List Of BEP Printing Presses

A few years ago I made a list of the various printing presses used
by the BEP in the modern era.
I gleaned the info from various sources and was never sure if it was correct.

Now with pressman Uknjay onsite I wonder if he would comment
on the list.

Cott. = Cottrell press - single-color intaglio presses The method of printing, with two plates fastened together to form the printing cylinder, created joint lines on the stamps, with a line and plate number every 24 stamps. The last Cottrell was retired in 1985.
From 1956 until the late 1980s, Cottrell Presses were the mainstay of postage stamp printing at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. These presses were designed by the Huck Corporation and built by the Cottrell Co. (thus the name). Most stamps of the Liberty, Prominent Americans, Americana, Transportation, and Great Americans series, as well as numerous commemoratives, were produced on these presses. The BEP owned five of these presses, officially designated as presses 801, 802, 803, 804, and 805. *
Source was from link below.

A Press

This press was capable of printing up to eight colors (five-color gravure and three-color intaglio), has produced a number of single-color definitives in the Transportation coil and Great Americans series, as well as a number of commemoratives and airmails, such as the 36-cent Igor Sikorsky. The A Press, actually designated press 702, was obtained by the BEP in 1973.


B Press

B = B press at BEP, Giori single- station three-color intaglio press with a single seamless printing cylinder, hence no joint lines. Plate numbers occur once every 52 stamps. Dismantled in 1993.
This all-intaglio printing press, acquired by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing in 1973 (and began use in 1976), was capable of producing three-color intaglio stamps. It was the workhorse for most of the Transportation coil and Great Americans series stamps. The press was officially designated as Press 701.

C Press

Goebel single- station three-color intaglio press, single seamless cylinder, plate number every 48 stamps.
Web fed intaglio press utilized by the BEP (obtained in 1982) to print numerous definitive issues of the 1980s and 1990s. The press was officially designated as Press 901.

D Press

Goebel multi- station combination offset-intaglio press, with an intaglio station identical to that of the C press, hence a plate number every 48 stamps.
A six-color offset, three-color intaglio press . In addition to producing numerous commemoratives, the D Press was frequently used to produce single-color definitive stamps. Obtained in 1984, the D press first produced the 20-cent Smoky Bear stamp. It was officially designated as press 902.

F Press

Goebel multi- station combination offset-intaglio press, similar
to the D press. I have no other info on this one.

The Huck nine colour intaglio press used between 1968 - 1976 was was prone to printing problems and never lived up to potential.


Andreotti Press

An Italian-made press at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, acquired in 1970 to produce stamps by photogravure. The seven-color web fed press has been used as the workhorse press for the majority of all U.S. multicolored commemorative stamps since that time; it has also produced some aerogramme's. It is officially designated by the BEP as Press 601.
In 1971, the Andreotti photogravure press was placed into service . The 8¢ Missouri Sesquicentennial commemorative (Scott 1426) was the first U.S. photogravure stamp produced on this BEP press.


See this previous thread listing BEP presses by Florian.*

http://goscf.com/t/48481

I see some of them on here yes but like any government agency we had some old presses that were left in mothballs. I see if I can say what they use as I do not know if I can tell you. I never was asked what we used before. I do not want to say something I would be not to tell. Like all things the government wants to keep it's on secrets. I will return and answer what I can. They do not want the counterfeiter to get a heads up on how they are made. I think that was why we could not talk about it in the passed. I just never talked about it so I find out what I can say or not say and I will return.

The U.S. Stamp Society has some of this information in their Durland Plate Number Catalogue.