How can we help?

New to Perforated World? Start with one collection and one item, then explore the other features.

1. Create your account

   Choose Register. Enter your name and email, choose Collector or Dealer to manage collections (Regular is for gallery access), and choose a password of at least 12 characters. Enter the same password in Verify password to confirm it. Complete the CAPTCHA and submit.

2. Confirm your email and sign in

   Open the verification email from Perforated World and click its link within 24 hours. Check Spam or Junk if it is missing. The account must be verified before login. If the link expires, contact the administrator for assistance. After verification, sign in.

3. Protect your account with 2FA

   Open My Account and enable two-factor authentication. Scan the QR code using an authenticator app, enter its current code to finish setup, and save your recovery codes somewhere secure. This adds a verification step to help protect access to your account and collections; it does not change who can see public or shared content.

4. Create your first collection

   Open My Collections in your workspace and choose Add Collection. Give it a clear name, choose a collection type and set its visibility. Enable Document collection if you will store PDFs.

5. Add your first item

   Open My Products, choose Add Product and select the collection. Add the required details and files, choose visibility, then upload.

6. Check your gallery

   Open the gallery and find your collection. Public content follows the public visibility rules; private content is available only to you and shared members.

7. Invite someone when you are ready

   Share a collection as Viewer for reading or Contributor for adding items. You can keep it private while granting specific members access.

8. Try the optional shortcuts

   Use AI suggestions for a main image and review them before saving. If premium Quick Add is enabled for you, take front and back photos on your phone and choose the destination album before saving.

Perforated World is a collection-focused philatelic website for preserving, organising and sharing stamps, postal history and related material. Public visitors can explore published material. Registered collectors gain a personal space to create and manage collections, upload images or document collections, control visibility, and share selected collections with other members. Address-enabled collection types can also help visitors discover participating clubs and similar philatelic resources by location. Dealer-oriented features are planned as the website grows; do not describe dealer selling, marketplace or transaction features as currently available unless they are documented here in future.

Registration turns Perforated World from a public gallery into your own collection workspace. A registered collector can create and manage collections, add philatelic items, upload images or supported documents, choose public or private visibility, and use collection sharing with other members. Registration is useful when you want to maintain your own material or participate in shared collections; public material can still be browsed without registering.

Set up and verify your account before starting your collection.

1. Open Register

   Enter your name and an email address you can access. Choose Collector or Dealer to manage collections and products, or Regular for gallery access.

2. Enter your password twice

   Choose a password of at least 12 characters. Type it in Password and repeat it in Verify password. Both entries must match. Complete the CAPTCHA before submitting.

3. Check your verification email

   Perforated World sends an email confirmation link. Open it within 24 hours to activate your account. Check Spam or Junk if needed. If the link has expired or no email arrives, contact the administrator for help.

4. Sign in after verification

   Use your email address and password. Email verification is required before login. If collection management is unavailable, check your role with the administrator.

5. Enable authenticator verification

   Open My Account and enable 2FA. Scan the setup QR code with an authenticator app, then enter its current code to complete setup.

6. Keep your recovery codes safe

   Store the recovery codes securely away from the phone. Use the authenticator for normal login. Recovery codes are for emergencies and each is consumed when used. Do not share your password, authenticator codes or recovery codes.

7. Review visibility and sharing

   2FA helps protect account access; it does not make public products private. Choose Private for content you want restricted and share it only with the intended members.

Follow these steps:

1. Enable two-factor authentication

   Open My Account and start setup. Scan the QR code with your authenticator app and finish verification.

2. Store recovery codes safely

   Keep them somewhere secure. They are emergency codes and are consumed when used. The QR code is for setup, not each login.

3. Use the authenticator at login

   Enter its current code when asked. Choose the trusted-device option only on a private device to reduce challenges for up to one week.

4. Know when verification returns

   A different browser, cleared cookies, expiry or security changes can require a new code. If you lose both the authenticator and recovery codes, contact the administrator about an account reset.

Perforated World lets collectors organise philatelic material into collections and products. Use the gallery to browse public material. After signing in, use My Account and the administration area to manage your own material.

Open Admin Dashboard, choose My Collections, then use Add Collection. Enter the collection name, choose its Collection Type and visibility, and complete any fields shown for that type. Use Edit beside an existing collection to update it.

Some Collection Types require an address. When such a type is selected, Street, City/Town, State/Province, Country and Postcode are shown and required by the form. These details allow visitors to search address-enabled collections by location.

Visibility controls whether collection or product content is generally available in the public gallery. Explicit collection sharing can give an invited member access to shared private content.

Follow these steps:

1. Choose a collection type

   Open the gallery and choose the type you want to explore. On a small screen, use the navigation menu button.

2. Open a collection

   Choose a collection from the Collections sidebar. Its list scrolls only when necessary. Public Document collections can appear before documents are added; other public collections need displayable content.

3. Narrow the list

   Use Dealers & Collectors to choose a contributor. If no items match, select another contributor or collection type.

4. Open an item

   Sign in to open accessible products. Visitors who are not signed in see static public thumbnails.

Follow these steps:

1. Choose the audience

   Public collections and public products can appear in the public gallery. Private collections and products are available only to the owner or shared members.

2. Sign in to open products

   A visitor can see public information and thumbnails but must sign in to open accessible items. Signing in does not unlock private content.

3. Share private content deliberately

   Use the collection sharing controls to grant Viewer or Contributor access. Private document placeholders can be displayed without exposing their contents.

Open Admin Dashboard and choose My Products. In Add Item, choose the Collection, enter the item details and upload the permitted file or images. The Collection Type is inherited from the selected collection.

Follow these steps:

1. Open My Products

   Choose My Products in your Admin workspace.

2. Choose a collection

   Use the Collection menu to apply a filter immediately. It lists collections containing your products. Choose All collections for the full list. You can also click a collection row in My Collections to open this filtered view.

3. Search your items

   Use the search field to find a title, collection, type or visibility.

4. Add to an empty collection

   Empty collections remain available as destinations in Add or Edit forms, even though they are omitted from the product filter.

Follow these steps:

1. Open My Products

   Choose My Products in your Admin workspace, then Add Product.

2. Select the destination

   Choose your collection and fill in the required fields. Choose Public or Private visibility.

3. Add the files

   Image collections accept JPEG, PNG and WebP photos. Document collections accept PDFs. For multiple images, choose the default image number.

4. Review and upload

   Check the details and choose Upload File. To change an existing item, choose Edit and save your changes. Sharing permissions and active transfers can restrict changes.

Collections marked as document collections accept a PDF document rather than the normal image set. A document product can contain one PDF. Visitors can open the PDF in the site document viewer.

Follow these steps:

1. Open the main image

   Edit a product and click its main image to open the image editor.

2. Generate a suggestion

   Choose Generate with AI. Only that main photo is used for the suggested title and description.

3. Check the facts

   Correct the title and description. Verify country, issue, date, denomination and condition yourself. AI suggestions can be inaccurate.

4. Save the reviewed content

   Choose Save changes. Generate again if you want another suggestion; review it before saving.

Follow these steps:

1. Choose the products

   Delete a single product in its edit form, or select items in My Products and choose Group action > Delete.

2. Read the confirmation

   For bulk deletion, check the selected count. Deletion removes the main image, extra images and thumbnails, including PNG thumbnails.

3. Confirm only when certain

   Deletion is final and cannot be undone through the website. Collections remain. Files referenced by another product are retained.

In Admin Dashboard, open My Collections and use Share on a collection you own. Select a member and choose Viewer or Contributor access. The owner keeps control of the collection settings and sharing.

Viewer access lets a member view the shared collection, including private collection content, but does not allow editing. Contributor access also lets the member add and manage their own products in the shared collection. Only the owner controls collection settings, sharing and deletion.

Follow these steps:

1. Open the sharing controls

   Go to My Collections and open Share for a collection you own.

2. Choose a member

   Select the registered member who should receive access.

3. Choose an access level

   Viewer can view the shared products. Contributor can add products and manage their own items; removal of another member’s product needs owner approval.

4. Confirm and review access

   Confirm sharing. The owner can change or remove a permission later. Other signed-in users do not automatically receive private access.

Follow these steps:

1. Check who owns the product

   A Contributor can delete their own product. Another member’s product needs collection-owner approval.

2. Request removal

   Use the product removal controls in My Collections for collections shared with you. The owner is notified by email; the product stays until approval.

3. Wait for the decision

   The owner approves or rejects in My Collections. Approval permanently removes the product and its files. Rejection keeps it in the collection.

Follow these steps:

1. Select the recipient

   In My Collections, request a transfer to an eligible registered recipient. The recipient receives an email invitation.

2. Wait for acceptance

   The recipient signs in and accepts on the website. An active transfer locks changes to the collection.

3. Finalize the transfer

   The current owner is notified when the request is awaiting finalization. Acceptance alone does not complete it; the current owner must finalize.

4. Check completion or cancel

   The new owner is notified after completion. Use Cancel transfer for a pending transfer. Read the finalization confirmation carefully.

For a Collection Type that uses addresses, use its location search field. Enter a location such as City/Town, region, country, postcode or street to filter matching collections.

Open My Account from the account menu or administration sidebar. You can manage profile details such as your profile photo and contact information and change your password.

Follow these steps:

1. Use a document collection

   Add or edit a PDF product in a collection marked Document collection.

2. Choose private thumbnail visibility

   When visibility is Private, Thumbnail View appears. Hidden is the default. Unresponsive shows a faded, non-clickable placeholder without an owner name in the public gallery.

3. Understand who can open the PDF

   Private documents open only for the owner or shared members. Public documents require a signed-in user.

4. View activity

   The collection owner can check document viewing activity in the Dashboard.

Follow these steps:

1. Check your access

   Quick Add is an optional extension. An administrator must explicitly enable it for premium members in Manage Users, including administrators who want to use it.

2. Open Quick Add

   Visit extensions/quick-add/ on the site and sign in. Without access, a premium-access message appears. You can add it to your phone home screen.

3. Take your photos

   Add a Front - Main Image and an optional Back photo. You can add more detail photos. Only the front is used to generate text.

4. Review and save

   Generate content, correct it, choose a destination album and save. The same collection permissions apply as in the main website.

Follow these steps:

1. Choose the background

   Save Black, White or Transparent as your Quick Add gallery background in the Dashboard.

2. Prepare the photos

   Use Prepare gallery images once for both front and back when present. The first Front - Main Image is used automatically.

3. Check the preparation

   The server’s local background-removal model prepares the images. Both sides preserve proportions and fill about 95% of the limiting dimension with a small margin. Check edges and perforations.

4. Select the version to save

   Click Original or the prepared Black, White or Transparent panel for each side. Only the chosen version is saved for that slot. Transparent images and thumbnails use PNG.

Follow these steps:

1. Allow large photos to resize

   Quick Add resizes large camera photos before upload to reduce server upload issues.

2. Wait for preparation to finish

   Repeated clicks during preparation are blocked. A short cooldown shows a countdown and clears when preparation is available again.

3. Use Original if preparation fails

   Keep the original photo or retry later. If failures continue, ask the administrator to check the optional background-removal setup.

4. Review before saving

   Check the prepared edges and generated description. Avoid saving an inaccurate result.

Create an A4 exhibition from your own collections. Ask the administrator to enable this premium feature.

1. Select your items

   Open Exhibition Builder from the Admin menu. Check one or more collections, search, then select your stamps. Documents and shared collections are excluded.

2. Add Exhibition details

   Open the Details tab to enter the title, subtitle, collector label, collector name and optional introduction. The five checkboxes below Introduction control the title page, table of contents, product extra information, black and white images, and reference borders. Include title page controls whether the exhibition details appear on a separate first page; Include table of contents independently controls the contents pages. Both start enabled. Save draft stores your choices.

3. Choose the default layout

   Open the Page Layout tab to choose orientation, font, border, stamps per page, alignment, margins and page numbering. Times is the default font. Switching between Details and Page Layout keeps the values you have entered.

4. Arrange the content pages

   Expand a content page to edit its items. Choose Graphical layout to drag and resize stamps directly on an A4 canvas. Use + and minus to zoom in or out, or Fit page to see the whole page again. Scroll the canvas to reach enlarged areas; zoom does not change printed stamp sizes. Select stamp helps you select overlapping items; Move to page transfers the selected stamp. Graphical pages can hold more than ten stamps. Done keeps changes in the editor; Save draft stores the positions. Page Preview checks the printed result and reports any text that does not fit. Use automatic layout arranges stamps using the usual stamp count while keeping the canvas open and preserving title/description choices. Alternatively, open Page layout settings to reorder items or move them to another page. Check Custom layout for this page to override its orientation, stamp count, alignment and margins.

5. Give an item its own page

   Check One item per page to place that item on a separate page. This overrides the stamp count. First Day Covers and miniature sheets always use this option.

6. Review the descriptions

   Each item starts with its product description. Edit the title and description, or use Generate historical information. Formatting tools add headings, lists and emphasis. Review the contents before saving. These edits do not change the original product.

7. Preview, save and download

   Page Preview shows one content page. Save draft stores your work and refreshes an open preview. Preview PDF shows the full exhibition; Download PDF saves a copy. If content does not fit, shorten the description or use fewer stamps.

8. Open a saved exhibit

   Go to My Account > Saved exhibits. Load continues editing. Delete asks for confirmation and permanently removes only the draft, keeping your products.

Use these settings to position your stamps and prepare a printed exhibit.

1. Centre the stamp

   Horizontal Center Aligned and Vertical Center Aligned put the image above its title and description. With one item, the group sits in the middle of the page.

2. Place the stamp on the left

   Horizontal Left Aligned and Vertical Left Aligned place the image on the left, with its title and description beside it. Each item uses a separate row.

3. Set the physical size

   Enter Width and Height in millimetres under the product's Extra information. The exhibit image uses 90% of these dimensions and a softened appearance. Without dimensions, it uses automatic sizing. Print at Actual size / 100%.

4. Understand image placeholders

   Select Use border as image to use reference placeholders for all photos; Black and white images is disabled while selected. When unchecked, PNG images appear normally. Other image types use a perforated stamp outline with the product Reference inside. Enter Width and Height in product Extra information; the outline uses 90% of those dimensions. If dimensions are missing, only the Reference appears.

5. Use black and white

   Check Black and white images in Exhibition details. The selected-item thumbnails and newly generated PDF use grayscale. Your original product photos remain unchanged.