The Third Issue was put on sale on January 1, 1872, and sales continued until April 1879, when the Forth Issue superseded it. These stamps owed their origin to the conferment upon Ismail Pasha of the title of "Khedive", hence all Government Departments, including the Postal Administration, were named "Khedivial", and this designation was applied too, in Arabic and French, on the stamps of this, issue. The were produced in two distinct printing, 1872 and 1874-1875, at the Government Printing Works, Boulac, Cairo. The two printing's which vary in the following characteristics : The 1872 sheets have a thick line of colour in the top margin of the sheet (or at the right hand side on the majority of the 5 pares sheets) and the other margins are all blank, whereas a decorative pattern surrounds the sheet on all four sides in the 1874-1875 printing The first printing is produced on thick paper with the impressions sharp and clear; the second on thinner paper, sometimes oily in appearance, (used for the and 5pi. values) or having blurred impressions. The first printing has clean-cut perforations, compared with the blind or defective perforations of most of the 1874-1875 stamps. Some exceptions may be found, but there should be no difficulty for anyone to sort cut the low values, of the two printings.
 
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