France’s national postal operator, La Poste, has won the contract to print Taipei Universiade commemorative stamps, which are to be issued by Chunghwa Post Co, an official said on Thursday.
It is the first time that the two groups will work together, said Chunghwa Post chairman Ong Wen-chyi (翁文琪), who is currently visiting France.
Ong said Chunghwa Post issues 20 to 22 sets of stamps every year, some of which require special materials and printing skills.
Photo: CNA
The commemorative stamps for the Taipei Universiade, for example, have a delicate design that requires a printing process not available in Taiwan, he said.
An international tender by Chunghwa Post attracted bidders from three nations, and La Poste was the winner, he said.
The stamp printing quality in France is “a combination of artistic skills and high technology,” said Ong, who visited La Poste’s printing plant in Perigueux.
La Poste has printed not only soccer-themed stamps that smell like grass, but also stamps made of metal and cork, he said.
Gilles Livchitz, director of Phil@poste, the unit responsible for the management of philatelic issues under La Poste group, said the company’s printing plant has a long history and is equipped with all kinds of technologies for postal printing.
With more than 500 employees, the plant is capable of printing high-quality stamps for nations around the world and has been printing stamps for Japan for the past three years, Livchitz said.
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