Every once in a while we get asked which stamp is the best quality impression. Here at Fall For Design, we offer two types of stamps and both are made from rubber.
We offer;
- A wood Stamp with no handle
- A wood Stamp with a handle
- A Self Inking Stamp
However, in order to get the best quality imprint, you need to choose the best stamp that will work with your project. You also have to consider the imprint you’re trying to achieve, and making sure you’re getting enough ink to work with your project.
So how do you do that? Lets dive in.
Choosing the Correct Ink Combinations for your Project to receive the best Quality Imprint
If you think every stamp will work on every project, think again. :) Our item descriptions break down what type of project works best with what type of stamp. We even go as recommending what type of ink pad you’ll need. Choosing your ink is critical. Whatever project your working with, you have to make sure you’re using the correct ink. We summarize all the most popular projects in an easy to read format below:
———–SELF INKING STAMPS———-
• Made with 65% post-consumer recycled plastic and grey rubber
• Up to 10,000 stamp impressions
• Self Inking stamps are pre-inked with black ink
• Refill ink can be purchased here.
• Self Inking stamps can be used for;
– Cotton Fabrics
– Matte Papers
– Any porous material (that will absorb ink)
———–WOOD STAMPS———-
• Made from hard, natural maple wood
• Image is engraved on top, for easy indexing
• Red rubber is a 100% eco-friendly renewable resource.
• Ink Pads sold separately.
• Wood stamps can be used for;
– Polyester Fabrics (with Permanent Ink Pads such as StazOn)
– Cotton Fabrics (any ink is fine)
– Coated Papers (metallic, shimmer, gloss, matte, felt, special coated papers – requires a permanent ink pad)
– Matte Papers (any ink pad is fine)
– Plastics (permanent ink pads)
– Wood (any ink pad is fine as long as the wood is matte)
– Metal (permanent ink pads)
– Muslin Bags (any ink is fine)
– Any non-porous material (material that doesn’t absorb ink – Permanent Ink pad is needed)
So, lets say you did choose the correct ink for your special project. Next, you’re looking for quality. What type of quality will you receive? Clear and crisp imprints, or rustic and authentic? Lets dive in.
Clear Quality Imprints, or Rustic Quality Imprints
There are several types of stamps to choose from, but we only offer two kinds (self inking, or wood mounted as stated above). The only difference between the two, is really simple. One inks itself. What’s not different? They are both rubber stamps.
The self inking stamp also reduces the “wiggle” effect. The wiggle effect is where some customers believe they should wiggle, or peel the stamp off the paper at an angle. A self inking stamp requires a smooth flat surface. Once you start to lift a self inking stamp from your proejct, the rubber stamp lifts as well (there’s no pealing effect with a self inking stamper). Plus, with a self inking stamper, the ink pad hangs upside down. So all the ink is pooled at surface ensuring a better chance of a more crisp impression.
However, if you use your stamp a lot, lets say once every 1 second, you will reduce the chance of a crisp impression each time. When you stamp multiple times so quickly, the ink is pressed to the back of the ink pad, and gravity hasn’t had enough time to pull the ink pad back to the surface. Therefore, your stamp impression will result in a rustic authentic impression. With a self inking stamper, there’s no guarantee that you’ll get enough ink onto the stamp each time to ensure a crisp impression. We do have several tips that will help improve your stamp imprint quality on our faq page.
With wood stamps, you control how much ink to apply. Some ink pads are rich and creamy, others are more dry and watery. Other ink pads work better for fine details. You can ink a wood stamp as much as you like. However, getting ink to stick to the rubber and remain thick is like trying to tell mother nature to rain. It will do what it does, when it does. You can ink it all you want and sometimes it will turn out great (like the wedding monogram stamp above). Or sometimes it will result in an authentic stamp impression (like the Dog Spa Stamp).
Lets talk about Ink, Lots of Quality Ink
The more ink that sticks to the rubber, the better the stamp impression quality will be. This applies to both wood stamps and self inking. Remember, rubber stamps are designed to give an authentic imprint each time. This is the nature of using rubber to transfer ink to paper. If your stamp results in a clear stamp impression, then great! But please don’t be alarmed if your stamp impression is not flawless each time. Rubber stamps are incapable of being flawless 100% of the time.
The trick to making sure your going to have a flawless imprint is making sure that your project and ink combinations are correct, and you’re naturally applying as much ink as you can onto the rubber stamp. With a rubber stamp, your impression will be sometimes crisp and clear, and sometimes your impression will be authentic and rustic.
If you’re wanting to be ensured that you’ll receive a 100% flawless, crisp and clear imprint each and every time, then you’ll need to be looking for pre-inked stamps. Pre-ink stamps are designed where the ink flows through a certain type of material, onto the paper. There is no third party (such as rubber) transferring ink to paper. The ink gets applied direct to the paper like a desktop printer vs. being transferred by a piece of rubber.
That’s it for today. Have a great day, and enjoy your rubber stamp!
PS – If you haven’t already, we urge you to check out our FAQ’s for several additional tips for a better quality imprint!
