumb size piece of paper, its value and the details involved in its production. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KETwb4MLKVI
Prior to doing this research I gave no thought as to the process of how a stamp was made. In my mind it was a simple as designing the selected image on a computer and printing just as I would print a document from my computer, except it would be a commercial printer.
The process of making a stamp is like that of printing money. It involves a complete production process that focuses on proper planning, quality control and adherence to strict security protocols to ensure the highest quality product is produced.
The US Postal System has stamps to commemorate historical events, holidays, or any other event they see fit; therefore, the process must be capable of accommodating the frequent changes. For this reason, the Flexible Manufacturing System is used during production. This system is used to accommodate the variety of stamps that are needed or the ever-changing designs that are ordered by the US Postal Service. This system allows the making of different product designs by simply reprogramming their computers and ink changes instead of major equipment changes and overhaul. This makes for a seamless transition to large-scale changes in volume, design, and capacity.
This system requires an artist to draw a design that is then loaded into a computer and colors are mixed to precision. The computerized image is then transferred to a metal plate, after which the metal plate is used to transfer the image to specially made paper designed for stamp making. During this process special marks not visible to the naked eyes are also transferred to the stamps to prevent counterfeiting. The stamps are inspected visually for any imperfections in print or security marks, and if found they are removed and set aside to be destroyed. Perfect stamps are then fed through a machine to be perforated, trimmed and package in sheets for shipment to Post Offices. Rejected stamps are not only shredded but are also loaded into incinerators to be burned.
The part of the process that surprised me the most was how much scrutiny is involved in the process of making this small piece of paper and how much value is placed on it. Stamps are inspected several times to ensure perfection in printing and security proof marks. This process ensures that the stamps are not easily counterfeited. There is also the fact that stamps are only printed in 4 private printers in the United States.
