What good are rubber stamps if you aren't using them to their fullest potential? There are many daily office tasks that rubber stamps can make faster and more efficient. A few key business stamps can make a world of difference in your every day routine at the office. You can purchase custom rubber stamps so you have exactly the rubber stamp sets that your office requires.

Implement these strategies while making the most of rubber stamps:

1. Use rubber stamps to organize daily files.

2. Use address stamps to help with mailings, big or small.

3. Label folders and important documents using rubber stamps.

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Organize incoming and outgoing documents with specific ink stamps

If you don't have a great organization system for all of the paperwork that comes in and out of your office, now is the time to start. You can buy personalized ink stamps to label your documents just the way you want them. Or maybe just having the date stamped on each document would suffice. You can purchase dating stamps that allow you to change the date each day and mark incoming files with the current date.

I recommend: Complete Rubber Stamps offers daters that you can customize with your company's name, which may be helpful for outgoing paperwork. For other organizational purposes, The Corporate Connection has a numberer that can number your documents up to eight digits at a time.

Save time with address stamps

Address stamps are much less wasteful and cost less then address labels. You can have address stamps made in many different sizes to accommodate various packages and envelopes. You can also have custom ink stampers made to include other information along with your company address.

I recommend: You can have up to eight lines of text for your address stamps with StampXpress. Rubber Stamps Unlimited carries self-inking stamps and the traditional wood-handle address stamp.

Have rubber stamps made with specific instructions and labels

In a bustling office, files are going every which way. Rather then taking the time to hand write what a person needs to do with each file, have a custom ink stamp made for each common action that takes place in your office. Whether it says rush, paid or please sign, your staff will be able to quickly and efficiently mark files with the appropriate action.

I recommend: Idealstampshop.com has several sayings already made that will likely apply to your every day business. Xstampersuperstore.com also has many stock sayings for you to order and can also customize stamps for you to meet your business stamp needs.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Consider having your signature made into a rubber stamp if you are constantly required to sign documents. Be sure to keep this stamp in a safe place, however, to ensure noone uses your signature without your authorization.

Whether it is Paid, Received, today’s date, your address, your logo or your bank deposit information, rubber stamps can be a convenient way to manage the paper flow in your office. Designs for ink stampers range from standard and simple to completely custom. Either way, rubber stamps are a budget-friendly addition to your collection of everyday office supplies and can be ordered online and in your mailbox as quickly as the next day. To get started in the world of ink stampers, consider the following:

1. Rubber stamps have been around since long before computers, yet they are still considered a useful addition to any office.
2. Ink stampers can come in handy for mailing, banking, marking invoices “paid”, dating tickets and receipts and a number of other uses.
3. Custom rubber stamps are now easier than ever to design online.
4. Rubber stamp suppliers are eager to fulfill your business’s needs, offering flexible designs, quality customer service and fast delivery at an affordable price.

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Rubber stamp styles

There are basically two styles of rubber stamps: traditional and self-inking stamps. Traditional rubber stamps are typically the best value and are readily available with phrases, such as Draft, Paid, Approved or offer fill-in lines for users to date or initial. These ink stampers usually come with a wood handle and require an inkpad, whereas the self-inking stamp has a built in pad. Traditional rubber stamps are ideal if you want to be able to use different color inks, or if you are not planning to use them all the time. Self-inking stamps provide the convenience of a quick stamp with no mess.

I recommend: Fred L. Lake & Co. offers an extensive collection of rubber stamps with side-by-side comparisons to help you find the right product. StampsOnSale.com offers some of the best values on rubber stamps. For a directory of vendors of self-inking rubber stamps, visit Business.com.

Customize your rubber stamps

Custom rubber stamps can be designed with your logo, return address, banking information, business name or any other information that pertains to your business. If you need to sign large quantities of checks or other documents, order rubber stamps with your signature.

I recommend: RubberStamps.net and Rubber Stamps Unlimited offer interactive tools for designing custom rubber stamps online. Rubber Stamp Champ offers a large variety of self-inking and pre-inked custom rubber stamps, including signature rubber stamps — simply upload a jpeg of your signature to order. Browse RubberStampingLinks.com to find other companies that specialize in custom rubber stamps.

Special rubber stamps

If your business takes you on the road, consider portable ink stampers that you can take with you.

I recommend: Among its many rubber stamp offerings, Acorn Sales Company offers slim custom designed rubber stamps designed to hit the road with you. Rubber Stamp Champ also sells pre-inked and self-inking travel rubber stamps.

Rubber stamp accessories

Rubber stamps don't require much in terms of accessories - usually, stamp pads and refills will do the trick.

I recommend: For basic accessories for ink stampers or traditional pre-inked rubber stamps, shop office supply stores like Office Depot or OfficeMax.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Choose a variety of ink stampers that can help streamline your workflow.
• •  Custom rubber stamps are ideal for businesses that want to enhance their brand or for people such as Notary Publics, who rely on custom rubber stamps as part of their business.
• •  Standard rubber stamps with key words will help track papers and keep files organized, while rubber stamps that can be adjusted with the date are ideal for incoming documents.
• •  Mailings can be simplified with a return address rubber stamp; incoming mail can be date stamped for accurate record keeping.

Rubber stamps are a great addition to your trustworthy office supplies. You can use business stamps to keep documents organized, make mailings easier and keep track of the date on important paperwork. There are a wide variety of rubber stamps that you can use, all of which fall on average between $10 to $30.

Keep these things in mind when looking into the pricing and costs of rubber stamps:

1. You will likely need an array of different custom rubber stamps to cover all of your business needs.

2. Quality pays in the end with rubber stamps.

3. Take into account the cost of ink and ink pads in your rubber stamp budget.

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Consider all of the tasks for which you will need a rubber stamp

Any office is likely to need several rubber stamps to cover a variety of tasks. Address stamps will help mailings be faster and more efficient. The most efficient address stamps are either self-inking or pre-inked. These run between $10 to $15. Date ink stamps run slightly more due to the adjustable numbers. You can find a reliable date stamp beginning around $20. Stock stamps will come in handy for marking invoices 'paid' and important documents 'urgent.'

I recommend: Rubber Stamps Unlimited carries a few sizes of address stamps for you to choose from, starting just above $10. Companies like iPrint.com carry different styles of dating stamps where you can get a custom ink stamp with a message and your company's name along with the date. And RubberStampChamp.com has a selection of stock sayings for your office ink stampers.

Pay more money upfront to save money in the end with your office stamps

Rubber stamps are one of those items that pays to buy better quality in the beginning. It may seem like a large investment at the start, but when you don't have to constantly replace your business rubber stamps, you'll be glad you spent the money on the front end.

I recommend: RubberStamps.com sells the Ideal brand and claims that they last up to 100,000 impressions. The basic stamps start at around $10. Stamp-Connnection.com also carries heavy-duty rubber stamps.

Think about the other accessories for your rubber stamps

If you choose not to purchase the pre-inked or the self-inking rubber stamps, you will need to invest in ink pads for your rubber stamp sets. One advantage to using the classic rubber stamp and ink pad combo is that you can use different colored ink for different stamps. The downfall to that, however, is having to invest in multiple ink pads. Ink pads, depending on the quality, run between $2 to $5 per pad. Some pads claim to be longer lasting then others, hence the price deferential. Pay attention to the amount of ink that is in each ink pad to make sure you are comparing apples to apples when checking prices. And with your self-inking and pre-inked stamps, one day they will likely need replacement ink, too, depending on how often they are used.

I recommend: ReStockIt.com carries long-lasting ink pads that are originally priced around $5 each but can be found for less than that during a good sale. IdealStampShop.com carries all the ink accessories you may need, including ink pads and replacement self-inking and pre-inked ink, all starting at around $4.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Luckily, rubber stamps are, in essence, a necessary office supply. If you are debating on whether to spend more money on the heavy-duty rubber stamps, consider how much time -- and, in turn, money -- you will be saving by not having to hand write each item that the rubber stamp will end up doing for you.

No matter what your business type might be, you can find some occasion to use rubber stamps. Whether you are a professional that needs to sign and date forms often, or you own a scrapbooking business that uses stamps of all kind, you will find them useful in your field. Stamps are an inexpensive way to save you time and money during your workday, and you can choose to either stay professional or get creative with them, depending on the stamps you choose. If you have not kept up with the rubber stamping world, you will be surprised by the sheer selection of stamps available. Simply becoming more knowledgeable about the types of rubber stamps on the market will help you manage your time at the office, so get to know the key terms.

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Clear stamp

Clear rubber stamps allow you to see where exactly you are applying the stamp. This is especially helpful when linking images together to form a border or background.

I recommend: Inspirations provides details about clear rubber stamps.

Rollagraph

This type of stamp is shaped like a wheel, and is attached to a plastic wheel with a handle. It allows users to simply roll the image across the paper.

I recommend: Nona Designs explains all there is to know about the Rollagraph stamp, including videos that show what it is and how to use it.

Personalized stamp

This type is stamp is useful in an office, as you can create a signature or company stamp. In fact, any word or phrase you write often can be made into a stamp.

I recommend: Visit ACORN Sales Company to find out what personalized rubber stamps are, and how you can use them.

Self-inking

This type of stamp does not need a stamp pad as it comes with its own. You only need to add ink to it occasionally, and it will re-ink itself using its own spring mechanism.

I recommend: The Stampin’ Place explains how self-inking stamps work.

Traditional stamp

This type of stamp is the opposite of self-inking. It is made of a rubber shape mounted on either foam or wood, and requires the use of a separate stamp pad.

I recommend: Ace Marking Devices describes customized traditional stamps.

Pre-inked stamp

This kind of stamp does not need a separate ink pad, as it comes with its own reservoir of ink-saturated dye.

I recommend: Find out how a pre-inked stamp works, as well as the differences between this type of stamp and a self-inking stamp, from Frost Manufacturing.