The US Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP)
and most private sector printers of stamps have long produced dummy/testing
material to check out their printing presses and other stamp manufacturing
equipment. Such printings are primarily intended for internal
use and are not regularly available outside the printing facilities.
Some dummy/testing material is produced for use
by the United States Postal Service (USPS) and by commercial firms preparing
large mailings.
Early dummy/testing coils were usually unprinted
"stamps" produced with the then current perforations and adhesive.
For Testing Purposes Only (FTPO) coils have been
printed by the US Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP) since approximately
1962.
These coils are used to set up both postal equipment,
such as coil vending machines, and the stamp affixing machines used by
companies preparing large mailings.
These examples were printed on the BEP B Press,
are untagged and have dull gum. Coils were generally available in
either rolls of 500 or rolls of 3,000. |