Stamp Hacks

Michel finally released a catalog number for the November Self-stamp (A 2062). I updated the pages and replaced the existing 7-zip file with a new one with the same name. Grab the update from Google Drive.

This is something I am playing with now. Even if I choose to go this route, I will NEVER abandon the previous design. With PostmasterGS’ excellent tool for Scribus, it’s very easy for me to keep both designs going forever.

Here is what is in the new redesign:

1. The pages are now the same size as the Scott National Album: 10×1½.
2. The font is now Lexend across the entire album, using different weights and italics
3. I moved the descriptions to the back of the previous page, so when the binder lays open, you see the stamps on the right and the descriptions on the left.
4. There is no border

So, why did I make these changes?

1. Scott size pages let you hold more stamps, and I really like Scott binders.
2. I discovered the font Lexend a few weeks ago. It’s specifically designed to help you read better. Tests show people read as much as 20% faster using Lexend. It also helps people with reading disabilities, such as dyslexia. I find the font WAY EASIER to read. I’m using it everywhere now. Check out https://www.lexend.com. This website now uses Lexend.
3. Moving the descriptions to the left helped me make a more balanced stamp layout. It will also allow me to make longer descriptions.
4. I try to maximize the number of stamps on a page, and the border kept getting in the way on some pages. So, I just removed it. And I liked it.

Now, I know there is a huge barrier to entry here with the page sizes. You need to own a printer that can do 11×17 pages, which is pricey. But that’s’ why I said the old pages will never go away.

So, here is screenshot of what two facing pages look like:

And here is where you can grab this experimental PDF to check it out.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/13qBKBnHbhR2-pF_-pLewWGZrigJSNysN/view?usp=drive_link

Well, there are a few things going on here:

1. I’m still waiting on MICHEL to assign catalog numbers to all of 2023.
2. I’m a little distracted by other hobbies now. I’ve always been a fan of Role Playing Games (such as Dungeons and Dragons) and am currently obsessed with an RPG called Cyberpunk RED.
3. I’m going in for carpel tunnel surgery on April 4th, so that will slow me down.
4. To be honest, I’m not a fan of the 2023 Ukrainian stamps. A lot of stamps about the war (understandable). But there is far less to learn about the Ukrainian culture when so much of the 2023 output is about the War.

That being said, I sat down and worked on stamp descriptions over the last 2 days. The number of stamps issued in 2023 is far less than 2022. So, hopefully things will go faster.

I’m also tinkering with doing Scott size pages and using a new font. I definitely have ADD with my stamp pages. I’m always trying to tweak things and make them look better.

Time to get busy writing stamp descriptions.

I sent MICHEL’s editor an email about the second self-stamp, along with scans that Ukrposhta provided me. They assigned it a catalog number and will publish it their next issue of their Rundschau magazine.

So, expect an update to the 2022 supplement soon.

I just figured out that I messed up the definitive stamps. That’s the only page that has changed:

Files are on my Google Drive:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0B5nZhycYzltRfmNNU1lDNjVWa2dtZVRmUDJHX0VYYVdzem5fcldJSE1UTGZ5SmhhNlFwWDQ?resourcekey=0-3eyZIovFL3Z5GX4toYyquQ