hrdoktorx
Member 
Posts: 7,144
What I collect: France (and French territories), Africa, Canada, USA, Germany, Guatemala, stamps about science, flags, maps, stamps on stamps...
|
Post by hrdoktorx on Mar 4, 2021 6:57:21 GMT
I can't believe it took me all afternoon to finish making up the Christmas pages.
A very nice Christmas page. And the work you put into it makes it even more disheartening for me to have to point out that "toques" is not the correct French word for the hats! A "toque" is a kitchen chef's hat (the white paper thing that's puffy on top), while the winter hat is a "tuque" (like the town of La Tuque in Quebec halfway between Shawinigan and Lac Saint-Jean). Admittedly, this is a true French-Canadian word that has no actual equivalent in metropolitan French, but then again, what do the folks from France really know about winter (with the possible exception of the Alpine dwellers)? |
|
brightonpete
Departed
Rest in Peace
On a hike at Goodrich-Loomis
Posts: 5,110 
|
Post by brightonpete on Mar 4, 2021 14:58:43 GMT
brightonpete, I'm curious,on your pages, how big is the border beyond each stamp? I like how the mount fits inside the border on your Christmas page.  It's just 1 pixel thick. I tried thicker, and Steiner's defaults to 0.48 pixel. But 1 is good enough for me. |
|
brightonpete
Departed
Rest in Peace
On a hike at Goodrich-Loomis
Posts: 5,110
|
Post by brightonpete on Mar 4, 2021 15:01:57 GMT
A very nice Christmas page. And the work you put into it makes it even more disheartening for me to have to point out that "toques" is not the correct French word for the hats! A "toque" is a kitchen chef's hat (the white paper thing that's puffy on top), while the winter hat is a "tuque" (like the town of La Tuque in Quebec halfway between Shawinigan and Lac Saint-Jean). Admittedly, this is a true French-Canadian word that has no actual equivalent in metropolitan French, but then again, what do the folks from France really know about winter (with the possible exception of the Alpine dwellers)? That's the trouble with English/ French spellings. I've always seen it as toque. |
|
JeffS
Member
Posts: 2,804
What I collect: Oranges Philately, US Slogan Cancels, Cape of Good Hope Triangulars, and Texas poster stamps and cinderellas
|
Post by JeffS on Mar 4, 2021 22:56:07 GMT
PostmasterGS - I admire the way you have shown variety details on your page.
|
|
madbaker
Member
Posts: 779
What I collect: (Mark) General worldwide collector (to 1975 or so) with a soft spot for Sweden and the rest of Scandinavia.
|
Post by madbaker on Mar 4, 2021 23:17:21 GMT
brightonpete , I'm curious,on your pages, how big is the border beyond each stamp? I like how the mount fits inside the border on your Christmas page. It's just 1 pixel thick. I tried thicker, and Steiner's defaults to 0.48 pixel. But 1 is good enough for me.
Sorry brightonpete, I was too vague. I mean the extra size of the box. I'll add 2mm on all sides in AlbumEasy. So if my stamp is 25mm wide, the box will be 29mm wide (2+25+2). Yours appear wider because you can fit the whole mount in there, which is itself larger than the stamp.
So are you going 4mm larger than the stamp, for example?
I'll play around with some sizes - I like PostmasterGS 's page above very much. |
|
|
|
Post by PostmasterGS on Mar 5, 2021 0:57:01 GMT
madbaker , WRT the amount of space to add, I don't use a pre-defined amount on my pages. Rather, I make the amount added left and right match the distance between the top/bottom of the stamp and the top/bottom of the mount. This way, the mount makes a nice, consistent-width "border" around the stamp. Compare these two. The top was an earlier version where I didn't do this, and the mount looks too narrow, especially when you zoom out on screen or hold the page at arm's length. The bottom is a more recent version where I made more of an effort to make the L/R match the T/B. Note that even though it's only an additional mm or so, it makes a difference in the overall appearance.  It's even more noticeable on vertically-oriented stamps. 
|
|
brightonpete
Departed
Rest in Peace
On a hike at Goodrich-Loomis
Posts: 5,110
|
Post by brightonpete on Mar 5, 2021 2:05:48 GMT
madbaker : I haven't worried about exact sizing. I just add a bit all around the stamp if I am doing the measuring, otherwise it is Steiner's guess. And some of his is just that: a guess! Some need to be re-sized to suit.
|
|
madbaker
Member
Posts: 779
What I collect: (Mark) General worldwide collector (to 1975 or so) with a soft spot for Sweden and the rest of Scandinavia.
|
Post by madbaker on Mar 5, 2021 2:59:35 GMT
Ok, I see now. I missed where you said you base the box size off the mount size, PostmasterGS. Thanks for clarifying. I'm going to work up another page tonight and see how that goes. My reflex is to grab my hinge box, but i'm holding off for now.  |
|
clivel
Member
Posts: 382
What I collect: Basutoland, Bechuanaland, Rhodesias, South Africa, Swaziland, Israel to 1980, Ireland predecimal, Palestine Mandate
|
Post by clivel on Mar 5, 2021 7:56:53 GMT
Ok, I see now. I missed where you said you base the box size off the mount size, PostmasterGS . Thanks for clarifying. I'm going to work up another page tonight and see how that goes. My reflex is to grab my hinge box, but i'm holding off for now. I purchased an accumulation of Lighthouse mounts some years ago, these are the only mounts I have ever used. In the sizes that I use, they are consistently 4mm taller than the stamp sizes leaving a 2mm margin top and bottom, so I make my boxes 4mm wider than the actual stamp which gives an equal borders all round. The mount size on the packaging is specified by stamp height, not actual mount height. i.e a package labelled 25mm contains mounts that are actually 29mm tall intended to hold a 25mm stamp. This may or may not apply to mounts by other manufactures. Also, I use clear mounts as I prefer the look, they also have the advantage of being more forgiving. Clive |
|
angore
Member
Posts: 5,665
What I collect: WW, focus on British Empire
Member is Online
|
Post by angore on Mar 5, 2021 10:57:37 GMT
There is a situation where the mount is either oversize (like for self-adhesives) or stamp being too tall for one size and a tad small given that some mounts are not available in the right increment/ If you use a slightly larger mount, you have to adjust it more to look centered. For those that use black mounts and want the box frame visible, mount size is key.
|
|
brightonpete
Departed
Rest in Peace
On a hike at Goodrich-Loomis
Posts: 5,110
|
Post by brightonpete on Mar 5, 2021 13:17:23 GMT
Oh geeze, I just trim close to the stamp. I don't fret about getting the correct size of mount. I take what's handy, trim the vertical, then lop off the horizontal. I think PostmasterGS would cringe at what I do! But it works for me.
|
|
stainlessb
Member
qaStaHvIS yIn 'ej chep
Posts: 4,884
What I collect: currently focused on most of western Europe, much of which is spent on France, Belgium, Germany and Great Britain Queen Victoria
|
Post by stainlessb on Mar 11, 2021 0:22:25 GMT
|
|
renden
Member
Posts: 9,148
What I collect: Canada-USA-France-Lithuania-Austria--Germany-Mauritius-French Colonies in Africa
|
Post by renden on Mar 11, 2021 1:15:18 GMT
Stan stainlessbI like your pages, simple and well done - the important info is there for me and you use 2 catalogs - great !! René |
|
darkormex
Member
Swinging through Switzerland and getting tied up in Thailand
Posts: 2,195
What I collect: The World...just printing and mounting as I go...call me crazy!
|
Post by darkormex on Mar 11, 2021 1:40:00 GMT
I second that renden, I really like stainlessb's pages too. I wish I had the time and focus to create pages like that. |
|
stainlessb
Member
qaStaHvIS yIn 'ej chep
Posts: 4,884
What I collect: currently focused on most of western Europe, much of which is spent on France, Belgium, Germany and Great Britain Queen Victoria
|
Post by stainlessb on Mar 12, 2021 21:33:39 GMT
and another some of the stamps have very heavy obliterations... but it is what I have- 3 pages to go until I catch up to the 1893-1900 issues with delivery/non-delivery tabs (completed). Once thats done, back to France, or maybe start Austria, or some of the German States (the minor states may only take a few pages to complete!)  |
|
stainlessb
Member
qaStaHvIS yIn 'ej chep
Posts: 4,884
What I collect: currently focused on most of western Europe, much of which is spent on France, Belgium, Germany and Great Britain Queen Victoria
|
Post by stainlessb on Mar 13, 2021 0:24:27 GMT
and one final page to complete the day Belgium 1884-86 reissue of 1869reclining lion under denomination with coat of arms. The 5c green blue I have only found with the pizza roller cancel- if anyone has one without, please share a scan! The 2 c brown versus darker brown is more like "Brown" and a bit more "Brown"- not convinced that I've got that correct  |
|
madbaker
Member
Posts: 779
What I collect: (Mark) General worldwide collector (to 1975 or so) with a soft spot for Sweden and the rest of Scandinavia.
|
Post by madbaker on Apr 4, 2021 22:05:53 GMT
Hey there DIY stampers! Just thought I'd let you know that I posted several pages of my new, improved, AlbumEasy built Sweden pages over in the Sweden section of the forum. Head over if you want to see more. Volume 1 is 55 pages, running up to 1958. But I might add 6-8 more pages to take it up to the first stamp issued on Sweden's multi-colour press in 1965. So volume 2 is into the era of multi-coloured, engraved stamps. It's also the 'prime Slania' timeperiod.
Volume 1 (after the first few pages which I had already printed and mounted) have the margins centred, to be used with sheet protectors.
In volume 2, I moved the country name up into the page border and shifted the left margin so there is room to punch holes. Probably. I haven't printed them yet so might use sheet protectors here too.
Here's an example of what one of the earlier pages looks like. More over in the Sweden area.  |
|
brightonpete
Departed
Rest in Peace
On a hike at Goodrich-Loomis
Posts: 5,110
|
Post by brightonpete on Apr 8, 2021 20:54:31 GMT
When I started collecting Iceland, I thought not before 1931 and no BOB. But then I just picked up a couple sets of airmails. Well, the Gyrfalcon and the 1947 set of views around the island. So I figured I might as well make up the album pages. Using Steiner as a base, I quickly altered them to suit my tastes. Before I printed them out (phew!) I noticed a couple errors. I also noted a red overprint to the Balbo Flight overprints. Why is it black in Steiner, and why did he invert the colours of them too? It's not a white airplane or wording on the stamps! So I scanned the graphic images from the SG catalogue a few times, as some were close to the spine. But I finally got that all sorted out and two pages are now done! Just two? Yes, I am slow! But I like mine much more than Steiner's!
I'll save page 3 for tomorrow. It's time to read a book or maybe watch a bit of TV.
|
|
Beryllium Guy
Moderator 
Posts: 5,889
What I collect: Worldwide Stamps 1840-1930
|
Post by Beryllium Guy on Apr 13, 2021 20:22:44 GMT
Vintage Album Page Headers
Customized for Use on Hagner Stock SheetsMost of you know by now that I formerly used pre-printed albums, but I have switched in the last 2-3 years over to Hagner stock sheets. But I like the look and feel of vintage album page headers, so I have tried to incorporate those into my collection. I started by simply cutting out the actual page headers from old albums that I bought in mixed lots, but the main problem there is that the original headers are too big vertically to fit neatly on a stock page with 7 or 8 rows in it.  Composite image showing original vintage album pages (circa 1901-1909) and a few other headers at the top, and images printed from scans at the bottom. So, I have started scanning and reprinting the headers, which allows me to reduce the size so that it will fit into pages with shorter strip heights. I have also learned how to further customize the headers by manipulating the images. As you can see in the photo above, some pages are split between two countries. In those cases, I am able to use MS PowerPoint to modify the images to create a header for a single country out of one that originally had two. I find that it works quite well. Opinions are welcome, of course. I can also show more detailed images of my work, if anyone is interested.
|
|
brightonpete
Departed
Rest in Peace
On a hike at Goodrich-Loomis
Posts: 5,110
|
Post by brightonpete on Apr 13, 2021 20:44:48 GMT
I never thought of doing that to jazz up an album page. Something else to occupy my time! As if I need any more of that!
Thanks, Chris! (Beryllium Guy)
|
|
renden
Member
Posts: 9,148
What I collect: Canada-USA-France-Lithuania-Austria--Germany-Mauritius-French Colonies in Africa
|
Post by renden on Apr 13, 2021 20:50:35 GMT
I will remain a "simple" DIY guy until stamps do not interest me anymore........KISS (keep it simple.......)
As long as you have the data on your stamps in a controlled computer environment.....and you can refer to it anytime
René
|
|
madbaker
Member
Posts: 779
What I collect: (Mark) General worldwide collector (to 1975 or so) with a soft spot for Sweden and the rest of Scandinavia.
|
Post by madbaker on Apr 13, 2021 21:28:19 GMT
I think those classic page headers look amazing, Chris. Beryllium Guy. They aren't timeless - they reflect a specific period in time - but that's what makes them so cool. Especially as they are from the era which you collect. Great idea moving those toned page headers far away from your stamps too. I suspect the colours in the stamps will 'pop' even more once the old blotchy paper is removed from the scene. I love the Hagnar stock pages too. Would love to see a page with all your headers / markings intact. |
|
Beryllium Guy
Moderator
Posts: 5,889
What I collect: Worldwide Stamps 1840-1930
|
Post by Beryllium Guy on Apr 13, 2021 21:45:39 GMT
Thanks for your kind comments, Mark ( madbaker) and Peter ( brightonpete). Mark, is this image below what you meant? This is an example of my first page for Germany now, with the newly printed header. I also got some nice old ivory-toned blank album pages from Michael ( Londonbus1) that I use for the headers. Modern white paper just didn't look right.... it's too bright. I really like the look of the ivory.  |
|
clivel
Member
Posts: 382
What I collect: Basutoland, Bechuanaland, Rhodesias, South Africa, Swaziland, Israel to 1980, Ireland predecimal, Palestine Mandate
|
Post by clivel on May 9, 2021 4:32:01 GMT
One of the difficulties when printing one's own album pages is finding suitable paper and binders. For my Initial foray into album creation I used Lighthouse blank A4 pages (8-1/4" x 11-3/4") which I placed back to back in Lighthouse clear page protectors which I stored in Lighthouse Vario G binders.
This worked well for me, although I did have some misgivings about the page protectors as I had read various comments that suggested that they could create a microclimate that may have an adverse effect on the stamps. This ended when I ran out of the pages I had bough on a sale some years ago - I was absolutely horrified at the price I would have to pay to continue with these pages, the paper is currently about CDN$1 a page in packs of 40, while the sheet protectors are about CDN$2 each in packs of 5.
This was followed by Southworth 8-1/2" x 11" office paper. The 100% cotton paper is billed as acid and lignin free "archival quality". Unfortunately, it is difficult to find the 120gsm (32lb) in Canada so I had to order from the US.
Once again I placed these back to back in page protectors, but I really did not like the result, the protectors and the binders looked more at home in an office than in a prized collection. Next I tried Staples 148gsm (67lb) cover stock which is billed as acid-free, but not necessarily archival. This is sturdy enough to not require page protectors but I was still left with the ugly office binders. And also, without page protectors, the pages themselves needed to be punched thus reducing the usable width.
A few weeks ago while browsing Craigslist I came across a barely used Epson WF-7210 printer for $50. It needed new ink cartridges, but as I don't use colour for my album pages I only replaced the black. The WF-7210 can print on pages as big as 13" x 19" which opened up a whole new world of possibilities. After some research, I decided to order a pack of the Stanley Gibbons 22 hole blank album pages, available in packs of 25 pages the cost per pages is about $0.50. Not cheap, but not too excessive either. The pages are 248 x 283mm and available in either 140gsm or 240gsm weight. I chose the lighter weight, but in retrospect I think that the heavier paper might have been preferable. At the same time I ordered a Sandringham Binder which is the cheaper of the two 22 ring binders offered by SG. Next time I will add a slipcase as well. I first wanted to try the paper and printer combination before investing too much into the system. Unfortunately shipping from the UK to Canada is a bit of a killer, but an unnecessary evil - on the other hand I was astounded at how quickly it took for the pages to get here. As for the results, so far I am absolutely delighted. For example this page: The photo really doesn't do it justice, the album and pages look far nicer in real life. For me, I think that I have found the solution to my album dilemma, Clive |
|
angore
Member
Posts: 5,665
What I collect: WW, focus on British Empire
Member is Online
|
Post by angore on May 9, 2021 10:22:03 GMT
Very nice Clive.
|
|
madbaker
Member
Posts: 779
What I collect: (Mark) General worldwide collector (to 1975 or so) with a soft spot for Sweden and the rest of Scandinavia.
|
Post by madbaker on May 10, 2021 2:45:22 GMT
I love the page clivel. Have you checked with FVH stamps in Vancouver? They claim to be able to get the entire SG catalogue at good rates. Might save you some on the shipping. I really like the look of the 22 ring binders. I keep going between fancy Lighthouse binders and cheapo Staples binders because I never have found anything better than the binders from technical manuals I brought home from work in the 1990s. They were for a product called IEF (Information Engineering Facility). Lots of ugly branding on the outside but they are made of stiff cardboard with glued paper covers. No plastic at all. They are 35 years old and still look brand new. I wish I had more. Paper covered cardboard binders seem to be a lost art, like quill pens and blacksmithing. |
|
angore
Member
Posts: 5,665
What I collect: WW, focus on British Empire
Member is Online
|
Post by angore on May 10, 2021 10:04:35 GMT
I agree on binder quality, I know in the business world (likely main consumer) they are a commodity and price (so cost) is king. I have some Lighthouse binders but their ring mechanism is not that robust.
|
|
clivel
Member
Posts: 382
What I collect: Basutoland, Bechuanaland, Rhodesias, South Africa, Swaziland, Israel to 1980, Ireland predecimal, Palestine Mandate
|
Post by clivel on May 10, 2021 18:44:01 GMT
Have you checked with FVH stamps in Vancouver? They claim to be able to get the entire SG catalogue at good rates. Might save you some on the shipping. Thanks for the tip madbaker I had forgotten about FVH Stamps, I will definitely give them a call before my next order. Clive
|
|
djcmh
Member
Posts: 794
What I collect: Worldwide
|
Post by djcmh on Jun 4, 2021 11:37:43 GMT
It's been more than a hot minute since I've shown progress on my Canada Page Layouts for my Vario Album, but tonight I finally finished up laying out the Admiral issues and integrating them into my pages that I had already made. Result is over 8 pages of Admirals for my album, covering pages 25 through 33 of the volume. 
 I prefer to follow as strictly chronological an order as possible, so the Admirals are split up with sets for the 50th Anniversary of Confederation in 1917 (I did put the OHMS version of this issue with the main issue, rather than have a 1 stamp outlier several years later), new printings of Special Delivery and Postage Due items, etc. Also a tried to parse out the Wet and Dry printings into separate groups based on the appearance of Dry print varieties starting in late 1922. Also worked in the OHMS perfins within the regular listings, created spaces for both Wet and Dry versions of OHMS values where such differences exist in the main stamp listings (although Unitrade does not parse the wet vs dry printing differences for the OHMS issues, logically if a stamp exists with both print styles they should exist for the OHMS perfins I think. In any case I made space for them, and the search will begin - which is half the fun of collecting!) |
|
|
|
Post by biglavalamp on Jun 4, 2021 14:53:28 GMT
Thanks for your kind comments, Mark ( madbaker ) and Peter ( brightonpete ). Mark, is this image below what you meant? This is an example of my first page for Germany now, with the newly printed header. I also got some nice old ivory-toned blank album pages from Michael ( Londonbus1 ) that I use for the headers. Modern white paper just didn't look right.... it's too bright. I really like the look of the ivory. Now that looks classy ,I am currently putting my collection on line (10327 stamps at present according to colnect) and have decided to do a similar displaying method with my collection are those stamps showing in order of year of issue or some other method? |
|
