When you want to make an "impression" there is no better way than with a rubber stamp. You can find a rubber stamp with a great design on it that expresses your personality, or order a custom rubber stamp with your name, address or company logo on it. Rubber stamps are great for business or pleasure; they are great for kids and for executives, depending on what they are used for. Rubber stamps come in a variety of styles and choosing one over another is going to depend on the use for the stamp. Three common types of rubber stamps are: standard rubber stamps, self-inking stamps and pre-inked stamps.

Traditional Rubber Stamps

Standard rubber stamps are a good value for the money and are good for ordinary use. They are usually designed with wooden bases and handles and rubber heads. You can order a custom rubber stamp with your own phrase or information on it; and it is common for standard rubber stamps to have stock phrases like "Approved," "Draft" or "Paid" on them for business use. Standard rubber stamps are available with dies that are made out of, photo polymer, or traditional rubber. Photo polymer stamp dies do not perform well with industrial inks. Rubber is the best material for standard stamps - it is durable and flexible. You will need to purchase an ink pad to go along with a standard rubber stamp, and there are many colors of ink available. Traditional Rubber Stamps can be made in any size or shape.

Self Inking Rubber Stamps

With self-inking rubber stamps, you do not need a separate ink pad. A rubber die is mounted to a plate that strikes a built-in ink pad each time an impression is made. You don't have to worry about the mess caused when you accidentally touch the ink and get it on your fingers as self inking stamps have the stamp and the ink pad self contained. They can make thousands of impressions before their internal ink pads need to be reinked. Self-inking stamps are popular for business purposes, mass mailings, or if you simply are tired of writing your address by hand on every letter you send. These are good for repetitive stamping tasks and are usually used for custom work like address stamps and endorsement stamps, or for general business uses.

Pre inked Rubber Stamps

A pre-inked stamp does not require a separate ink pad either since the ink resides within the stamp's surface. The ink is transmitted to the paper's surface through microscopic pores in the rubber which also prevent leakage. A pre-inked rubber stamp is refilled by placing more ink into its reservoir. Like self-inking stamps, pre-inked stamps are good to use when you have many impressions to make, such as mass mailings or if you want to have a stamp with your address or monogram on it.

You might wonder which rubber stamp is right for you: a standard, self-inking or pre-inked stamp. A standard rubber stamp can be a good choice if you do not use it very often because a standard rubber stamp takes more time to use than the other varieties (i.e. you have to ink the stamp on the ink pad and then make the impression on the paper's surface). Both the self-inking stamps and the pre-inked stamps are good options for business use. They are both neat and convenient, and can make a thousand impressions before more ink is needed. Pre Inked Stamps are the best decision if you are looking for a quality stamp.