Page 132 - Jarvis & Wright: Jamaica Display to RPSL

Jamaica: The De La Rue Officials

The Temporary Overprint Forme: Stereotype varieties.
De La Rue produced a single new forme for the Official overprint, which they used to overprint all
three values. Confusingly, to De La Rue, the term "overprint plate" meant the duty plate used in key
plate printing by typography. When they came to make an overprint such as these Officials, they
used a cruder "Temporary Overprint Forme". This was an electroplate produced from an initial
typesetting. Starting with existing type eliminated the need for the expensive engraving of a die but
produced a lower quality product. The Temporary Overprint Forme" for the Officials cost Jamaica £3
3s, compared with £50 for an engraved die for an "overprint plate".
De La Rue began by setting up type sufficient for a small number of impessions, in this case a single
row of 6. From that type setting they produced a stereotype of the row of 6, which in turn was
multiplied to produce a forme of full size, in this case one whole pane of 60 impressions.
The efffect of this is that two separate waves of constant varieties may be introduced. Firstly, any
differences between individual typeset impressions will be reflected in the stereotype. These
stereotype varieties will recur as many times as it is multiplied to produce the forme. Secondly,
damage to individual positions on the forme will produce one-off plate varieties constant at a single
position in the pane.
Each column has constant distinctive stereotype varieties that, while not constant enough to allow
confident plating of all single stamps, are consistent enough across all three values to demonstrate
that this overprint was produced from a stereotype of 6.

Column 1. Column 3. Column 5.
First I has iregular Tilted O with altered top Top left corner of
foot, higher at left. (erroneously called the 'small O'). first I not square.
↓ ↓ ↓

← nick in O at 10
o'clock, a forme
variety, so occurs only
once in each pane, at
row 3, column 5.

↑ ↑ ↑
Column 2. Column 4. Column 6.
foot of second F Second I has a shallow No reliable distinctions.
a chisel point. dent in its upper left. yet confirmed.