1.) the piece of steel on which a <#design> is engraved. A die has the stamp image engraved in reverse (mirror-image). The creation of the die is the first step in the production of engraved stamps. 2.) the printing surface, found in a <#canmach=cancelling machine>, from which a <#cancel=cancellation> and <#postmark> are printed on an envelope. 3.) the metal form used for the <#emboss=embossing> process.