After a break forced on by the pandemic, the security printing company Cartor Security Printers returned to participating in exhibitions by attending the large TAIPEI 2023 – 39th Asian International Stamp Exhibition (see article) with its promotional stand.
A recurring name in many of our articles and therefore well known among collectors, Cartor is the manufacturer of all the rolls of thermal self-adhesive labels used by Intelligent AR kiosks, and also by other variable value stamp printing equipments in different countries.
Cartor once again installed the CSP1 kiosk on its stand at TAIPEI 2023, an equipment of particular interest to our field of study. Developed by the British company Intelligent AR, it was first used by Cartor during the PHILATAIPEI 2016 exhibition (see article, published in VARIABLE 43), and in the following years at other international stamp events for promotional purposes.
As in other exhibitions, Cartor produced rolls of special sample labels to be issued by the kiosk during TAIPEI 2023. This series consists of five designs depicting themes closely linked to Taiwan; the Taiwan blue magpie (Urocissa caerulea), a bird species endemic to the island; baseball, one of the country’s most popular spectator sports; an integrated circuit, symbolising the importance of this industrial and development sector in the country and two images of butterflies since Taiwan is known as the ‘kingdom of butterflies’, the country with one of the highest concentrations of butterfly species in the world.
Visitors were allowed to print strips of labels known as the ‘Collectors Strip’ with the five designs from the kiosk (top image). They could also customise the wording printed in two lines in the centre of the label and even add a graphic from the 25 programmed emojis (images below). Quite rightly, in order to control the use (or abuse) of the machine, visitors had to pay a small fee for the labels issued, as can be seen in the receipts.
Cartor presented their first series of sample labels in April 2015, during the TAIPEI 2015 stamp exhibition in order to introduce the new Intelligent AR postal kiosk (see article, published in VARIABLE 37). Since then Cartor has produced more than 40 sample label designs for some of the philatelic events the company has attended, mostly in Asian countries. Although interesting from a collecting point of view, these issues are not stamps, have no face value and are not issued by any postal administration. They are just sample labels from the company, produced to show its printing work and to promote this type of postal kiosk. Visitors are able to freely use the kiosk, see the various printing options, test its operation, and finally obtain a small souvenir in the form of sample labels.
(English edition rewritten by J. Gareze – January 2024)