ProductTips
1. Purchase quality stamps.
There are many types of
stamps and levels in quality. Colop is a leader in stamp manufacturing. We are
proud to carry Colop products. Further, the quality of the rubber portion of
the stamp is paramount. At Calgary Stamp &
Stencil, we strive to make the highest quality stamp possible and our
stamps can last a lifetime, if properly used and maintained. With over 100
years of experience, we feel that our manufacturing process is one of the best
and our quality is second to none.
2. Using your new stamp.
It is imperative for the
best quality and long-life of your stamp, to start and continue to use it
properly. For traditional stamps, press
or tap the stamp firmly on the ink pad several times. Make certain not to apply
too much pressure or rock the stamp on the pad or you may get ink in areas you
do not want. New stamps often resist taking the inks evenly at first and need a
breaking in period. If you are uncertain, make a test stamp on a scrap piece of
paper. After the test re-ink your stamp.
Press the stamp onto the
image area firmly but gently. Do not pound it as this will cause the rubber to
be damaged or wear prematurely. Never use alcohol-based inks. This will erode
the rubber stamp.
For self-inking stamps, press the stamp housing firmly onto the image area. Do not rock or pound the stamp on
the image area. As with traditional stamps, this will cause the stamp rubber to
be damage and give a poor quality impression.
3. Where to stamp.
Always stamp on a flat surface.
Decide where you want the stamp to go and carefully set the stamp onto your
surface. Do NOT readjust the stamp doing so will cause a blurry image. At this
time it is not feasible to be able to stamp on a glossy surface. This is a
common problem. Most regular ink pads use a water-based ink. The ink will
never be absorbed in to the paper and will just sit on top, never drying and
smearing, regardless of the amount of time left to dry. Using a quick-drying ink and a
specialty ink pad and stamp will solve this issue. Please call us at Calgary Stamps & Stencil for
full details.
4. Life of the stamp.
The ink pads in the self-inking
stamps will last for thousands of impressions or approx. 6 months. If the ink
pad dries up and you need to make an impression immediately, as a short term
solution you can try to rejuvenate it with a few drops of water. Let soak in
for about 15 minutes before you try the stamp again. If that doesn't help, you
can purchase replacement ink pads from Calgary Stamps & Stencil. You
can also re-ink your original pad using water-based inks
designed for self-inking stamps. Never use other types of ink or alcohol-based
inks, as they may damage the self-inking stamp. The stamp housing and rubber
should last a lifetime.
5. Choosing the right stamp.
When deciding the right
stamp, you can use the impression image samples provided with each stamp
product selection. Simply look at the impression samples to the right of the
product description. To further assist you, we’ve included ‘size-as’
impressions to most of our stamp product images. With all our stamp product descriptions and
images, we’ve included the dimensions in both metric and imperial measurements.
We carry a full line of stamps, including traditional stamps, self-inking,
pre-inked, heavy-duty and light use stamps. We can customize orders to fit your
needs. If you need to write something more than 5 times a day, we can make a
stamp for you, that will save you both time and money.
If you ever have
questions about which stamp to purchase, please contact one of our
knowledgeable staff.