Benefits of Studying Stamps Before Purchasing Them

Philately is basically the study of stamps, but a philatelist does not have to collect the stamps they study nor do they have to research the stamps they collect. However, collecting is not the same as philately due to the casual collector enjoys accumulating their stamps without having to worry about the tiny details within a stamp.

Usually, a collectors collection of stamps will tend to be a large collection with the need of philatelic knowledge. Stamp collecting has become a time honored hobby that is enjoyed by collectors all over the world for centuries. The hobby of collecting stamps is an excellent way for individuals to spend their free time and does not have to cost a fortune.

Stamp prices can range from fifteen cents to over half a million dollars. The important thing to remember when starting a collection is to begin slow and learn as much as you can about each type of stamps available. There are various places where any collector can purchase stamps for their collection from, but regardless of where you purchase them from it is vital to know the basics of how to care and store your collection.

Any collector needs a specialized album that is designed for storing your collection of stamps, stamp tongs with a rounded tip for handling your stamps, and a magnifying glass that has the ability to magnify at least ten times for inspecting the details on a stamp. Any magnifying glass with the ability to magnify more than ten times may cause the images to look distorted and is not recommended. Other supplies that a collector may need are glassine envelopes to store or transport individual stamps, a watermark detector to search for hidden watermarks, and a catalog of stamps for identifying various types of stamps. Special pages for your album can be purchased that will reflect the types of stamps you are adding to your collection. Supplies can be purchased at almost business that sells collectible stamps.

The type of stamps a collector decides to collect will depend greatly on the personal preferences of the collector. If you are unsure what types of stamps you would like to focus your collection on, then it may be a good idea to look a variety of stamps in magazines, books, and catalogs. No matter what type of stamps a collector does decide to collect, they will be treasured for their historic value and their beauty.

Theme collections can limit your collection to a particular subject, so it may be important to have a generalized topic. When beginning your collection it may be helpful to purchase a large quantity of used stamps for a reputable dealer, which normally does not cost a whole lot. Often times this proves to all the collector to receive a number of stamps that will cover a variety of topics, plus will allow the new collect a chance to learn how sort stamps based upon countries, landmarks, animals, etc.

Understanding cultures and events within a variety of countries throughout the world enables collectors to gain a higher knowledge of the stamps they add to their collection. Stamp clubs will aid by opening doors for any collector in meeting other collectors to exchanges information surrounding the hobby of stamps. This also gives the collector a chance to exchange stamps with other collectors to create a more interactive hobby.

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Tips For Adding Stamps to Your Collection

Collecting stamps has become a world wide hobby does not need a huge amount of financial backing to begin. In fact, all that is needed is hard work to collect stamps that are inexpensive, but your efforts will be rewarded with a collection that shows your own personality.

The best place to start your own collection is from your own incoming mail and you may be surprised at the variety of stamps you will be able to locate in this way, which do not cost you a thing. Let your friends and relatives know about your decision to start a stamp collection, which will produce even more stamps for your collection that do not cost your a single penny.

Let your neighbors also know about your collection, so that they can tell their own friends and family members to start saving stamps. In no time at all, you could have a huge collection of stamps. By asking your friends, neighbors, and family members to save their empty envelopes you may have letter coming in from all over the country in no time. Now you have developed a kind of lookout support team to help you in your pursuit of stamps.

Another way to collect easily is you or someone you know works in an office, because you can have them save the empty envelopes for you also. Sometimes office mail is scanned and the best stamps are sent from a variety of locations to that work place. Your parents, friends, relatives, and neighbors will be happy to check at their offices for incoming mail. Your stamp support team may also have old letters that are still in their envelopes, and all collectors known that older stamps are better and are more unique.

To remove stamps from their envelopes carefully soak the stamps on the envelopes in water, which will make it easy to remove the stamps. This way adhesive will be lost and then the stamp can be separated from the envelope. Next dry the stamps carefully by minimizing any possible damage that can be caused by them being torn.

Getting help from other collectors is another valuable way to increase your knowledge about this wonderful hobby. Collectors gather together for swap meets to exchange any duplicate stamps that they may have with other collectors. Some times clubs will present stamps as prizes or even make them available cheaper for club members. Another way to meet other collectors is by joining a stamp club if there is one in your local neighborhood. If there is not a stamp club in your area, then start your own club with stamp enthusiasts in your own neighborhood that can meet every weekend or every other weekend to exchange ideas and information on the latest stamps available.

Pen pals are another source for collecting stamps, because letters would have stamps for their own area. Although you both may be from the same country does not mean that your stamps will be the same. Perhaps, your pen pal will start collecting stamps their selves and you can swap stamp through the mail! Collectors can even purchase stamps directly through the mail by ordering them through a variety of magazines and newspapers, but be cautious when purchasing these items by paying close attention to their return policy.

Hopefully, these tips will provide you with great ways for starting your stamp collection. The main purpose is to create a collection by learning about each stamp as you add it to your collection by saving money and having great time while collecting them.

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Rubber Stamps Still Save Time

Rubber Stamps are still used daily in businesses (such as businesses offering Notary services, that use Notary Stamps), homes and classrooms. Rubber stamps are a great way to save time and to get a job completed quickly and easily. Rubber stamps can be purchased in self-inked, pre-inked or they can be used with an ink pad (Inked Stamp).

Pre-inked rubber stamps come in oil based ink, foam die, and industrial ink. Self-inked stamps are often quieter and more consistent than a traditional rubber stamp and ink pad. Inks can come in a variety of colors on any type of rubber stamp. Here are some great ways to use rubber stamps at home, in the classroom and in the office.

Rubber stamps can be used to date paperwork. A great way to organize incoming mail is to open the mail when it arrives and discard unnecessary advertisements or offers and stamp the other mail with the date that it arrived. This will help the bill payer know which bills should be addressed first and it will also help them keep tract of what is arriving in the mail on a daily basis. Another great reason to stamp the mail upon arrival is so that if a discrepancy arises a call can be made and an informed conversation can take place including when the bill arrived.

Rubber stamps are used in many successful classrooms daily. Custom stamps can be created to say from the desk of and include the teachers name and school. Stamps can be created to say sign and return. A rubber stamp with the date can also be used in the classroom. Students must have their homework stamped with the date that they turned in their homework assignment. This will save the teacher the time of having to log each assignment that is turned in late. The teacher can simply look at the date stamped on the assignment to determine if points need to be removed or if a note needs to be sent home to the parent. These papers can then be held until the parent teacher night so that the parent can see the amount of papers that have been turned in tardy.

There are many standard rubber stamps available to choose from. If you can not find the stamp that you are looking for than rubber stamps can created to suite whatever need you may have at home, in business or in the classroom. Excellent quality rubber stamps will last for years and are a handy office, home or classroom tool.

By: Raul Hernandez

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Clear Stamps and Scrapbooking - Clearly a Winning Combination

The unique qualities of clear acrylic stamps make them a perfect choice for scrapbooking. Stamping on scrapbook pages has always been a challenge. Placing the stamp and avoiding excess ink are a few of the concerns that keep most scrapbookers from trying stamping techniques on their page layouts, but now with the availability of clear acrylic stamps, anyone can get fantastic results from stamps on their scrapbooking pages.

Clear acrylic stamps, also called polymer stamps, are different from traditional wood block or foam-backed rubber stamps. They are more economical because they are not pre-mounted. Clear stamps are naturally tacky and stick to an acrylic block. They are easily removed allowing you to reuse the block again and again. You simply purchase unmounted clear stamps from any manufacturer, and these work with any clear acrylic mount. Buy a larger mount first that can be used with both small and large stamps. These stamps are also much easier to store, and because they are acrylic, they are lightweight and easy to transport to scrapbooking crops or classes.

Using clear stamps with scrapbooking couldn't be easier. Choose from words, designs and image clear stamps, and peel and stick them to an acrylic block. Now you're ready to start stamping. Because the block and stamp are transparent, you can see exactly where you want to place the imprint. No more misaligned prints! You will have precise placement every time and no more guesswork or stamping mistakes.

Another unique feature of clear acrylic stamps is the ability to mix and match them. With wood and rubber stamps you have to realign your stamps to use more than one stamp together. It takes at least 2 stamping imprints to achieve the same results with one acrylic block. While you can use your clear art stamps individually, the ability to peel and stick to a large acrylic block makes it easy to stamp entire phrases or scenes with one stamp. Just choose your stamps and arrange them all on one clear mount. They can even be from different stamp manufacturers. It's even possible to cut portions of one stamp apart and arrange them in a different pattern for stamping or use only a part of the stamp. Clear art stamps offer much more versatility and functionality than rubber stamps.

Because new stamps tend to resist ink, many scrapbookers recommend conditioning your clear stamps before you use them the first time. Some use a fine grit sandpaper and others prefer a pink eraser. Simply, scuff the surface of a brand new stamp. This will help it to hold ink more effectively. After stamping with ink, clean it with mild soap and water or rubbing alcohol. Avoid oil-based cleaners, acetone and bleach because these can damage and break down your stamp. Some scrapbookers have difficulty getting a crisp image from clear polymer stamps. To improve the quality of the ink impression, try using a cushioned-surface under your scrapbooking paper. A soft mouse pad works well for this purpose. Using this cushioning effect may take a bit of practice, but the results will be worth it.

Be sure to store your clear stamps in a dark place away from sunlight or indoor lighting. Light can discolor and harden them prematurely. Some inks can stain them, but this won't affect their use. Because they are polymer based, one downside is that they do not last as long as rubber stamps will, but with proper care and storage, you will get years of scrapbooking with quality images from your clear stamps.

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Understanding Rare Stamp Collecting Classifications

Stamps are classified into four separate types. They are Stamp Types, Purpose, Formats and Condition.

Stamp Types generally means the difference between a definitive stamp and a commemorative stamp. A definitive stamp most always showed a portrait of some famous person at present time or in history, although recently these have expanded to include the U.S. flag or the White House. Typically these stamps are relatively small and ordinary looking. They can be purchased at different denominations to pay for the different types of postal mail. These usually get printed in large numbers and remain in effect until the postal rates changes.

Commemorative stamps are larger than the definitive's and are printed in much smaller numbers. They're usually sold for the standard first class postage rate. The pictures usually show images of historical events. Once these stamps run out, they usually are not printed again. In recent years there has been another stamp type called the Special. A good example of these stamps would be the Christmas stamps that are printed out for the holidays. These are larger, decorative stamps that are sold at the standard postal rate for a certain time period until the supply runs out.

Purpose shows what the stamp is for. Most stamps are classified as regular stamps because they are used on your every day basic mail. However, immediately after the postage stamp was distributed came along other stamps showing different purposes. Some show postage due for the mail that had insufficient monies applied to the postage. Other stamps were created to show classified mail, airmail and a variety of other special services.

Stamps are issued in a variety of ways. Format is another classification term used to show how these stamps were originally issued. Whether it was as a sheet, booklet, coil or panes.

Condition of a stamp is very important to many collectors. Mint condition is one that has never been used and is still in the same condition as when it was issued. If one has been in a collection held in an album with a hinge then it is considered an unused one. The reason for the difference is that the one that was in an album has had its "gum" disturbed. One that has been sent through the postal system and been stamped is considered used.

Other classification types are whether they are perforated, what kind of printing is used and whether a watermark was used.

By understanding the different classifications, one can begin their collection based on certain criteria. Many collectors have a certain theme to their collections. There have been billions of stamps that have been issued over the years that it would be literally impossible to have a complete collection. Many people choose a certain topical theme or perhaps stamps from a certain country only. Whatever you decide to create your theme around, it'll be interesting and fun for you to study.

STAMP COLLECTING TIPS

Now that you've decided what type of stamps you want to collect, here are some tips on the best way to keep these stamps in good condition. You may end up with one that is worth a lot of money someday and you'll want it to be in the best possible condition.

• When looking for a stamp album, look for one that has blank, acid-free pages. Don't go for anything that has flimsy pages for these will not be sturdy enough to house your stamps safely. Make sure you have stamp hinges or mounts that are designed for housing stamps. Using glue or tape will damage your stamps.
  

• Do not try to tear or peel a stamp off of an envelope. Cut them carefully from the envelope without touching the perforated edges, this damages the stamp. Once the stamp has been cut off, float it in a small bowl filled with cool water. This dissolves the glue to a point where the paper from the envelope will come off easily. (Be careful with those stamps that have been heavily inked with cancellation stamps or strange looking ink that could potentially damage other stamps.) Rinse the remaining glue with fresh water and spread out to dry. If necessary place them in a book after drying to straighten them out. Always handle them with tongs.
• Think about your collection theme and sort the stamps according to your theme. Whether it's by a topical or country theme or stamp types, it's good to have some kind of order to them. Remove any damaged stamps as the value is most likely not that great. The only time you want to hang on to something that's damaged would be if you had something that was extremely rare or valuable. If you have duplicates then display the best one you have of the set and use the other for trading with other stamp collectors. Sorting is an ongoing process as you pick up more and more stamps.
• Another extremely important thing to think about is having tongs. Seems like such a simple thing, doesn't it. People think they can handle just as well with their fingers but they don't think about how much oil we have on our skin. These oils transfer to the stamps and can damage them in the long run. Tongs are the best way to handle stamps. One may need to practice handling tongs before attempting to pick up stamps with them as some of them, if not handled correctly, could tear or poke holes through the stamps.
  

Once you've made the decision to collect stamps and you've obtained all the essential tools for collecting, you'll probably find getting more and more curious about the history behind some of these stamps. There are thousands of books, literature and papers written on the subject. Many of them explain how and why some of these stamps became so valuable or interesting over the years. Most stamp collectors become so for a lifetime. There are so many different types of stamp collections that one could collect for years and never find themselves getting bored.

Darren Williger is an over-caffeinated, low carbohydrate eating, winemaking enthusiast who writes for WindPurifier.com, RareStamp.com, and BeeYourself.Com

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Philatelic Museum Bangkok - The History Of Thai Postage Stamps

Philatelic Museum Bangkok records the Thai stamp and postal history from the mid 1800s - the present day, with stamps honoring the reigning monarch of the day and marking significant events in Thai history.

The museum was first established in 1947 when the postal services were under the Post and Telegraph Department. After reorganization of the civil service and several relocations, the Philatelic Museum, currently under Thailand Post Company Ltd, finally found its permanent home in Sam Sen Nai Post Office next to the Saphan Kwai skytrain station on 15 December 2004.

Stamps often tell the story of the history and culture of a society. The Thai stamps in the Philatelic Museum Bangkok have their stories to tell too.

The Thai postal history - the early days

Our story begins in the reign of King Rama IV (1851 - 1868). In those days, before the existence of a postal service in Thailand, people sent letters through messengers or friends who were traveling within or out of the country.

With the signing of the Bowring Treaty in 1855, Thailand opened up for foreign trade. The presence of foreign businesses and consulates in Bangkok necessitated a postal service. This was setup in 1867 by the British Postal Service and run by the British consulate in Bangkok purely for communications between consulates.

As Thailand had no stamps of her own then, she used stamps of British India which were also used in the Straits Settlements, Malacca, Penang and Singapore. Stamps for use in Bangkok were marked with a capital "B". The mail was routed through Singapore and had a Singapore postmark.

In 1875, during the reign of King Rama V (1868 - 1910), Prince Bhanurangsri Sawangwongse, younger brother of the king, published a newspaper "Court" for royalty and high officials. A local stamp was affixed for delivery services. This laid the groundwork for the Thai postal service in the future.

Philatelic Museum - the advent of the postal service

In 1880 some members of the government felt a pressing need for a postal service for the general public and petitioned King Rama V. The king agreed. Fittingly Prince Bhanurangsri was tasked to do this and was appointed the first Director General of the Post Department. The first post office was built in Charoen Krung Road by the Chao Phraya River near the mouth of the Ong-Ang canal.

Thai stamp history - the first stamp issue

With the establishment of the domestic postal service, Thailand issued her first postage stamp on 4 August 1883; 43 years after "Penny Black" the world's first prepaid adhesive postage stamps appeared in England.

The first set of stamps had the portrait of King Rama V, was designed by William Ridgeway and printed by the Waterlow Printing Company of England. The stamps bore no country name and were only for domestic use. The Thais had their own nickname for these stamps, "Solot", after the price of the stamp in the old currency.

Originally stamp denominations were in solot, att, sio, salung, the old Thai currency units. When the currency was changed to baht and satang, new stamps were issued.

On 1 July 1885, Thailand joined the Universal Postal Union, which coordinates the international postal system. In line with international convention, the country name and price in Arabic and Thai numerals were printed on the Thai stamps.

Subsequent commemorative issues in the Philatelic Museum

On 11 November 1908, Thailand celebrated the 40th anniversary of the reign of King Rama V, the longest reigning Thai monarch then, with a new set of postage stamps.

In the reign of King Rama VII (1925 - 1935), special stamps marked 150 years under the reign of the Chakri Kings. The stamp had portraits of King Rama I (1782) and King Rama VII (1932). What was the significance of this 150 year anniversary?

An astrologer had predicted earlier that the Chakri dynasty would come to an end after 150 years. On 1 April 1932, the 150th anniversary of the dynasty, there was a big celebration to prove soothsayer wrong. Though the prediction wasn't completely right, two months later, the absolute monarchy was overthrown in a coup on 24 June 1932.

In the reign of King Rama VIII (1935 - 1946), a special set of stamps were issued in 1943 featuring the Monument to the Expeditionary Force. These stamps weren't meant to commemorate the Thai military effort during World War I. Furthermore, the stamps were priced in "cents".

Called "Four States", these stamps were meant for use in the four Malay states of Kelantan, Perlis, Sara Buri (the state of Kedah today) and Trengganu. These states, which were ceded to Britain in the reign of King Rama V, came temporarily under Thai rule during World War II when Thailand declared war on Britain and the USA.

The story of the stamps in the Philatelic Museum continues into the reign of King Rama IX, the present king. There were several memorable occasions when commemorative stamps were issued.

When the Benjarong (Thai pottery in five primary colors) issue won second prize at the International Stamp Competition in Vienna, Austria in 1981, these stamps secured a place in the Philatelic Museum.

The commemorative issue celebrating the Bangkok Bicentenary (1782 - 1982) provides the centerpiece of the Philatelic Museum. These set of stamps had the nine Chakri kings, Rama I to Rama IX in denominations from 1 baht - 9 baht.

In 1999, Thailand celebrated the 72nd (the 6th cycle) birthday of HM the King with another set of stamps. Firm believers in astrology and the 12 zodiac signs, Thais consider anniversaries in multiples of 12 particularly 60, 72 extremely auspicious.

Besides the displays of prominent issues, the Philatelic Museum preserves hundreds of the old stamps and envelopes in frames filed in chronological order. I was surprised to see old envelopes used by early Chinese immigrants in Bangkok to remit money to China.

There's also a comfortable library well stocked with books, collectors' journals and stamp bulletins and a souvenir shop.

Since 1883, the Thai postal service has made more than 720 stamp issues. The Philatelic Museum Bangkok preserves this postal and stamp history of Thailand and the significant events related to these issues.

Photos of the stamp collection can be viewed at the Philatelic Museum, one of the old treasures discovered in Tour Bangkok Legacies a historical travel site on people, places and events that left their mark in the landscape of Bangkok. For other Bangkok Museums.

The author Eric Lim lives in Bangkok Thailand and writes for this do-it-yourself historical travel guide for independent travelers.

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Photo Postage Stamps - Great Innovations in Stamps

Photo postage stamps aren't such a new idea; its been around for years! The USPS (United States Postal Service) briefly suspended the use of such a stamp due to security concerns. There are certainly a number of reasons that the USPS would want to abolish all photo stamps, for example in the height of the anthrax scares a stamp with a scull and cross bones plus the word Anthrax caused a sorting office to shut down for several hours. Although custom photo stamps are legitimate, perhaps getting rid of them would put people off trying to get away with counterfeit postage stamps!

The USPS decided that it would allow another phase of a pilot program allowing companies to sell their customers photo postage stamps. The first stage of the trial was a huge success; however the USPS wants to make sure that these custom postage stamps aren't just a fad.

What is a photo postage stamp?

Photo postage stamps allow people to put a photo of pretty much whatever they want to on their stamp. There are however exceptions, you cannot for example put pornographic or disturbing images onto your photo stamp.

Photo stamps are useful for:

-Weddings

-Births

-Anniversaries

-Business Logos

-Any Special Occasion

Internet pranksters - screening photo stamps for validity

Being able to put an image of anything you want onto your stamps is very exciting for most people; however some internet pranksters just take things too far. Some people have tried to order stamps with people like Slobodan Milosevic on them, as these could cause public outrage its important for the organizations that are permitted to produce photo postal stamps to have proper screening processes in place.

Along with controversial figures, the other things that must not be allowed on postage stamps are pornographic images, and also certain religious symbols. Copyright is a tricky subject; technically you should only use material on a stamp that you own the rights to, or have permission to use. Other than this and advertising, the images can be of pretty much anything.

The company that supplies the postage stamps are personally responsible for screening, this is nothing to do with the USPS. The vendors themselves should reject the images that break the strict rules set down by the USPS. The USPS is able to find out which company generated the stamp by looking at the information encoded in the stamps barcode, therefore any company not screening images properly could find themselves losing the rights to print postage.

Where can I get my photo postage stamps?

There are three main custom stamp vendors in America , Stamps.com, which has been a key contender ever since the postal services first trial. Endica are also permitted to produce stamps. Pitney Bowes the popular franking machine manufacturer has realized that photo stamps trespass into their industry, and so they are grabbing hold of this opportunity with both hands and refusing to let go!

Photo stamps are a worldwide phenomenon!

Photo postal stamps arent just popular in America , theyre popular worldwide! England has one of the oldest postal services in the world, but even so the Royal Mail is adopting online photo postage stamps. Currently in England you can only buy the stamps directly from the Royal Mail (the equivalent of the USPS), but only time will tell as to when they will adopt the same personalization.

Visit Discount Online Stamps to view the latest articles and cash back rebates on all photo stampsonline postage stamps and

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Making Rubber Stamps: Learn How To Make Your Own Art Craft Rubber Stamps For Stamping Up Paper Craft

Making stamps at home does not mean producing amateur stamps suitable just for kids' stamping. With a little information and the right rubber stamp making supply, manufacturing rubber stamps is fun and easy!

Classifying Rubber Stamps

For starters, rubber stamps are classified into two categories: business rubber stamps and art rubber stamps or craft stamps.

Business stamps are hand stamps, self inking stamps (pre inked) or dating stamps; the text of which makes them personalized rubber stamps. When using a hand stamp you must stamp it up and down on a stamp pad to load the stamp with ink before making your impression.

Art and craft rubber stamps are a lot more interesting as graphics such as hand drawn artwork, craft clipart along with alphabets and photographs can be used. Used in creating scrapbooks and greeting cards these custom stamps can also be used with embossing powder or ink for embossed rubber stamping. If you have ever tried to locate a Chinese character rubber stamp, you will know they are hard to find, so why not make your own? Stamp art has no limits - all your stamp ideas can be realized once you start making stamps at home so start gathering your rubber stamping ideas!

You will never again need to buy from a Rubber Stamp Manufacturer!

The fantastic thing about making your own stamps is that you will save money and do away with buying stamps from a rubber stamp maker or rubber stamp company. You can get all your rubber stamp making supplies or a rubber stamp kit and make your own personalized stamps, photo stamps, signature stamps and craft stamps within the comfort of your home.

Different Methods of Rubber Stamp Manufacturing

Does it sound impossible? Well it isn't. In fact making rubber stamps can become addictive once you grasp the basics. You must have an understanding of how different methods of rubber stamp manufacturing is carried out, then you can start searching for the relevant rubber stamp supply to start creating your rubber stamping ideas!

• Hand carved - Creating a carved stamp is still practiced in some countries. A simple example of a carved hand stamp is carving on erasers but this is beyond the skill level of most of us and is very time consuming.
• Vulcanizing - You may be familiar with magenta rubber stamps that utilize self cling foam similar to EZMount for sticking to acrylic blocks. These are vulcanized rubber stamps like the ones you buy from Stampin Up. Vulcanized stamps require a matrix mold to be produced for each new design making it an expensive process for small quantities of a single design. The vulcanizing heat press is also quite an expensive stamping machine for home use.
• Laser - Sounds hi-tech and so will your bills be! You can also make your own rubber stamps using a laser engraving machine, however, expenditure is high including its maintenance and operating costs, which are much higher than the vulcanizing process. Lasers are usually used for business style stamps where a custom rubber stamp is required.
• Flash technology - This relatively new stamping technology is not too expensive but the finished stamp has only a single colour, similar to the self inking stamp. This means it's unsuitable for your creative craft stamps. Flash Stamp technology employs a technique where ink flows through a membrane after exposure to a light source. The sections of the membrane containing the artwork remain open from which the ink flows.
• Polymer stamp making - Using a liquid polymer, artwork and a UV light source polymer is the clear choice for making custom rubber stamps at home with its simplicity and cost-effectiveness. You will only need a computer, laser printer and a UV exposure unit and of course the correct polymer for stamp making.

Stamping up with Polymer Rubber

Among the various ways for manufacturing rubber stamps, the polymer stamp making technique is the winner of all available stamp making methods for rubber stamp makers at home. Manufacturing polymer stamps will allow you to get professional quality custom rubber stamps at the lowest price possible!

It might surprise you that polymer stamp making is now the most common method of manufacturing stamps commercially today. The majority of business ink stamps, self inking personalized stamps and increasingly so craft stamps are now more often polymer stamps. Polymer stamps are also known as acrylic polymer, clear stamps, clear rubber stamps and rubber plastic stamps. Interestingly, polymer stamps contain no rubber at all and are still called rubber stamps!

Stamp Making Rules

Before you launch into making your own polymer rubber stamps, you must keep in mind three important factors about polymers. Pay attention to these and you can be assured of a high quality rubber stamp.

• Platemaking Polymers - Used extensively in the printing industry not all photopolymer plates will produce rubber stamps. To make a stamping die a polymer with the durometer reading of 40 is ideal; this is the hardness scale of the cured polymer. InstaPlate is just such a kind of polymer designed to make rubber stamp dies and best suited for home use. It is available as a photopolymer gel in a sachet (commonly known as ‘polymer in a bag'). With InstaPlate, you can be assured of a good quality polymer so request it when you investigate your stamp making supply.

• Polymer Solidification - Some stamp making kits employ other types of polymers that solidify under natural light or a single light bulb. This is not recommended as polymers that solidify under a specific UVA light range are always better. All professional stamp makers use polymers like InstaPlate as it allows control of the UVA light at a specific wavelength to make stamps. So invest in a quality UV exposure unit along with a commercial grade polymer such as InstaPlate to create stamps like the professionals do, this is especially important if you are interested in producing wholesale rubber stamps at home for resale.

• Strength of your Rubber Stamp - We often come across polymer stamps with no structural backing allowing the stamp to naturally stick to a mounting block. While these seem great, they are susceptible to tearing, dirtying and distortion. A strong permanent backing avoids these problems and is becoming very popular now that we have products such as EZMount and InstaGrip. InstaGrip is a new method of affixing rubber stamps to acrylic blocks and is a repositionable mounting system designed for mounting stamps onto acrylic. InstaGrip is basically a clear thin silicone repositional mat that sticks both to the stamp backing and the acrylic block. Since it's transparent, it will allow you to see through the stamp and the block to place your impression, making your stamping process easier than ever before.

The Light Source

You don't need to spend a fortune on a light source for making stamps at home. Commercial stamp machines have built in timers that control the exposure of the polymer and are quite expensive. A better alternative for home stamp making is a smaller craft stamp maker that utilizes an external portable countdown timer. The UVA light output from one of these units will produce the same quality stamp as the larger commercial stamp making systems.

Robert de Rooy has been involved with the stamp making industry for over 12 years and provides technical assistance to stamp makers. He operates two websites about stamp making, one for craft stamp making at home http://www.makingstamps.com.au and another for commercial stamp making http://www.instastamp.com.au

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6 Quick Steps to Stamp Collecting

You get your mail, riffle through, then suddenly you spot that colorful postage stamp and you think, "I should be collecting them."

Or, you're probably awed over that huge collection of stamps featured at the nearby museum. You look at it and say, "That looks like an interesting hobby."

Well then, welcome to the world of postage stamp collecting.

First things first. To start any activity, you have to have your materials and tools. In stamp collecting you'll need:

- Your stamps

- Stamp album or stock book

- A magnifying glass

- A glass vessel, usually 8" by 10" or 10" by 12" in size, to soak your stamps in

- Lots of plain, white, paper towels

- A stamp drying book

- A thermometer

- Heavy books

These can be found at your local post office, DIY store and the internet. You might also want to buy a watermark detector, but if you're just starting out, it isn't really necessary yet.

Now on to the steps:

1. Get

If you're starting from zero, the best way to go is to buy local postage stamps first. A packet of 500 or 1000 assorted worldwide stamps are usually available at your nearest post office. This goes for at least $3 to $6.

Still isn't too varied for you, you could try to buy from dealers who sell "kiloware". Kiloware are stamps on-paper sold by weight (by the pound) for a specific amount. You could also try going to stamp shows where they sell stamps, by the bucket! See http://www.stamps.org for a calendar of the shows.

Now, you can get try getting stamps for free! Here are some quick tips on how to. This will definitely make your stamp hunting more interesting and worthwhile:

- Inform everybody you know that you're collecting stamps. Chances are they'd pull out all that old letters they kept and start giving them to you. Don't forget to say thank you.

- Have relatives in foreign countries? Ask them to send you some (or a lot) of postage stamps available in that country. If that doesn't work, try asking them to send you letters instead.
- Know of anyone who's going on a business trip abroad? A vacation in Asia? Going up north? Ask them to send you post cards form wherever they are. Not only do you get the stamps, you also get to keep track of how they are.

- Get to know your neighbors. Chances are one of them is working in a big company or institution wherein loads of letters pour in everyday. And if you're really lucky, said neighbor might actually be the one in charge of opening all those letters. You get the drift?

- The next time you visit the post office, keep an open eye for stray envelopes that recent visitors have carelessly tossed aside. Many people read and discard their letters at the post office.

- Make friends with fellow collectors. Trading and swapping not only increases your collection, it also allows you to get acquaintances and friends.

- Get your grandma or grandpa to let you see their old letters. There is a high chance that you'll get rare and old stamps that you won't see anywhere ever again.

2. Sort

Have you stamps in one huge box? Now's the time to sort them all out. Sorting is necessary to facilitate the storing process. Most of the stamps you have are on paper because they are cut out from mailing envelopes. You need to sort them out into:

- stamps with white background paper

- stamps with colored background paper

- stamps with rubber stamp ink (especially those in red and purple)

- stamps without rubber stamp ink

3. Trim

Leave about 1-2 cm safety margin when you trim your stamps. Also, try not to cut the perforations, as it will decrease the value of your stamp.

4. Soak

Never try peeling a stamp off the paper, even if it's loose. Peeling like this is a surefire way to ruin your stamp. The way to do it is to soak it in water.

First, fill up your vessel to about half. The water temperature should be around 30-35°C. Water that's too warm or hot will increase the chances of color running. Soak your stamps by batches, around 8 or 10, for around 15 minutes.

Remember: NEVER soak a stamp with white background paper and a stamp with a colored one at the same time. Stamps with a colored background paper and those with rubber stamp inks usually stain the water and might damage your white stamps. This is why you need to sort them all out before starting.

They way to go with these problematic stamps is to soak them individually. Yes, it could be time consuming and tiring but in the end, you'll get great stamps.

After 15 minutes, pick up a stamp with your fingers and try to peel it off the backing. If there is even the slightest of resistance, drop it back into the water and wait for another 10 minutes or so.

5. Dry

After peeling, lay your stamps face up into a waiting paper towel. Put another sheet on top and gently blot the excess moisture. Be extra careful since wet stamps are very fragile.

Afterwards, line them up in the plastic page of your stamp album. Place the blotter sheet atop them, close the book and press. It'd help if you put heavy books on top of the drying book to ensure nice, flat stamps. They should be sufficiently dry after 4-5 hours.

6. Store

If you want to be able to move them around and shuffle them, you' be better off with a stock album. A stock album has plastics sleeves wherein you can keep the stamps and their duplicates.

But if you want to store them for good, you can mount them in a stamp album. It'd be a permanent home for your beloved collection.

Lee Dobbins has been an antique and collectibles enthusiast as well as dealer for 20 years. Visit http://collecting.leisure-webzone.com/ where you can learn more about collecting for fun and profit.

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10 Really Low-Cost Ways to Start Your Stamp Collection

Stamp collecting doesn’t have to be an expensive hobby. You can enjoy collecting stamps with limited financial resources. Here are 10 really low-cost ways to start stamp collecting.

1. Ask your friends to use commemorative stamps on their mail when they write to you. Commemorative stamps are generally larger than regular stamps and are issued to honor famous people, places, or events. Because commemorative stamps are usually issued in lesser quantities than common smaller stamps, they are of much more interest to collectors. Tell your friends that you are a stamp collector and ask them to request commemorative stamps at the post office.

2. When you send away for offers that require postage or self-addressed, stamped envelopes, use commemorative stamps. You’ll get them back when the envelopes are returned to you.

3. Ask your neighbors, friends, and relatives to save their used stamps for you. You’ll find that most people will be happy to save their stamps for you when they learn that you are a collector.

4. If you know someone who gets letters from other countries, ask them to save those stamps. Always be on the lookout for potentially good stamp contacts, and don't be afraid to ask them to go through their mail for you before they throw away all the envelopes.

5. Ask friends and family to save the envelopes from their office mail for you. Many businesses get a lot of foreign mail and regularly throw away stamps that have interest and value to a collector.

6. Ask your parents if they have any old letters with stamps on the envelopes. Don’t peel the stamp off the envelope. This will cause thin spots or tears, both of which ruin a stamp's appearance and lessen its value to collectors. Always tear off the envelope corner so that there is paper all around the stamp, and make sure that all of the perforations are undamaged.

7. If you know other stamp collectors, ask them if they have duplicates that they are willing to give or sell to you. Many collectors have thousands of duplicates and they are often willing to help get new philatelists get started by giving them stamps or by selling them packets of stamps much more cheaply than can be purchased in stores or by mail.

8. Look for free stamps advertised by stamp companies. Free stamps are often offered along with “approvals,” an assortment of other stamps that you must either buy or return. This can be a convenient way to buy stamps. Note, however, that you usually have to pay the return postage if you return the approval stamps.

9. Check out stamp clubs in your area. Clubs may offer stamps as prizes, or have inexpensive stamps you can afford to buy. Some stamp clubs sponsor junior clubs the local community center, YMCA, or schools.

10. Consider starting a stamp club if one doesn’t already exist in your area. It only takes four or five other stamp collectors who are interested in getting together to learn about and trade stamps and ideas.

With free stamps and a few inexpensive accessories, such as a small album and a package of stamp hinges, even collectors with little money can have a great time.

So, what are you waiting for? Start collecting stamps today!

Joan Yankowitz publishes the popular consumer and business “Kwik eGuides” at http://www.kwikeguides.com Instantly download “How to Start Stamp Collecting" ” Kwik eGuide at http://www.kwikeguides.com/stamp.htm

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Joan_Yankowitz

Collecting Stamps – More Than A Kids Play

Most people may know that collectible rare stamps have high price tags. However, only people involved in the collection and purchase of rare stamps, know that making a stamp investment is one of the best investment options available out there.

The whole idea behind investments is that there is a waiting period before an investor can see the benefits. And this is especially true in the case of stamp investments. The field of rare stamps is probably one of the fields that are not going to get affected by any economic crisis, no matter how harsh it may be. That’s the best part about rare stamps, they can never depreciate.

There is a constant overwhelming number of collectors entering the rare stamps market, and this only leads to an increase in value for the stamps. The reason why this happens is because, the number of rare stamps is limited, so with the increasing number of collectors and intermediaries, there are not enough to go around. Therefore, we can easily observe that the demand is completely outweighing the supply. The larger the demand, the higher the prices get on rare stamps.

Buying 200 or 100 years old stamps is not the only way to make a stamp investment. Well versed stamp investors prospect various countries around the world that foresee economic growth in the long term. These countries are usually the best sources for quality rare stamps that turn out to be high quality stamp investments. One thing you have to keep an eye out for is quality. The quality has been and always will be directly proportional with the price tag for that item. Making a stamp investment by purchasing stamps of a low quality will not only bring no profit, but it will most likely lead to losses.

The best thing about collecting stamps and keeping them for a profit is that the only requirements are a little education on the subject, and a flair for business. Stamp investments have settled in the top 4 investment options. Investing in rare stamps will get you an annual return of at least 12%.

Moreover, the stock exchange market in London currently holds a company that is selling 150 year old rare stamps. An accomplished stamp collector must be knowledgeable and able to correctly grade and classify rare stamps; must have extensive knowledge about rare stamps from all over the world. He must know the correct ways to handle and store his stamps. Also, keeping tight relationships with other collectors and philatelists, ensures that a collector’s stamp investment will be on the safe side, in the long run.

As a conclusion, I’ll say that collecting stamps is not just a kids’ hobby, but it can also turn into a true business opportunity. And the best thing is, you don’t have to start big; you can just buy a rare stamp, or two, and see how that works out; or maybe, even sift through your parents or grandparents’ stamp collections to see if you find an item that might turn out to be a genuine gem.

By: Groshan Fabiola

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