Inked stamps are mess-free and easy to use.

In this guide, we’ve categorized pre-inked and self-inking stamps together as “inked stamps.” Neither require ink pads, so what’s the difference, you might wonder?

Pre-inked stamps contain liquid ink that flows through only the lines of their designs. You can think of them as ink pads in very specific shapes. Self-inking stamps, meanwhile, use a built-in ink pad to mechanically ink themselves with each press.

Both kinds of inked stamps are convenient, requiring no separate ink pads or cleanup. However, you can’t use any ink but the ink chosen by the manufacturer, and you may have to deal with your stamp drying out and requiring re-inking in the future.

Inked stamps are often more useful in a planner, or anywhere convenience takes priority over creative flair. But that’s not to say creativity is off the table: the marks of most inked stamps can be filled in with markers for a pop of color. Inked stamps that use alcohol-based inks² are fantastic with water-based markers but will bleed faintly with alcohol-based markers like Copics.

BGM Clear Stamps can help you organize and decorate simultaneously.

BGM Clear Stamps feature more elaborate designs in a wider range of sizes. Their sets include clean and minimal organizational options like checklists and schedules, but if your taste tends towards the cute, sets with flowers, cherry blossoms, and cats balance charming detail with practicality. They have plenty of fanciful options that you can use to illustrate a page.

BGM stamp sets do not include acrylic blocks. This means you won’t have redundant blocks piling up, but don’t forget to add one to your first purchase. BGM acrylic blocks are thick with curved edges that make them easy to hold. We recommend the larger size so you don’t have trouble using the biggest stamps.

The C. Ching Stationery Rubber Date Stamp can stamp dates up to 2030.

The retro design of the C. Ching Stationery Rubber Date Stamp is deeply satisfying to use. It includes a rotating selection of eleven sayings, plus one blank option, and a date section with days, months, and years spanning 2019 to 2030. Turning the side handle to select sayings or gripping the top to stamp a page is pleasantly tactile. It’s also our best pick by far for pretending you’re a librarian.

You’ll likely get the most use out of this stamp if you ink the sayings and the date separately. To that end, a small Versafine pad will work best. However, even a large ink pad will work if you strategically hang part of the stamp off the edge.

Sanby x Eric Small Things Stamps add a charming touch to any page.

The adorable designs gracing Sanby x Eric Small Things Stamps come in a wide range of shapes and sizes, all paying tribute to the small lovely joys in everyday life. If you need a border along the edge of a page or the bottom of a letter, grab a Combination Stamp. They can also be slotted together to form larger blocks of designs. For a more classic rubber stamp experience, sets of wooden-mount Collaboration Stamps come in a handsome tray, so you can leave them out on your desk for display. Even the practical Date Stamps have a detailed frame around the adjustable date section.

Be careful when cleaning the plastic Combination Stamps. Some stamp cleaners will smear the printed designs on top. We recommend using only gentler inks, like the Sanby ink pad, and avoiding multi-surface inks like the Tsukineko StazOn, so stronger cleaners aren't necessary.

You can find space for the delicate designs of Midori Self-Inking Paintable Stamps on any page.

Midori Self-Inking Paintable Stamps each contain ten rotating designs on themes ranging from cats to plants to months and days. With each press of the stamp, the selected design presses against the internal ink pad and then flips lightning-fast to the paper—all with a satisfying kachunk! Their marks are consistent and precise, perfect for their small and delicately-wrought designs. The non-smearing oil-based ink can be colored in with your favorite water-based markers.

The internal ink pad may dry out quickly, which can be slowed by removing and capping it between uses. Inserting and removing the ink pad takes a little more force than you might expect. Don’t worry, you won’t break it, but make sure the tiny grooves are correctly lined up.

We tested these ink pads on cardstock and Rhodia paper, which is less absorbent than regular copy paper. All photos on dot grid paper are from Rhodia testing. On copy paper, inks will dry more quickly and show through slightly more.

Our tests on Rhodia of ink performance under water- and alcohol-based markers did not smear, with the exception of minute smearing from the Tsukineko VersaCraft under Copics. However, our tests on cardstock smeared under alcohol-based markers for all inks except Tsukineko StazOn Metallic. Tsukineko VersaCraft and VersaMagic also smeared under water-based ink on cardstock. Always test your particular combination of paper and inks before executing your project.

Stamp	Sample	Showthrough	Opacity	Detail	Dry Time (seconds)
Sanby x Eric Small Things Stamp Pad			N/A		5
Tsukineko StazOn Metallic Ink Pads					5
Tsukineko StazOn Midi Size Ink Pads					2
Tsukineko VersaCraft Soramame Ink Pads					10
Tsukineko Versafine Ink Pads					5
Tsukineko VersaMagic Dew Drop Ink Pads					5

A two-handed inking technique creates even coverage and allows you to use small ink pads for big stamps.

When inking a clear or rubber stamp, you should hold your stamp in one hand and your ink pad in the other, then dab your ink pad against your stamp with small, quick motions. This prevents overinking and makes it easy to use a small ink pad for larger stamps. Switch ink pads in the middle of the process for a gradient color effect.

Sometimes dye inks can bead up on brand new clear rubber stamps, causing uneven stamping. Head this off at the pass by rubbing a new clear stamp with a clean microfiber cloth until it goes from crystal clear to cloudy. "Priming" your stamp like this should fix the issue.

Clean your stamps while the ink is still wet.

Pre-inked and self-inking stamps don’t require cleaning, but cleaning a clear or rubber stamp isn’t too much of an additional hassle. Most inks wipe right off with a moistened, soapy paper towel, though you could also invest in a reusable stamp cleaning cloth. Microfiber cloths are popular as they won't leave any fibers caught in stamp designs.

Some more stubborn inks like metallics may call for additional stamp cleaner. All inks will be harder to clean if you let them fully dry on the stamp, so it’s better to strike while the iron is hot, or the stamp is damp, as it were.

If ink is really stuck in there, soothe yourself with the thought that it won’t get out and affect your future projects. Stained and discolored stamps won’t transfer any color; they just have a little more character.

• ¹ Clear stamps can also be used with stamp presses or stamp positioning tools. If you try some and love them, look into more advanced accessories. ↩

• ² Most of these stamps are labeled as containing “oil-based ink,” but when discussing inks, oil-based, alcohol-based, and solvent-based are interchangeable terms. ↩

• ³ For precision with opaque stamps, you can buy or build stamp alignment tools, which consist of essentially a right angle with a clear plastic sheet tucked into it. Stamp once on the clear sheet, line everything up as you like, then remove the sheet and stamp again. ↩

• ⁴ FriXion ink disappears with the heat generated by friction and may reappear in cold conditions. ↩