Martha Washington was the first woman to appear on a U.S. postage stamp. This 4¢ stamp bearing her image paid the postage on a double-weight first class letter. Wheels of Progress In 1847, when the printing presses first began to move, they didn’t roll – they “stamped” in a process known as flat plate printing. The Regular Series of 1922 was the last to be printed by flat plate press, after which stamps were produced by rotary press printing. By 1926, all denominations up to 10¢ – except the new ½¢ – were printed by rotary press. For a while, $1 to $5 issues were done on flat plate press due to smaller demand.