stamp printers by country

GREAT BRITAIN
Companies A to D 

    = Understood to be a current stamp printer.

Companies E-K       Companies L-R 
Companies S-Z

A. Alexander & Sons, Ltd., [where].
First stamp(s) traced by compiler: 1910 for Newfoundland. This company printed stamps on a sub-contracted basis for Newfoundland via Whitehead, Morris & Co. Ltd.


Barclay & Fry, London.
Abbreviation known by: BFL.
First stamp(s) traced by compiler: 1893 for Municipal Post of Shanghai, China.

Lithographers and letterpress printers originally based at The Grove Southwark, Barclay and Fry eventually became the Metal Box Co.


Blades, East and Blades Limited, London and Leeds
First stamp(s) traced by compiler: 1883 for The British North Borneo Company Administration.
Incorporated: 1921.

Known to have printed: "To the probationer-nurses of the Nightingale Fund School, at St. Thomas's Hospital. Florence Nightingale. New Year's Day 1886" in 1886.


Board of Inland Revenue
(See Somerset House entry below.)


Bowater Group, London.
This group of companies originated from a London paper merchant set up by William Vansittart Bowater in 1881. Moving into manufacture, the company became the largest producer of newsprint in the UK, and, for a while, in the world. In 1972, it merged with Ralli International. McCorquodale were a part of this group. (See entry below.)


Bradbury, Wilkinson & Company Limited (then PLC), New Malden.
Abbreviation known by: BW or BWC.
Founded: 1856.
Main printing process(es): Litho, recess, typography.

The origins of the firm go back to 1856 when printer Henry Bradbury came up with a remarkable suggestion to combat the epidemic of counterfeiting of bank notes. Whilst speaking to the Royal Institution he put forward the idea of intaglio printing for bank notes.

He formed a company with his partner and engraver, Robert Wilmot Wilkinson and executed their first bank note order for Montevideo in 1858. In 1871, the firm made its first engraving for postage stamps, preparing plates for the state of Hyderabad, but did not print the stamps at that time. However, within seven years, they were engraving and printing the first issue for the Falkland Islands.

They were one of the more important security printers and, despite printing stamps for overseas countries, did not do so for the British Post Office until the famous "Sea Horses" (1918) were issued, which was printed at their (then) works situated in the Farringdon Road,

From there Bradbury had to move to larger premises by 1922, when their new site in New Malden, Surrey, had become the most modern security works in Europe. The firm was acquired by De La Rue in 1983.

Note that in 2005, the company was still registered as in existence, albeit owned by De La Rue as a subsidiary and apparently not trading under that name.


Clarke and Sherwell Limited, Northampton.
Founded: [when?].
Main printing process(es): Photogravure.

This company produced their first postal item when acting as a sub-contractor to De La Rue in the late 1960s.

In 1956, they printed books such as "Shakespeare: a Pictorial Biography".


Clays Limited, [where].
Founded: They were an old family firm of book printers, one of the big trio of family book printers in East Anglia from the 19thcentury.
Main printing process(es):Lithography for stamps, but see below.

Reputed to have printed Fiji definitive stamps in the (1970s?). Probably sub-contracted by De La Rue, or similar major printer of the day. However, a collector recently (2016) stated: "I would treat with great suspicion the idea that they may have printed, even as a subcontractor, some Fiji material on behalf of De La Rue. I say this because I knew, and had dealings with Richard Clay & Company Ltd in the 1960s, and in the 1970s and early 1980s."


W. S. Cowells Limited, Ipswich.
First stamp(s) traced by compiler: 1968 for Yemen PDR.
Main printing process(es): Litho.

Cowells were renowned for their printing of books, such as "The Natural History of Selborne" by Gilbert White in 1972 that incorporated 16 full-page lithographic plates and many vignettes in the text by John Nash.

Apparently, their first postal item appeared in 1982 for Swaziland, when they printed a commemorative 21^st Birthday of the Princess of Wales issue according to the Crown Agents. However, the compiler knows that they actually started in 1968, when an issue for Yemen PDR was produced.

Sadly, an item in the printing trade press of 11 November 1998 stated: "Security & General Media is to be closed down as the receivers have failed to find a buyer. Hundreds of jobs will be lost at its two divisions - Cowells in Ipswich and Spottiswoode Ballantyne in Colchester."


Dando, Todhunter & Smith, London.
First stamp(s) traced by compiler: 1860 for Liberia.


Debden Security Printing Limited, Loughton.
Abbreviation known by: DSP.
Founded: 1986.
Activities English (D&B)  Were lithographic Security Printers for The Bank Of England.
First postal-related items were British Post Office 1987 engraved exhibition cards.

DSP was a wholly owned subsidiary of the Bank of England, registered in 1986. Primary production was of English bank notes, with experience of such printing going back to 1956. Spare capacity was used for other commercial jobs of a secure nature and a range of bank note related giftware. De La Rue took over the company.

No testing-type items are known in the field of philately, but some attractive bank note samples have been produced for promotional and testing purposes. These are outside the scope of this work, but are worth acquiring from numismatic dealers.


Thomas De La Rue and Company Limited, London and Basingstoke.
Abbreviation known by: TDLR or DLR.
Founded: 1813.
Incorporated: 1 July 1898.
First stamp(s) traced by compiler: 1853 (Fiscal) and 1855 (Postage and Revenue).
Main printing process(es): Litho, typography, photogravure, recess
Graham & Whiteside's Business Description: The principal activities of the Group are the manufacture of security products including currency, passports, travellers' cheques, cheques, bonds and documents requiring security features. The Group is also an international market leader in cash counting, sorting and authentication equipment for banks and sells a range of identification and electronic payment systems and products

Origins of the Group lie in the efforts of Thomas De La Rue to build a business in printing and publishing on the island of Guernsey. Failing this, he made his way to London to make his fortune. There he dabbled, among other things, in hat making.

De La Rue finally made good again in printing and ultimately a fortune arose from the printing of stamps (then in its infancy) and from his patented production of quality playing cards. The latter were much in demand in Victorian England. British fiscal stamp production began in 1853, with postage stamps coming two years later.

The Group is now best known for its security printing, the fruit of its earlier fastidiousness. Stamps still feature, but printing of currency is a more profitable line.


De La Rue Security Print, Dunstable (due to be Gateshead in 2012/13).
Main printing process(es): Litho, typography, photogravure, recess, gravure, die-cut.
Graham & Whiteside's Business Description: The principal activities of the Group are the manufacture of security products including currency, passports, travellers' cheques, cheques, bonds and documents requiring security features. The Group is also an international market leader in cash counting, sorting and authentication equipment for banks and sells a range of identification and electronic payment systems and products

Following the acquisition of Harrison and Sons Limited in 1997 (see entry below), DLR was once again in the business of postage stamp printing, albeit under a different trading name to previously. They moved to Byfleet in Surrey from High Wycombe, having taken over the House of Questa.in September 2002. The Byfleet site then became De La Rue's stamp printing operation centre. However, in November 2003 De La Rue announced withdrawal from stamp printing for the international stamp market and that the Byfleet site would close down.


John Dickinson & Co. Ltd., [Where?].
Founded: 1804.
First stamp(s) traced by compiler: 1939 (postage dues) for Newfoundland.
Main printing process(es): Litho
Activities English (D&B): Stationery Manufacturers


J. W. Dunn Printers Limited, Sutton.
First stamp(s) traced by compiler: 1986 (Surcharges) for Bermuda.