A post office in India recently issued a series of customizable rose-scented stamps to mark Valentine’s Day.
The fragrant stamps, which come in rose and sandalwood fragrances, were issued on Feb. 9 and continue an ongoing series.
“The department has brought out this special series of stamps under the ‘My Stamp’ scheme where a buyer will be able to have his picture pasted on it before posting his Valentine’s Day letter,” Postmaster CJ Arora told the Hindustan Times.
“They come in two fragrances, rose and sandalwood. We have already started pre-booking under this scheme, as these stamps won’t be available after the Valentine’s Day week.”
The postal department is planning to offer more fragrances, including lily, jasmine and coffee, in the future. The fragrant stamps are aimed at promoting philately at a time when traditional mail volumes are at an all-time low.
“In the age of email and social media, we are struggling to hold our relevance as people, especially youths, tend to post messages on Facebook and Twitter these days. This is an attempt to reach out to them,” added Arora.
According to the postal department, the stamps’ fragrance will remain for five years.
ROSE-SCENTED STAMPS
According to India’s postal department, the fragrant stamps are produced in a three-step process.
The first stage includes the printing of the stamp’s design while the second stage adds fragrance using a fragrance-based ink, which is applied to heavy cylinders before being transferred onto the sheet. Finally, the stamps are dried, and microcapsules of fragrant ink are injected into the paper.
When the stamp is touched, these microcapsules are broken and the sweet smell of roses will linger in the air.