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A note from Glenn Morgan.
A fellow collector had saved my previous contribution to the debate which the blog company had deleted in error, so I can now re-upload in case it is of interest....
Sheet-fed litho production is centred on Cartor, with gravure and litho reel-fed production at Walsall. This was a conscious business decision according to Paul White, MD at WSP, when I interviewed him 18 months back.
He told me: "Until recently, work was allocated between plants on the basis of capacity, whereas now Cartor will undertake sheet-fed litho work (the smaller print runs), and WSP the web-fed gravure and web litho orders. A reallocation of presses reflects this strategic change within the Group."
So, unless Cartor / Walsall has re-allocated presses between factories again in the past few months*, which seems highly unlikely, Cartor does not have any gravure printing capability on-site. It could not, therefore, have printed the PSB panes, unless by litho.
The uncertainty as to the process used goes to prove how superb litho printing has become, for only a short while back the difference would have been visually obvious.
*Cartor's plant list as of last October comprised only litho presses according to Ian Brigham, MD at Cartor, when asked the question at a stamp printing seminar held by RPSL in London.
Douglas Myall has confirmed that the DOP on the SA pane stamps is as given in his earlier email." The stamps in the book have inverted direction of print, as do any on privately produced FDCs. The stamps on the official FDCs are from coils and have sideways right direction. They were printed without the stubs."
Many thanks to both Glenn and Douglas for taking the time to write to us.
A fellow collector had saved my previous contribution to the debate which the blog company had deleted in error, so I can now re-upload in case it is of interest....
Sheet-fed litho production is centred on Cartor, with gravure and litho reel-fed production at Walsall. This was a conscious business decision according to Paul White, MD at WSP, when I interviewed him 18 months back.
He told me: "Until recently, work was allocated between plants on the basis of capacity, whereas now Cartor will undertake sheet-fed litho work (the smaller print runs), and WSP the web-fed gravure and web litho orders. A reallocation of presses reflects this strategic change within the Group."
So, unless Cartor / Walsall has re-allocated presses between factories again in the past few months*, which seems highly unlikely, Cartor does not have any gravure printing capability on-site. It could not, therefore, have printed the PSB panes, unless by litho.
The uncertainty as to the process used goes to prove how superb litho printing has become, for only a short while back the difference would have been visually obvious.
*Cartor's plant list as of last October comprised only litho presses according to Ian Brigham, MD at Cartor, when asked the question at a stamp printing seminar held by RPSL in London.
Douglas Myall has confirmed that the DOP on the SA pane stamps is as given in his earlier email." The stamps in the book have inverted direction of print, as do any on privately produced FDCs. The stamps on the official FDCs are from coils and have sideways right direction. They were printed without the stubs."
Many thanks to both Glenn and Douglas for taking the time to write to us.
01p 05/01/11
Has anyone confirmed this? Many thanks to Cathy (see comments) this pane is printed in gravure, but Cartor remain the printers. The previous prestige self adhesive pane (King George) was printed by Walsall, so this is where the confusion arises from. Once again thanks go to Ian Billings for putting the story right.
