The Postage Stamp Printing Bureau of China Post Group has signed a contract for a 6-color Nilpeter MO-4 offset press for Chinese stamp production. China produces about 2.5 billion stamps each year, worth 1.5 billion Euros. In addition, 5 billion greeting cards with stamps are produced on an annual basis.

The Chinese interest in the Danish-produced press came about through networking and cooperation with Post Danmark (part of the newly Scandinavian post fusion between the Danish and S€€€wedish postal services). Over the last three years, Post Danmark has run a program that enhances the quality of the design and craftsmanship of stamp production, and the Danish postal service recently invested in a Nilpeter offset press for production of self-adhesive stamps. One of the strong selling points for China was that the Nilpeter press has been successfully combined with Post Danmark’s intaglio unit to deliver stamps of the highest quality.

Subsequently, a delegation of Nilpeter representatives was invited to China to discuss the stamp printing possibilities. As a result of the meeting, the Chinese Government issued a tender for a new press for production of self-adhesive stamps. Nilpeter says it sealed the deal thanks to the innovative technological features of the MO-4.

The Danish postal service sells Danish stamps to Chinese stamp collectors. China has more stamp collectors than any other nation – it is said that there are 20 million “hardcore” Chinese collectors. In comparison, Denmark has approximately 150,000 collectors. The Danish stamps are in a high demand in China because of their outstanding quality.

Until recently, the collectors had been uninterested in self-adhesive stamps because they could not be steamed off envelopes. But thanks to a special laminate developed by paper suppliers Avery Dennsion and UPM Raflatac, in collaboration with Nilpeter and Post Danmark, the Danish self-adhesive stamps may be steamed off without damage to the stamp.