| Years ago there was only one option for rubber | | | | and you want to make some final touches with a |
| stamps and the crafter. The typical wood mounted | | | | stamp, the last thing you want to do is ruin all the |
| rubber stamp. Many of the old rubber stamps also | | | | work you've done by having a smudge or putting |
| came with handles like business stamps today, while | | | | something in the wrong place. Because clear stamps |
| others had simple pegs. Thanks to the growth of this | | | | are placed on a clear acrylic block, you can see that |
| hobby, you can now buy many different types of | | | | you get good ink coverage of your stamp and |
| stamps ranging from mounted, unmounted, clear | | | | precise placement. You can even double stamp by |
| acrylic, foam, individually, or by the sheet. Just a quick | | | | placing stamped images on top of each other. Keep |
| check online will show many companies who sell | | | | in mind when looking for clear acrylic stamps that not |
| stamps in all of the above types. You might wonder | | | | all are created equal. If you've ever bought cheap |
| what the best type of stamp to buy is. While it | | | | clear stamps, you were probably extremely |
| would be wonderful to be able to give a black and | | | | disappointed. Inexpensive, cheap acrylic stamps |
| white answer, each type has applications that they | | | | usually show themselves by attracting lots of dirt, |
| perform better than the others. We'd like to take | | | | and they usually tear easily. The best clear acrylic |
| the mystery out of what type of stamp to use, | | | | stamps made in the U.S.A. are manufactured by |
| when, and how to use it. | | | | Stewart Superior. The proprietary photopolymer this |
| Not that long ago, foam stamps were intended to be | | | | company uses has the perfect amount of stickiness |
| used by children. While that may have been true | | | | and is very durable. Sometimes when clear acrylic |
| many years ago, high quality foam stamps can be | | | | stamps are placed in the sun, they do discolor, but it |
| purchased these days. Foam stamps are a fantastic | | | | does not affect in any way the stamped image. |
| choice when you're going to be stamping on fabric or | | | | The classic wooded mounted rubber stamp doesn't |
| walls. Beyond being inexpensive, they have a very | | | | need any introduction. While the selection available |
| deep image that is perfect for stamping on rough | | | | used to be limited to your local craft and hobby |
| surfaces. Will you be stamping fabric, denim, walls, | | | | store, hundreds stores now sell unique mounted |
| plaster, or tin? Foam stamps are probably your best | | | | rubber stamps online. Natural rubber creates the |
| option. | | | | clearest, most detailed image of all the stamp types. |
| Twenty years ago, if you told someone that you | | | | You should not get a smudged image (common with |
| had an entire closet filled with rubber stamps, they | | | | clear acrylic stamps) with a natural rubber stamp |
| would've thought you were a crazy fanatic. These | | | | because the rubber pores soak up ink better than |
| days, it is not uncommon at all to have stamps filling | | | | the clear polymer. |
| up cabinets and closets, a fact that has created a | | | | So which is best? Foam, unmounted, clear, or |
| huge demand for stamp storage units. Because | | | | mounted, we will have to leave the choice up to you. |
| mounted rubber stamps, with a wood mount, are | | | | The truth is, they all have their place for certain |
| bulky and take up a lot of space, some crafters like | | | | projects. If your next project is going to be on |
| the idea of buying unmounted rubber stamps. Most | | | | fabric, or you want to stamp baby room walls, we'd |
| of the time, you can buy them in a full sheet at a | | | | recommend you find some high-quality, foam stamps. |
| time and save a bundle, or you may want to buy | | | | Buy a few of each design and if one gets damaged, |
| them individually. Unmounted stamps can be backed | | | | you can just quickly go to another one. Are you |
| with anything from magnets to static cling foam, and | | | | working on a long scrapbook album that's taken |
| can be mounted on the medium of choice. Some | | | | hours of work? Want to put some final touches with |
| prefer using traditional rubber stamps that have been | | | | stamps? I strongly encourage you to buy some clear |
| trimmed close to the design and then placed on a | | | | acrylic stamps. There are some fantastic designs out |
| static cling foam that can be mounted easily on | | | | there that you can use. By using clear acrylic stamps, |
| acrylic blocks. While cost per stamp is usually the | | | | you can be assured that you won't mess up the |
| biggest concern, another immediate advantage of | | | | hours and hours of work you already put into the |
| unmounted stamps is the inexpensive shipping, | | | | project. Are you making cards, scrapbook pages, gift |
| because you're not paying to ship the wood mount. | | | | boxes, or patterned paper? Wood mounted rubber |
| Beware of buying bargain bags since these are | | | | stamps or unmounted stamps, mounted your |
| usually of very low quality and the designs are very | | | | preference, are still your best bet in the end. It's not |
| poor. | | | | so much what kind of stamp you have, but what |
| Acrylic rubber stamps are the newest stamps on the | | | | kind of application you're going to be using it with. |
| block. Either someone loves them or they hate them. | | | | We hope that after reading this information, you |
| Clear stamps have a fanatical following one day and | | | | now know exactly what you need to get started on |
| every one dislikes them the next day. When you've | | | | your next project. Go ahead, get started stamping |
| spent a long amount of time on a scrapbook page | | | | today! |