As stamping gained in popularity, a variety of stamp styles and designs emerged. There are thousands of designs that are available, but most stamps come in these basic types.
Wood Mounted Stamps
Rubber stamp by Paper Salon
The first stamps created for crafting were rubber. Underneath the etched, rubber design is a cushion layer. Both of these pieces are permanently attached to a wood handle called a mount.
Unmounted Stamps
Unmounted stamps are rubber stamps with no cushion or mount. They can come in a rubber sheet where you use special scissors to cut out the designs. You mount the designs to a wood handle or acrylic block using a system like EZ Mount. You can also find unmounted stamps already trimmed like the one pictured above. These types of stamps are easy to store and are less expensive than the traditional wood variety.
Foam Stamps
Foam stamps are less expensive than rubber, but aren’t as durable. They also lack the detailing that’s found in other types of stamps.
Acrylic Stamps
I have used all kinds of stamps, but I like acrylic the best. In my opinion, acrylic stamps are less intimidating to beginning stampers because it’s easy to see where you want to stamp your image. Clear stamps are versatile because you can place multiple images on a clear block to create a completely new design or “scene.” They are easy to store and clean as well.
I currently have about five different brands of clear stamps in my stash and I can honestly say that Close to My Heart (CTMH) has the best quality clear stamps available. (And I’m not just saying that because I’m a CTMH consultant).
Rubber vs. Clear Stamps
In a recent blog post, Close to My Heart founder Jeanette Lynton weighed in on the rubber vs. clear stamps debate:
Q: What’s your take on rubber stamps vs. clear stamps?
Well, as you know, I’ve championed both—I love stamping and I’ll be forever passionate about the art. Rubber stamps have a place in my heart and always will. But they don’t have a place in my studio anymore, truthfully.
I think anyone who uses My Acrylix® stamps will agree with me that they’re superior. They’re lighter and easier to store and organize than rubber stamps. I also love being able to combine multiple images or spell a word on a single block: clear stamping saves time and the results are always gorgeous.
But the undeniable benefit is that you get perfect ink coverage and precise placement in your design EVERY SINGLE TIME. Just peek through that clear acrylic block to ensure your positioning and ink are ideal, and you’re good to go. You simply can’t get that by mounting an opaque rubber stamp to a clear block.
Speaking of rubber on clear blocks: recently, a competitor of ours reaffirmed their decision to stay with rubber instead of following the revolution to clear stamps. I think it’s great that they’ve chosen to focus on their roots. That said, I want to be “clear” about one thing: we’ve manufactured literally millions of stamps in BOTH vulcanized rubber and clear photopolymer, and there is no doubt that My Acrylix clear stamps can hold more fine details to give a crisper, more intricate stamp than rubber. Absolutely.
Additionally, the top-quality polymer we use and the production process we follow produce a stamp set that will last a lifetime. There was nothing easy or simple about transitioning our business from old wood-and-rubber to clear My Acrylix—it took a major investment in personnel, high-end equipment, and years of testing and training to perfect the process. But we did it because we knew it was right for the business and right for stamping. As we say, the choice is clear!
Storing and Organizing Stamps
Whatever type of stamps you decide to use, you should always take care to store them away from direct sunlight. There are plenty of specially-designed units for stamp storage like shelves, plastic drawers, flat files or CD jewel cases.
My Acrylix stamps come in clear envelopes. CTMH also offers the My Acrylix Organizer for stamp sets and the My Acrylix Block Organizer for storing block mounts.
What kind of stamps do you reach for the most? What do you like or dislike about any of the stamp styles mentioned above?
Learn more:
- Stamping with Clear Stamps (video)
- Six Reasons Why My Acrylix Stamps Rock
- Care and Cleaning of My Acrylix Stamps
- Five Must-Have Stamps for Beginning Stampers
- Stampaganza
