stamp printers by country

BELGIUM 

    = Understood to be a current stamp printer.

 First postage stamp issued: 1849.

Algemene Werkplaats van het Zagel, Malines.
now (2012) known as
 bPost Stamps Factory (SPB)
English language translation of earlier name: Stamp Printing Office.
First stamp(s) traced by compiler: 1849 for Belgium.
Main printing process(es): Litho, die-cut, recess, gravure.

The State Printing Office of Belgium initially produced its output from the Brussels Northern railway station, where it stayed from 1848 until 1868. They subsequently moved to Mechelen, a location that they are still at, albeit in different premises to their initial one.

Their first foreign stamp commission was the Irish 1995 Fontenoy set, a commemoration that Belgium also took part in.

A Certified Security Printer with the scope of designing and producing postage stamps and other franking stamps as well as security marks for the national Post and other international private and governmental organizations; as well as promoting, selling and distributing these postage stamps, franking stamps, First Day Covers and First day Sheets and other collector items for philatelists.


Atelier Ceysens, Brussels.
First stamp(s) traced by compiler: 1972 for Senegal.


Chalot-Deheneffe SA, Brussels.
First stamp(s) traced by compiler: [when?].


[Etablissements de Schutter Photogravure], Malines.
This company has often been credited with printing photogravure stamps for Belgium. They have not printed, but have engraved the cylinders used by the printers at Malines.

and

[P. P. G. de Schutter], Malines.
This company has often been credited with printing photogravure stamps for Belgium. They have not printed, but have engraved the cylinders used by the printers at Malines.

are one and the same company. "P.P.G." stands for Pre Press Group (incorporating the photogravure, which was the main reprographic house), and De Schutter was until the late 1980s Belgian's first and premier supplier and worldwide exporter of engraved cylinders for all sectors of the industry, including stamp printing. After that, decline sadly began for this renowned company, that was founded in 1947 in Antwerp and had its workshops until 2004 in de Venusstraat (central Antwerp). The company was owned all that time by the De Schutter family, was sold in 2004, merged and is now called De Schutter Neroc.

Malines (or Mechelen as this Flemish city is officially called) is still home to the State Printing Office of Belgium. The building (across Mechelens main railway station) in which the stamp printing presses were originally housed was colloquially called "den Tember" (from the French "le timbre", meaning "the stamp") by local people.


Gouweloos Freres, Brussels.
First stamp(s) traced by compiler: 1879 (Railway Parcel stamps) for Belgium.


Imprimerie Belge de Securite S.A., Brussels.
Founded: 1953.
First stamp(s) traced by compiler: [when?].

At the time of it founding, the President was none other than P A Waterlow, of Waterlow and Sons Limited fame, the company being a subsidiary of the London-based organisation. Much emphasis in their inaugural brochure focussed on the rotary direct plate process and included samples of their work.


Imprimerie Dereume, Brussels.
First stamp(s) traced by compiler: 1970 for Central African Empire.


Institut de Gravure, Brussels.
First stamp(s) traced by compiler: 1939 (Railway Parcel Stamps) for Belgium.


Imprimerie-Drukkerij SA, Brussels.
Abbreviation known by: IPM.
Founded: 1890.
First stamp(s) traced by compiler: 1965 [who for?].

IPM produce a range of non-security printed items, including folders, brochures, periodicals, posters, barcode labels and mailers. On the security printing front, they generate passports, raffle tickets, cash vouchers, shares and bonds, cheques and, of course, postage stamps.


[J. Malvaux], Brussels.
This company has often been credited with printing photogravure stamps for Belgium. They have not printed, but have engraved the cylinders used by the printers at Malines.


Sip-Catoir, Brussels.
First stamp(s) traced by compiler: 1929 for Belgium.


Verschueren, Antwerp.
Based in the twaalfmaandenstr, Verschueren printed during the first world war  two series of stamps   10/1914 nr 123-123-125 and 126-127-128  of the official Belgium catalogue. Later in war the printer began to make forgeries by the millions which are found all over the world. Of the real stamps, they made very little, just tens of thousands of each.