PASADENA, Calif. - Feb 2, 2001 - Avery Dennison Corporation (NYSE/PCX:AVY) has produced 125 million self-adhesive, gravure-printed, 34-cent postage stamps for the U.S. Postal Service honoring 21 of the country's greatest illustrators. The commemorative stamps, printed in panes of 20 stamps each, were released at a first-day-of-issue ceremony held yesterday at the Society of Illustrators in New York City, as part of the Society's Founders Day celebration, marking the organization's 100th anniversary. "Illustration is a unique and historic art form that has attracted some of the finest talent in the country," said Philip M. Neal, chairman and chief executive officer of Avery Dennison. "We are pleased to have produced a stamp pane for the U.S. Postal Service that pays tribute to these great artists." Part of the U.S. Postal Service's classic collection, the American Illustrators first-class stamp pane features works by selected illustrators that were recommended by a panel of experts convened by the Society of Illustrators. The stamp designs include artwork originally used for several purposes, including books, advertisements, magazine covers, murals, and posters. All of the illustrators featured on the stamp pane are members of the Society of Illustrators Hall of Fame. The American Illustrators stamp pane was designed by Carl Herrman of Carlsbad, Calif. The stamps were created by using a five-color printing method, which included four process colors of yellow, magenta, cyan and black, combined with a fifth line color of brown. The American Illustrators commemorative stamp was printed on pressure-sensitive material produced by Avery Dennison's Fasson Roll Division. American Illustrators stamps are now available at post offices throughout the United States and through U.S. Postal Service Philatelic Centers.