Refers to stamps without perforations or rouletting between the individual stamps in a pane. The earliest stamps were imperforate by design, but after about 1860 most stamps were perforated. Stamps are usually separated by means of perforations or they required to be cut apart by means of a knife or scissors. The British line-engraved stamps of 1840-54, the embossed stamps of 1847-54, and the early issues of many other countries, were imperforate. Frama labels are also imperforate, as they are issued singly from machines. The term is often shortened to "Imperf". Stamps without perforations on one or more sides (e.g. from coils or booklets) may be described as "partially perforated". Modern imperforates are usually errors or are produced specifically for sale to stamp collectors.

Any stamped or embossed printing.

Latin word meaning "Let it be printed", applied philatelically to the first sheet printed from an approved and finished printing plate, or stamps from such a sheet. It was the custom for British printers to produce six sheets, one of which was retained as the Imprimatur, while the other five were gummed and perforated and put into circulation. Sometimes plates were not put to press in the normal way, and the stamps from these five sheets are classed as Abnormals.

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