The wide variety of French Proofs has long been a source of fascination, yet puzzlement, to most stamp collectors and even many dealers. Among the reasons for their desirability are their aesthetic beauty and their scarcity. With printing quantities as low as 20- and sometimes even 5- French Proofs may be a unique enhancement to the album pages of both topical and country collections, enabling many collectors to win awards in exhibitions. In an effort to offer clarification to the philatelic world, FRANCE INTERNATIONAL presents this brochure describing modern Proofs of the French Area. We hope their distinctive beauty will become apparent from the illustrations and explanations offered.

An elementary understanding of printing methods is necessary to better comprehend French Proofs

Generally, two printing processes are used for stamps of France and its former colonies: Heliogravure and Engraving. For each issue, the French Postal Administration contacts an artist to prepare an original drawing or painting. For Heliogravure issues, the printing plate is produced by a photographic process from this drawing. The engraving process, on the other hand, requires the talents of an engraver- often the same artist who created the drawing - to reproduce the original design on a small block of special, soft steel called a Die. The Die is then hardened and will be used to produce the printing plate.