The design of these standard
postage stamps was inspired by
the Dutch landscape, the starting
point being the well-known view
of geometric fields from the air,
the first view of the country
offered to any visitor landing at
Schiphol. Besides the inspiration
coming from the landscape, the
stamps offer another reading. The
design is purely typographical,
as the width of each letter
determines the width of the
surrounding block. This is how
old-style metal printing works,
setting metal punches next to
each other. In this respect the
stamps can be seen as a modest
homage to the traditions of Dutch
typography.The first printing of
the stamps was a run of 150 000
000 copies, and they have been
reprinted three times since.
