What are the Different Types of Rubber Stamps?

The different types of rubber stamps include wood mounted, acrylic mounted, slide through, and custom. Rubber stamps are primarily used in card making and scrapbooking but are also used for record keeping and home decor projects. Rubber stamps are reusable and will last for years if cleaned after each use and properly maintained.

Wood mounted stamps are the most commonly used rubber stamps. The manufacturer forms a reverse image in the rubber. The rubber is then trimmed so only a small edge surrounds the shape. The rubber image is mounted onto a block of wood using adhesive. The wood block may have indentions on two sides to make it easier to position the stamp before pressing down to form the image.

Rubber stamps with an acrylic mount are often used in card making. The rubber used to manufacturer the stamp is clear and the block used to mount the stamp is also clear. This allows the crafter to see the image to be made without having to lift the edge and potentially smear the image. These types of rubber stamps are especially beneficial when making cards since the design needs to be straight. Acrylic mounted rubbers stamps are also used in scrapbooking or to make wedding and birthday invitations for much the same reason.

Slide through rubber stamps are a style of stamp that has been around for generations and is most often used by businesses to record whether an invoice is "Paid", "Past Due" or the date a transaction took place. There is a metal slide mounted onto a wooden handle. The metal slide has a groove to allow individual rubber images such as numbers or letters to be assembled to form dates and words. The rubber images are lined up in reverse order and slid into the metal groove. The stamp is then inked and pressed onto paper or card stock to form the desired word.

Custom stamps are used for specialty designs, trademarks, and home decor. A custom stamp is one where the design or wording has been made specifically for that individual or business. Rubber stamp manufacturers will take a digital image or handwritten design and cut the design into a reverse rubber image. The rubber image is then mounted on either a wooden or acrylic block and used like any other stamp.

Some examples of custom stamps may be a business logo that is stamped onto invoices or business cards. For businesses that sell custom invitations or cards, custom rubber stamps such as "Designed by" and their name may be stamped on the back of each card so the recipient knows who made it. There are many uses for custom stamps in home decor. New parents may make a custom stamp of their infant's feet to use as a whimsical nursery border or budding artists may design and sell their own line of artwork via custom stamped images.