2019

There are a few types of custom stamps on the market. Knowing which stamp is best for you can be challenging and confusing. There are several differences between the various types of stamps. Some stamps can be used in a wide variety of applications. Other stamps are produced for a more specific purpose. Knowing the proper type of stamp that you need can help save time and make the marking process easy and efficient.

Rubber Stamps

Rubber stamps have been around since the mid 1800’s,  but they have been around for much longer in other various forms including the use of clay, wood, animal hides and metals. Modern day rubber stamps typically are mounted onto a wood or plastic handle. It also comes with a separate stamp pad used to ink the rubber stamp before use. Rubber stamps are a very economical and fun way to stamp whatever saying or image is worth repeating.

Rubber stamps typically use a water based ink for stamping.

• Most economical solution
• Requires use of a separate ink pad
• Fully customizable
• Good quality impressions

Natural Rubber Stamps

Natural rubber stamps are typically used with quick drying and heavy solvent inks. The natural rubber is the most durable solution for these types of inks. The application for natural rubber stamps is similar to regular rubber stamps. The only exception is you typically would not soak the whole pad with a quick drying ink. Doing so would waste ink as it dries rather quickly. For natural rubber applications we suggest contacting us to discuss your options.

• Holds up well to quick drying inks and solvents
• Requires use of a separate ink pad
• Fully customizable

Self-Inking Stamps

If you will be repetitively stamping documents such as return address stamps or “For Deposit Only” onto checks, your best stamp choice is a self-inking stamp. These convenient and durable stamps have a pad built right into the machine. They flip around and hit a pad with each stamping motion giving you thousands of high quality impressions before ever having to be re-inked.

Date stamps are another form of self-inking stamps. If you are constantly writing dates by hand onto documents a custom self-inking date stamp is what you might need. Your custom copy surrounds a changeable date giving you 12 years of highly repetitive stamping with neat and clean impressions. Perfect for Scanned, Received, Paid and E-mailed stamps requiring a date.

Self-inking stamps use a water based ink. Using alternative inks will potentially damage the die and pad on the stamp.

• Best for high volume stamping
• Works easily by just pressing down
• Durable for heavy industrial uses
• Creates thousands of impression before needing to be re-inked
• Easy to re-ink with water based inks only
• Good Quality Impressions

Pre-Inked Stamps

Pre-Inked Stamps are more convenient than a self-inking stamp because there is no pad. Just push down on the stamp mount and your impression will appear. Available in all the sizes of a rubber stamp. Pre-inked stamps are flashed with your personalized information. Then we soak a porous sponge inside the machine with ink. This method allows for ink to seep through where your stamp impression is. Winmark recommends pre-inked stamps for logos, signature stamps, notary stamps and professional stamps.

Pre-Inked stamps require an oil based ink.

• Best for near print quality impressions
• Long lasting stamps providing thousands of impressions
• Easy to re-fill with oil based inks
• Dust cover included for easy, clean storage
• Easy to re-ink with oil based inks only
• Recommended for logos, signature stamps, notary stamps and professional stamps

Inspection Stamps

Inspection stamps are offered in a variety of styles to fit your needs. Pre-inked inspection stamps, with a fast drying ink are made for marking on non-porous surfaces such as metal, glass, plastic or glossy paper. Self-inking inspection stamps are best used for stamping labels, inspection reports or other paper products. And standard inspection stamps, made with a solid neoprene rubber plug cased in metal with a brass cap are the most sturdy and acid-resistant material available and will hold up to most ink types.

• Fully customizable
• Precision high quality engraved solid neoprene plug
• Small enough to fit in your pocket
• Ergonomically engineered to fit perfectly in your hand with a patented solid one-piece neoprene plug design
• Ideal for marking slick or hard to mark surfaces
• To be used with a separate ink pad

Numbering Stamps

Winmark offers various sizes, styles and set-ups of numbering stamps which are perfect for stamping part numbers, lot numbers and serial numbers onto just about anything. Molded bands made of high quality rubber are used to hold up to all of the quick drying and specialty inks. If you need a dash or letter band in a specific place we can arrange the bands to accommodate your needs. Numbering stamps are available in self-inking and non self-inking models.

• Stock figure bands consist of the numbers 0 through 9 and the symbols #, $, X, 1/4, 1/2, 3/4, .(period), -(dash) and a /(forward slash).
• Numbering stamps are re-inkable and can use normal stamp pad ink or industrial quick drying inks
• Replacement ink cartridges available to extend the life of your stamp
• Outstanding impression quality
• Made in the U.S.A.

RIBTYPE Rubber Type Sets

RIBtype is a system of interchangeable ribbed-rubber type for printing dates, codes, and other information that changes frequently. The ribs on the back of the type interlock with the ribs on a stamping device to hold the type in place. To change a message, the user simply pulls the old type out of the rib-base and presses the new type into the ribs.
RIBTYPE sets can be used in a variety of marking methods including hand stamps, metal self-inking stamps, rocker mount hand stamps, roll printers and automatic printers like roll coders and reciprocating coders. They’re also very durable and can withstand most ink requirements you may have. RIBTYPE Number sets come with either 4 or 5 of each number, 0 through 9 and punctuation and currency symbols. RIBTYPE Letter sets include letters in quantities based on an average frequency of use. For example there are more A’s and E’s than Q’s and Z’s. Letter sets also include numbers, punctuation and currency symbols.

• Holds up well to quick drying inks and solvents
• Requires use of a separate ink pad
• Fully customizable
• Stock number and letter sets available
• Made in U.S.A.

Winmark Stamp & Sign has provided customers across the United States with custom stamps and signs for over 55 years. You can visit our online shop or submit an express order if you’d like us to contact you and put an order together for a custom stamp or sign product.

So you are interested in ordering a custom stamp. Many people do not realize the amount of options that are available when ordering stamps. Price can be a determining factor in choosing a stamp, but keep in mind that cheap is not always the best or correct option for you. Below are a few of the questions you might have when deciding on the proper stamp for your application.

What type of material are you stamping onto?

The type of material you are stamping onto should be considered when selecting a stamp. If you are stamping onto a porous surface, like paper or boxes, any of our custom stamps will work. If you are stamping onto a non-porous surface like glossy brochures, metals or plastics, then you will need a natural rubber stamp with quick drying ink. For the sake of simplicity I will focus on the porous stamp applications at this time. Natural rubber stamps and quick drying inks have many options and requirements and deserve their own blog post.

How much do you intend to use the stamp?

The amount of usage can help determine the best stamp for you. Self-Inking stamps are best for high volume stamping as there is an internal pad that refreshes the stamp die after each impression. Our rubber stamps are another good option for high volume usage. There is just the added step of needing to ink the stamp with a separate stamp pad after each stamp. We do not recommend Pre-Inked stamps for high volume stamping as the stamp impression will continuously lighten with each stamp. Pre-Inked stamps need time between each impression to let ink flow down to the bottom of the stamp.

Are you looking for a high quality stamp impression?

If you are looking for a crisp, clean stamp impression to really show off that company logo, or ensure readability for those legal documents, we have a stamp for that. Keep in mind that you will never be able to duplicate print quality with a stamp, but you can get “near print quality” as we say, with our line of Pre-Inked stamps. They are the type of stamp we recommend for signatures, notaries and licensed professional stamps. Our other custom stamp product lines will work for quality stamp impressions as well. Most people realize that stamping can cause minor imperfections and high quality images will not always come out looking perfect.

How big do you want your stamp?

The size of the stamp impression you want is another way of choosing your stamp. If the stamp you want is very large our rubber stamps are the most economical option. Another great thing about using rubber stamps for large stamping applications is the option of getting a rocker mount. They are manufactured on a concave wood surface so you rock the stamp impression onto what you are stamping. The benefit of rocker mounts on larger stamps is that they are easier to get a clear stamp impression. If you do not use a rocker mount on larger rubber stamps the impressions tend to come out poor. This is due to a lack of consistent pressure across the entire surface of the stamp.

If you are looking for a large stamp without wanting to use a separate ink pad our Pre-Inked stamps are a good option due to the impression quality and ease of stamping they provide. There are a few large Self-Inking stamps offered but do not recommend them as we tend to see inconsistent stamp impressions. If you are looking for tiny stamps we have you covered. Any of our custom stamp product lines offer tiny stamp sizes as well.

What color of ink do you want your stamp to be?

The color of ink that you want can be a factor in which type of stamp would be best for you. We offer 5 basic ink colors for our custom stamps; Black, Red, Blue, Green and Purple. However that does not mean those are the only color options available to you. If you would like a metallic or specialty ink, our Rubber stamps and Self-Inking stamps are a good option for you. We can provide you with the stamp and a dry ink pad that you can ink yourself with whatever color you want. Another way you can determine what type of stamp you should buy is to look around your office and see what type of stamps other people use. Different types of stamps can require different inks so staying consistent is a good way to make sure the proper ink is used throughout your entire office.

What type of stamp do you prefer?

At the end of the day sometimes the only factor you need to determine your decision is, what kind of stamp do you like best? Personal preference goes a long way towards satisfaction. Sometimes the best decisions are the easiest decisions. And it is just a stamp after all.

Winmark Stamp & Sign has provided customers across the United States with custom stamps and signs for over 55 years. You can visit our online shop or submit an express order if you’d like us to contact you and put an order together for a custom stamp or sign product you may need.