TPA Articles Download

Old TPA Articles

Here comes a first selection of a total of more than 70 articles (pdf file format) from old/sold-out TPA issues. On various old postcard related topics, research projects over a longer period and particular postcard companies.
Articles are provided in original form as they were published once. No (grammar/typing) mistakes corrected, nothing revised or updated. Nevertheless the content can include information new to you. It gives you also an idea what TPA is all about.

TPA articles are classified in four categories: Research Projects / Postcard Printers & Publishers / Colour printing article reprints / General Topics. Each listed on a separate page. Enjoy reading!

If you have any questions please ask. editor@tpa-project.info

C.G. Roeder, Leipzig, Saxony

C.G. Roeder had been a major research project for more than 10 years back then. The old company, although specialised in book and music-sheet printing, had a huge ppc printing (collotype/lithography/later also gravure) department. A still quite little-known postcard contract printer who worked for numerous customers worldwide. Nearly all Roeder printed cards do show a so-called "Batch-number" allowing identification and thanks to the tables presented by George Webber in TPA 20, also dating. Roeder exported ppc‘s also after the end of WW1.
Here come many of the articles on Roeder (in chronological order) published in TPA issues:

TPA 15 CG_Roeder_News_and_Views [742 KB]
TPA 16 CG_Roeder_Notes_by_the_Editor [714 KB]
TPA 17 Roeder_Notes_by_George_Webber_and_Editor [288 KB]
TPA 19 CG_Roeder_Leipzig [873 KB]
TPA 20 History_of_CG_Roeder_works_Leipzig [2.365 KB]
TPA 20 Roeder_batch_numbers_1901_to_1944 [984 KB]
TPA 20 Roeder_card_numbers_and_position [587 KB]
TPA 22 C_G_Roeder_GmbH_Leipzig [1.202 KB]
TPA 24 Roeder_New_Batch_Number_Mystery_solved [1.736 KB]
TPA 31 Russia_Kashin_Views_printed_by_CG_Roeder [1.634 KB]

Emil Pinkau & Co. A.G., Leipzig, Saxony

Emil Pinkau & Co. A.G. was another favourite research project of George Webber and others. Pinkau described themselves as oldest and biggest German ppc printer. In fact it was really one of the biggest German postcard printers and exporters. The advert mentiones 32 flatbed presses, 150 other machines and some 400 workers by 1909.
Their so-called "Capital Letters" and follow-up "Dot and Dash" code systems are a great gift for dating and identifying Pinkau as printer. The latter code is even found on post-WW2 collotype and especially real photo card issues by Pinkau. Despite the heavy destructions during WW2 years the company continued, was really long in postcard business. Many of their cards are of common quality but the company did well financially for decades.

TPA 14 Emil_Pinkau_Leipzig [880 KB]
TPA 15 Coding_of_Emil_Pinkau_cards_part_1 [240 KB]
TPA 16 Bermudas_Postcards_with_Pinkau_codes [542 KB]
TPA 16 Coding_of_Emil_Pinkau_cards_part_2 [1.124 KB]
TPA 16 E_PInkau_Co_Patriotic_WW1_Postcards [514 KB]
TPA 22 Pinkau_North_America_codes_201_203 [629 KB]
TPA 23 Pinkau_200_codes [840 KB]

Knackstedt & Naether, Hamburg

Knackstedt & Naether company established on 1 November 1889 was an early German (collotype/lithography) printer very big in ppc‘s. By mid-1901 K+N used 13 flatbed presses, some of the then biggest available formats, as well as some 20 other machines for production. Employed were 120 persons. They printed some 30 million cards for various customers in 1901.
The company continued to grow further, also internationally. For instance Knackstedt & Naether stood together with NPG (Neue Photographische Gesellschaft, Berlin) behind the big "The Rotograph Co." from New York. But times changed and (too big) K+N GmbH declared insolvency on 2 May 1910. Ludwig Knackstedt had left the directors board earlier already and only just 6 weeks later started new with Knackstedt & Co.
A summary (a total of 8 pages) of K+N company research and the business co-operation with NPG was published in TPA issue 28 (still available).

TPA 17 Knackstedt_Naether_research_file_1 [1.032 KB]
TPA 18 2_Knackstedt_Naether_research_file_2 [575 KB]
TPA 19 Knackstedt_and_Naether_in_London [1.104 KB]
TPA 19 Knackstedt_Naether_research_file_3 [2.432 KB]
TPA 21 Knackstedt_Naether_research_file_part_4 [2.223 KB]
TPA 23 Knackstedt_Naether_research_file_part_5 [1.441 KB]