A rubber stamp is defined as a rubber stamp text plate plus a rubber stamp holder.
The rubber stamp holder can be made of wood or plastic but when people think of a rubber stamp most think of the old traditional wood handle as holder of the rubber stamp text plate plus the separate rubber stamp ink pad for inking.

The word rubber stamp is these days not just cover the description of the old traditional rubber stamp with the wood handle but the two words rubber stamp has become a general expression for all type of rubber stamp products. Rubber stamp products can either be a self inking rubber stamp made of metal or a self inking rubber stamp made of plastic or just the old traditional rubber stamp. Self inking rubber stamp daters are also big sellers on the market and even the plain rubber stamp dater with a separate ink pad is still being sold.

The history of a rubber stamp goes back to name Goodyear. He invented the automobile tire but he also invented the rubber stamp. The production of the rubber stamp text plate is a vulcanising process plus several other production processes. To watch a rubber stamp text plate being produced is interesting. From the rubber stamp text has been designed on a computer normally using the software coral draw to the finished rubber stamp text plate a number of chemical processes are involved plus the end vulcanising.
It is truly amazing how tiny details it is possible to show on the rubber stamp text plate when you see how it being done. But a well produced rubber stamp text plate can make a quality impression of even tiny points.

New technology is also gradually changing the rubber stamp production methods. The laser technology now available makes it possible to produce rubber stamp text plates one by one where you so far have had to produce your rubber stamp text plates in A4 size sheets and thereafter use a sizor or to cut out each rubber stamp text plate.

In the UK the old traditional rubber stamp with a separate ink pad is still sold in huge quantities. There are no official rubber stamp statistics available but it is estimated by the rubber stamp manufacturers guild that about 3.5 million rubber stamp we sold yearly.
The rubber stamp is always the last people think about. Ah – we also need a rubber stamp. I forgot that is very common. Fortunately Solid Stamps is able to produce a rubber stamp from order is received to dispatch within 24 hours. With the new – but expensive – laser technology you can produce the rubber stamp text plate within minutes.

The future of the rubber stamp market is difficult to predict. New technology and especially the computer technology is revolutionising the office. Documents are being done in “cyberspace “ and the need for a rubber stamp to stamp and verify documents are getting fewer. We who rare in the business do believe that for many years to come the rubber stamp market will still be there – and still be very big.