A few decades back, stamp lovers only have one option - the standard wood rubber stamp. The majority of old rubber stamps are available with handles, very much like most office stamps today, while the other kind had simple pegs attached to it. As stamps become more popular in modern times, more manufacturers are creating a wide variety of decorative rubber stamps. You have lots of options to choose from - clear acrylic, unmounted, foam, mounted, by the sheet or individually. Do a brief check online and you will discover lots of companies who sell different types. Now you may be wondering what stamp would work for you best. I hope that I have a direct answer to that, but each kind of stamp has features that make them work better than the other. Let's take the mystery out of what stamp will work best for what purpose.
Originally foam stamps were made to be used by kids. While this fact may have been true a couple of years ago, decorative rubber stamp manufacturers have created high quality foam stamps that can be readily bought today. If you are planning to add a bit of artwork to your walls or on fabric, then foam stamps are a wonderful choice. This type of stamp is relatively cheap and it's a great choice if you prefer to have a deep image on uneven or irregular surfaces. Are you planning to stamp on denim, fabric, walls, tin or plastic? If yes, then foam stamps are your best bet.
Two decades back, if you were to tell someone that you have stocked an entire closet with rubber stamps, you will somehow come off as odd or strange. Today, with rubber stamping becoming more and more popular due to its convenience and ease of use, you will find lots of people with stamps filling up their cabinets and closets. This increasing demand had manufacturers making more stamp storage units. Some crafters prefer to buy unmounted rubber stamps since the mounted kind with a wooden mount tends to be bulky and take up a lot of storage space. These stamps can be bought individually but if you have a great need for them and you would want to save money, you can buy them by the bulk. Unmounted stamps are normally attached to static cling foam or magnets so you can decide on what will work better for you. There are people who choose traditional rubber stamps which can be mounted pretty easily. These stamps are usually placed on static cling foam and they have been closely trimmed to the design.
The most recent rubber stamps are the acrylic kind. If you want to go for acrylic, make sure that you buy the best clear stamps so you won't end up disappointed. This type of stamp is normally placed on a clear acrylic block to achieve accuracy in stamping and good ink coverage.
When buying decorative rubber stamps, the biggest concern usually is the cost. With unmounted stamps you are assured of inexpensive shipping. Be careful not to purchase stamps that come in bargain bags because most of them have poor designs and quality.
