Let’s get to know various kinds of stamps and stamping tools! The heart of any card is the stamped image. It could be the sentiment or a huge, beautiful flower. Ink brings the image to life. Paper is the base for the card. But the stamp itself is the very heart of the card. Stamps come in all shapes, sizes, and materials. There are even wooden stamps for printmaking, but we want to talk about card-making!
This is my very first card about 10 years ago. That card could have been for anything at all but the sentiment stamp made it a birthday card. I only had a handful of wood mounted stamps and didn’t know anything about stamping. I didn’t know there were different kinds of stamps out there. Now I do and I’m sharing what I’ve learned with you!
Various kinds of stamps
Photopolymer/Clear Stamps
- Clear, so you can see exactly where the stamped image will be on the paper
- Inexpensive
- Gives extremely crisp, clear images
- Can be used with a variety of inks
- Quality stamps will stain
- Used with acrylic blocks or stamp positioning tools
Cling Stamps
- Red, gray, purple, or teal rubber stamp mounted on a foam pad with a smooth, slightly sticky surface
- Used with acrylic blocks or stamp positioning tools
- Can be used with a variety of inks
- Deeply etched images on the rubber stamp
- Very detailed images
Wood Mounted Stamps
- Red rubber stamps mounted on a foam pad with strong adhesive to stick to a wooden block
- Can be used with a variety of inks
- Deeply etched images on the rubber stamp
- Very detailed images
- Unable to see exactly where the stamped image will be on the paper
Also, check out my articles on Stamp Cleaning and Stamp Conditioning.
Stamping Tools
Acrylic block
- Used with photopolymer/clear and cling stamps
- Blocks are clear and sometimes have grid lines to align stamps
- Come in many shapes and sizes
- Quality acrylic blocks have finger holds
Stamp Tools – Stamp Positioners
I am including these in with stamps because they are used with clear and cling stamps so often these days. Stamp positioning tools have been around many years however none of them were easy to use and didn’t allow for consistent results or repeated stamping.
MISTI – Most Incredible Stamping Tool Invented
- Used with rubber cling mounted stamps and photopolymer/clear stamps
- A removable stamp pad – use the stamp pad with photopolymer/clear stamps; remove stamp pad for cling stamps
- Hinged stamp platform
- The lid has laser etched grid lines for alignment of stamps
- Uses magnets to hold the paper in place
- Allows for repeated stamping of the same image without realignment
- Ruler on 3 sides of the tool
- Comes in 3 different sizes: large, original, and mini
Tim Holtz Stamp Platform
- Similar to the MISTI in function
- Hinged stamp platform but the hinged top is removable: one side is for photopolymer/clear stamps and the other is for cling stamps
- Lib has laser etched grid lines for alignment of stamps
- Comes in one size
- Ruler on 2 sides; open on 2 sides
Stamps are the heart of your card. Knowing the various kinds of stamps enables you to make purchase choices to suit your stamping needs. There are thousands of stamps out there from large companies and homegrown companies (which are pretty darn awesome!). Here are some of my favorite companies for stamps.
My Favorite Things Stamps
Honey Bee Stamps
Pink & Main Stamps
Lawn Fawn Stamps
Concord & 9th
