How to Use Shiny Rubber Stamps and Maintain Them

Shiny Rubber Stamps

In Uganda, you find mostly Shiny rubber stamps in use in offices and businesses. These are self-inking stamps that have a removable inkpad with or without an adjustable date. Adjustable date stamps are more popular because of the date function.

Most people, when they’re buying stamps, they rarely bother to find out how to use them. By estimate, about 2% of our stamp customers ask us how to use rubber stamps. The majority don’t find it necessary because they think it’s such a simple thing to use a rubber stamp. But our findings are that most people don’t know how to use these Shiny rubber stamps. And as a result, they spoil them within a short time.

Most People Don’t Know How to Use Shiny Rubber Stamps

One day, I received a client who was a headteacher in an upcountry government secondary school. He came with an old stamp and wanted to replace the ink pad. But when I looked at it, I discovered that not only did the rubber stamp have a sunken inkpad, but also its mechanism was no longer functioning. It could not flip up to pick ink from the pad and down to make an impression on a document. So I advised this headteacher to buy a new stamp, which he did.

When I looked at the rubber stamp, he brought, what came to my mind was that he didn’t know how to use it. Why? It’s because he had never bothered to replace the used up inkpad with a new one. And when I asked him, he also revealed that he had never replaced it because he didn’t know that pads were replaceable. Secondly, he didn’t know even where to buy the ink pad.

By looking at the faulty mechanism, I realised that the headteacher again didn’t know how to handle the stamp to make impressions on documents. It’s familiar to most people in offices who use rubber stamps. I have seen it in banks and elsewhere. It’s why I have come up with this post to address the problem. And if you have Shiny rubber stamps or you intend to buy them, this post is for you.

How Should You Use Shiny Rubber Stamps?

To prolong the lifespan of your Shiny rubber stamps, you should learn how to use them and maintain them. As you use your rubber stamp, there are two things you need to know. You need to know how to handle it when making impressions on documents. You also need to understand how to maintain it regularly. Let us dive into each of these two aspects.

How to Handle Shiny Rubber Stamps

Shiny rubber stamps are self-inking stamps. By self-inking, we mean the rubber stamp has a mechanism in which it flips up to pick ink from the ink pad and down to create an impression on the document. When that mechanism stops working, you cannot make an impression on any paper. It merely means that you have to buy another one.

To maintain that mechanism working, you need to know how to handle it when using it. And it’s simple. But most people do not know it. If you’re one of them, get it right this time.

“NEVER JERK YOUR STAMP TO CREATE AN IMPRESSION”

By jerking here, I mean pressing the stamp hard with a sudden movement. If you do it that way, you risk spoiling the rubber stamp before its recommended lifespan. Secondly, when you jerk the rubber stamp, you are likely to create a double impression error. It is when you make two unintended impressions because the rubber stamp tends to jump and touch the document twice instead of one. Hope you’re getting me right.

Okay, learn this too! Jerking stamps is one of the reasons why stamps get spoiled quickly. Employees in banks and elsewhere who jerk stamps make their companies lose a lot of money every year. As an employer, you don’t only stop at buying stamps but also endeavour to train your staff on how to use them. And this post is intended to help you solve the problem.

Jerking stamps also leads to poor impressions. If you want to produce a crystal clear mark on your documents, stop jerking them and learn a proper way of handling them.

“PRESS YOUR STAMP GENTLY WITH YOUR DOCUMENT ON AN EVEN SURFACE”

How to Maintain Shiny Rubber Stamps

Before we dive into how to maintain the stamps, let us first know the features of the Shiny rubber stamps. And these features are demonstrated in the image below.

Shiny Rubber Stamp Features

As you see in the image above, the things you need to know are the stamp label, the lock button and the ink pad. These are the main features of the stamp. Each of them has a purpose.

The rubber stamp label allows you to pick up the required stamp easily. If you have several similar rubber stamps, you can quickly identify the exact rubber stamp you want by looking at the label. It also enables you to know how the rubber stamp should face.

The lock button makes it possible for you to operate the stamp. For instance, if you want to remove the ink pad, the lock button helps you to keep the rubber stamp in one position as you push it out.

The ink pad is where the ink is. It’s refillable when you see your stamp impressions begin to get light. It’s also replaceable when it becomes too old to produce visible imprints. And this is when it has become sunken. For more information on refilling the inkpad, read our post on how to re-ink your custom self-inking rubber stamp.

Having known the stamp features, let us now dive into how you can maintain your Shiny rubber stamps. To manage your self-inking rubber stamps, you need to know two things. The first one is how to keep your rubber stamp clean. And the second one is when to replace the ink pad.

How to Clean Shiny Rubber Stamps

Keeping your Shiny rubber stamps clean is so important because you want to achieve a quality impression all the time.

Secondly, it’s so crucial because unclean stamps gather dust and dirt. And it’s so embarrassing when people find you using such a rubber stamp. It makes you look unprofessional. You, therefore, have to be careful because such small things can cause you to be perceived differently in the minds of others.

Thirdly, it’s important because you want to preserve the longevity of your stamps. For instance, date stamps are supposed to work for ten years before they expire. And what makes them expire is the date band that is limited to not more than ten years. But stamps without dates can be used for more than ten years.

To clean your Shiny rubber stamps, you need to have stamp cleaners. These special cleaners are available in rubber stamp stores. If you don’t have a stamp cleaner, you can still clean your stamps with soap and water. Most inks can be removed using normal soapy water. Use an old toothbrush to clean away any ink that is sticking on the stamps.

When Do You Replace The Ink Pad?

As you use your Shiny rubber stamp, the time comes when you have to change the ink pad. It’s the time when the rubber stamp is no longer making clear impressions. When it stops making good impressions, it means two things. Either you have to add ink to the pad, or you change the ink pad.

If you add the refill ink to the pad and the stamp continues to produce unclear impressions, then you think of changing the pad. You can also see with your eyes that the ink pad is depressed. And when the pad is sunken, the rubber imprint die doesn’t touch the pad properly to pick ink. When this happens, the only option is to replace the ink pad. Ink pads are always available in rubber stamp shops.

Conclusion

Learning to use and maintain your Shiny rubber stamps is so essential. It helps you to preserve the longevity of your rubber stamps. Not only that. It also enables you to save some money that would go to buying new stamps. And we’ve also seen that untidy rubber stamps make you look unprofessional.

Are you looking for an engraver to make for your rubber stamps with crystal clear impressions?  Get in touch with Goleza Designers!