DIY rubber stamp

You understand, the scope of these gizmos is limitless - scrapbooking, postcards, gifts for children, printing on fabric / paper / walls, and so on. I needed to make a stamp with the logo of my jewelry workshop. Now I can turn ordinary kraft paper packaging into a memorable and pleasant one, one that would not be embarrassing to give as a gift.

So, we need:

- Sketch
- rubber block (a regular eraser will do)
- wood cutters
- craft knife
- ball pen
- wax crayon

If this list scares you, don't worry! Everything can be easily ordered on ebay.com, they even sell ready-made kits for a beginner carver. Perhaps this is the easiest way to purchase materials and tools, I know from my own experience that it is quite difficult to find special rubber blocks or a thin breadboard knife in our stores.

So, as a basis, I took the finished logo of my jewelry workshop.

Print the drawing in the desired size, I just drew mine again. I must say that in a fit of inspiration, I completely forgot that the template should be mirrored, so I cut out an inverted picture. In my case, it's okay, but if you need to make an inscription, remember this!
I added some measurements to make sure everything fits.

To translate the contour, I used this method - I densely sketched the back of the template with wax crayon, then circled the contour again with a ballpoint pen - already on the block.

Even after a firm pen, the outline on the block will be barely visible

Therefore, once again with a pen, draw all the lines

A little advice - it is better to immediately draw the lines of the desired thickness, and not leave them thin, as in the photo. Much easier to cut later.
Actually, the massacre begins further. Of the entire set of wood cutters, it makes sense to use these:

semicircular and L-shaped. For very thin details, I used a breadboard knife.

Carefully and slowly begin to remove excess rubber. I don’t know how to do it according to all the rules, so I relied on my own feelings and the moment of convenience. Do not try to immediately remove deeply, it is better to go in small movements and deepen gradually.

I went through very thin places with a breadboard knife. If it suddenly happened to brush off the excess, for example, a hand jumped off and the cutter walked across the line, it's okay. First, think, maybe leave it like that. When printing, there will still be flaws, perhaps your mistake will not be noticeable. If the mistake is critical, arm yourself with rubber glue and just stick a piece of gum where you need it.
That's it. It took me about 40 minutes to cut out such a picture 5 by 5 cm. But it was my first time, the second one was already much faster.

Test print - check what happened.

A little refine the details, and you can seal the bags!

Inspired by the success, I immediately made a stamp with calligraphy, although I didn’t intend to - I used to think that it would be too difficult. But no, everything is possible and quite real!

And finally, more stamps!

Thank you all for your attention and success in your work!

Engraving is the true art of replicating an image. Stamps can also be called a kind of engraving in a minimal format. In this master class, you will learn how to make a stamp with your own hands and feel like a real master engraver. This stamp is suitable for printing with acrylic, oil and printing ink.

An engraving cliche, which is correctly called a "board", is made of wood (woodcut), linoleum (linocut), metal (etching) and stone (lithography). It is best to start with linocut: linoleum is easy to cut and devoid of fibers, unlike wood.

Tools and materials for creating a stamp with your own hands

• a piece of economy class linoleum
• stationery knife
• wooden base (for example, a simple wooden cube)
• PVA glue or any other
• optional: you can use a linoleum engraver (they differ from chisels in size)

How to make a stamp with your own hands

Linoleum should be taken the cheapest, even, without texture (or with minimal texture) and preferably dense. You can buy a piece of special art linoleum for linocut in an art store. I like this one most of all for its structure, but when I need to cut something in large quantities, I use the most common one.

On linoleum you need to apply a drawing. The easiest way is to redraw with a pencil or pen directly on the linoleum, in a mirror image. But, when it comes to the exact transfer of the picture, it is better to print the layout in the desired size on a laser printer (an inkjet will not work) and transfer the image to linoleum using an iron.

Attention! When you apply a drawing in this way, it does not need to be mirrored!

I ironed it, let's see what happened.

Now we cut. Let's go through the contour of the ampersand with a clerical knife, and in large areas - with engravers, which you can do without if the work is small.

Advice: If the linoleum is too soft to cut, you can put it in the freezer for a while. Conversely, if the material is difficult to cut, it is better to heat it on a battery or in warm water.

We cut out the letter, we also remove the excess material along the edges. We try to level the surface in large spaces.

The stamp is ready!

Now you need to make a test print and trim the flaws, if any. I also lightly go over the fine-grained sandpaper to even out the surface of the stamp.

Can be printed with regular water-based ink or acrylic. The main thing is that immediately after printing, clean the stamp from ink residues in warm water (if oil, then with a solvent or turpentine) and leave to dry naturally (not on a battery!).

With this simple method, you can create an absolutely unique drawing.

But it is worth remembering: the larger the board, the harder you need to press so that the material absorbs the paint. Sometimes it is no longer possible to do it by hand. For example, the A3 print on a T-shirt shown in the photograph was already printed using an etching machine. Smaller stamps can be tapped with a wooden mallet for a perfect impression.

It is not often that an ordinary person needs information on how to make a seal himself. But still, there are cases when advice of such a plan will help in creativity or the implementation of creative ideas. We have put together a few recommendations, but first we will look at the types of stamps and their purpose.

There are seals for official documentation:

1. Stamp. Certifies the authenticity of government documents.
2. A commercial. It is used by individual entrepreneurs and legal entities.
3. Stamp. Replaces handwritten text on institutional letterheads.

If everything is clear with the documents, then how to mark your books, letters, personal belongings? Masters accustomed to standards are unlikely to make a creative sketch of the image. It's easier to print yourself. Below we will tell you how to print at home.

Attention: the instruction contains tips on how to make a seal for personal use. Illegal production of a stamp for commercial or other purposes is punishable by forced labor or imprisonment for up to two years. In the best case, you will have to pay a fine of up to 80 thousand rubles. (art. 327, paragraph 1).

Types of homemade prints:

• Bookplate. They can mark, for example, the books of the home library. The print can have a beautiful image or your family coat of arms.
• Logo. They put on hand-made products, paper bags, packaging.
• Blank for impressions on wax. Used to seal letters.
• toy seal for playing with children.

Metal impact stamp - another type of homemade prints

Image programs

Making a seal begins with creating a pattern for the print. For this, graphic programs are used:

• Stamp is a popular and free image layout software. Intuitively clear, even a non-advanced user can work with it. You can only download the demo version for free.
• Stamp is a free program with wide functionality.
• Corel Draw, Illustrator - vector graphics editors for creating detailed images. Requires basic skills.
• Fine Print is a paid program for inserting a print image into a text document.

The process of creating a print layout in Corel Draw

Methods for making stamps

Here are 3 main ways: complex, simple, for children.

Complex: Resin Printing

Photo exposure technology is able to convey the smallest details of the picture. However, it is financially expensive and difficult to implement: you need to master graphics programs, buy film and polymer, find an exposure camera and a suitable laser printer.

Step 1. Image layout required. To create a professional drawing, use Corel Draw, but other programs will work.

Step 2 To print the layout, use a laser printer with a resolution of 600 dpi or more. Lomond or Kimoto films are suitable as a base.

Step 3 Flatten the negative and place it face up on the glass. Moisten the glass with water before doing this so that the negative sticks better. It is advisable to cover it with a protective film. With smoothing movements from the center to the edges, remove air and residual water from under the film.

Step 4 Tape the edge of the negative with border tape, leave the corners free.

Step 5 Evenly, without interruption of the jet, fill the negative with photopolymer. If bubbles appear, pierce them with a needle or blow out with a jet of air from a rubber bulb.

Step 6 Carefully place the film on the polymer with the rough side inward and the smooth side outward. Lightly press it in the middle and gradually release the ends. Place another piece of glass on top and secure with clips (available at stationery stores) around the edges.

Step 7 Place the resulting "sandwich" into the exposure chamber. The front side should be on top. Set the exposure time. At the end of the process, turn the composition over and repeat the procedure. Each polymer has its own exposure time. For example, VX55 and ROEHM should be held for one minute. In order not to be mistaken, read the technical regulations.

Step 8 Carefully remove the glass and separate the negative from the resin. Leave the clear substrate in place. Use a toothbrush and non-abrasive detergent to remove any uncured resin from the cliché. It is best to do this under running warm water.

Step 9 Soak the washed plate for 5-10 minutes in water and re-expose.

Step 10 Carefully cut out the cliche along the contour, without touching the sides. Stick the blank on the snap. The print is ready!

Beginners often separate the substrate from the polymer after exposure. As a result, it is not possible to glue the stamp blank. Remember: the rough surface of the substrate is in contact with the polymer, and the smooth surface is glued to the body.

Such an impression can be used to seal wax or sealing wax.

Simple: Stamp made with foil

Find an old stamp or board of the right size, preferably with a handle. Glue the resulting inscription to it, and you can try the quality of the print.

This technology does not require any special artistic talents from you. Materials for the manufacture of blanks are in every home. The wear resistance of such a stamp is lower than that of a photopolymer, but it can be used to make several hundred prints.

Step 1. Choose the right picture. Transfer it to tracing paper, and then to foil. To do this, you can take a pencil or a non-writing pen and circle the outline with light pressure. Any foil will do: food in a roll or from a chocolate bar.

Step 2 Carefully pour strong putty or epoxy into the resulting recesses. Set the workpiece aside for two days to dry.

Step 3 At the end of the term, remove the resulting inscription from the foil. The mold should come off easily.

Step 4 Find an old stamp or board of the right size, preferably with a handle. Glue the resulting inscription to it and test the quality of the print. Ready!

A worn out rubber stamp can become the basis

Prints for children

Which of us has not drawn on an eraser, and then enthusiastically stamped the last page of a notebook? Children love to make prints. And you can make a whole collection of curly stamps together with them.

* Calculations use average data for Russia

Stamp making is a simple but profitable business that requires a small investment to start. But the payback in this business is no more than two months! And this is understandable, because printing, the cost of which is 10 rubles, is sold for about 100-600.

After the de-licensing of this activity, entry into the market has become easy. It is enough to register as an individual entrepreneur, rent a small room, buy a computer, a laser printer and special equipment, advertise and that's it, you can work!

The service for making seals is in demand everywhere, throughout the country, in all cities without exception. And the demand for these products is unlikely to disappear.

The competition in this market is high, but not everywhere. This is different, first of all, the capital market. In the regions, it affects more the volume of orders than the pricing policy, because the regional market is still far from saturation in the capital.

The printing process includes the following steps:

Search for a customer;
- receipt of an order, including wishes, what the seal should be like (standard samples are approved by the registering authorities), company registration documents, a finished sketch. If there is no sketch of the future printing, it must be drawn (and do not forget to take 3–10 USD for this);
- outputting a sketch to a negative or positive film on a laser printer (this step is skipped if we are dealing with a Brother StampCreator PRO “machine”, which is directly connected to a computer through a printer or mouse port. The cost of such an installation is 1,800 USD. The layout designer draws a sketch of the future printing, presses the button... then the smart device does everything.Thanks to the drivers, the computer reads the device like a printer;
- materialization of cliches (in all technologies - in different ways), which includes a number of operations;
- installation of a cliché in a snap using glue or adhesive tape.

Earn up to
200 000 rub. a month, having fun!

2019 trend. Intelligent entertainment business. Minimum investment. No additional deductions or payments. Turnkey training.

The selling price of printing consists not only of the cost of the cliché, but also of the cost of the tooling. The tooling is where the cliché of the finished print is inserted. Equipment is manual (plastic, wood, metal) and automatic with a built-in ink pad, Russian and foreign production.

This article may be outdated. More relevant articles on this topic:

Business plan for an enterprise for the manufacture of seals and stamps

Ink-filled prints made using flash technology require special equipment, since the print is impregnated with ink.

Most companies not only in Moscow, but also in the regions have switched to remote production of seals. Clients must email the Seal and Die Sketch files in the required format and select material and tooling. When the print is ready (and this can be done within one hour), you can send it by courier directly to the client's office or by mail.

Technology Choice

At the moment, there are four common stamp production technologies: photopolymer, raw rubber vulcanization, flash method and laser engraving.

Photopolymer technology is cheap, high quality and therefore very popular. Experienced entrepreneurs advise starting from this level: low organization costs. The main advantages of photopolymer technology are: a relatively fast technological process, low cost of printing plates (0.3 dollars, or 10 rubles), harmless production. Disadvantages - you need running water, or you will have to buy an automatic car wash (from $ 250). In addition, the manufacture of polymer seals is largely manual work. Plus the rapid wear of polymers.

The minimum set of consumables for this technology includes 1 kg of polymer, 1 roll of border tape, 25 sheets of matte and transparent film. At the same time, one pack of film is enough for 300–1,500 stamps, one roll of a border for 150 stamps, one spray can for 1,000 stamps, and one kilogram of polymer worth 500–700 rubles for 100–150 stamps.

Making seals from rubber by vulcanization is also an inexpensive technology, but the prints are of better quality. However, the manufacturing process is lengthy and laborious, again, you can’t do without “manual labor”. The main thing to remember right away is that rubber has a very strong ... smell when vulcanized.

The flash method is almost completely automated and is so simple that a ten-year-old child can easily master it. For the production of an imprint on a printing cliché, special equipment is used - flash installations. They are compact, lightweight, easy to handle and will easily fit on the edge of an office desk.

Ready-made ideas for your business

Stamps made using flash technology do not have a relief, unlike polymer and rubber ones. Flash requires a special finely porous rubber with high resolution. However, only one print can be made per cycle. And photopolymer technology allows you to simultaneously "light up" several clichés in the camera.

To vulcanize raw rubber, you will need sheet raw rubber (250 rubles per kilogram), matrix cardboard (650x650mm, 1,550 rubles per sheet), a solid photopolymer on a metal base (sheet A4, 600 rubles). For flash technology - special rubber blanks with a thermally conductive coating.

Laser engraving is a very modern and technological thing. However, it has one big drawback - the price of equipment. The minimum amount to start is $8,000. The average price of a quality laser engraver is 15–20 thousand. Typically, such "fancy" installations are purchased by companies that are well established in the market, which expand the range of services. A beginner is not capable of such equipment. The main advantage of this method is the ultra-high resolution.

Ready-made ideas for your business

There are no problems with suppliers in Russia. The market for stamp production equipment is quite saturated. So, in Moscow there are several major suppliers: Graphics-M, Trodat XXI, New Stamps, Print.ru. If desired, you can find any equipment for any technology. Its cost from different suppliers is about the same.

Cameras for photopolymer printing - Soligor from 380 USD, PLC from 320 USD

uncertified exposure cameras from VitStamp from 230 c.u.

thermal presses for rubber vulcanization about 500–700 c.u.

Japanese TAIYO flash machines for ink-filled seals - from 1,500 USD

Brother's unique flash system - $1,800

laser engravers - Lazer Pro Venus V12 - from 8 000 USD,

All products of major suppliers are under warranty. In addition, the cost of the equipment of supplier companies includes training - two hours for a beginner to master the work on the installations.

The list of services of the company-manufacturer of stamp products

1. Making new stamps

Seals of legal entities
Your main clients are legal entities and private entrepreneurs who need a seal for their activities in accordance with Russian law. The seals are also needed by authorities, state and regional. Some firms successfully manage to cooperate with law firms that provide services for the registration of ready-made enterprises. They supply a stream of customers and take their commission.

Official seals
State authorities need special seals - stamps, with a clear image of the Russian coat of arms. Today, the production of official seals is about 5% of the market in Russia and 10% of the market in Moscow.

Other stamp products
Seals for internal use, these include various kinds of accounting seals “received”, “paid”, daters, putting down the date, and numerators (seals with numbers).

Facsimile
facsimile - a seal with an imprint of your signature.

2. Restoration of used seals by cliché or print
This service costs around 10–30 USD.

3. Become a dealer of a supplier of equipment and consumables

Based on the article by Ekaterina Chinarova for the magazine "Business Journal"

552 people are studying this business today.

For 30 days this business was interested in 37573 times.

Profitability calculator for this business

To make a print at home, you will need:

• laser black and white printer IMPORTANT detail!!! wax-based powder toner is often found in color laser printers. Wax transmits light and does not give high-quality illumination. Color laser printers from CANON, Samsung, Epson are not suitable, you need a regular office black and white printer, something like HP) Set the toner consumption to the maximum;
• ultraviolet lamp (the cheapest lamp for helium nails without a timer with a top lamp will do. Side lamps are not needed. this is superfluous);
• 2 glass plates 8x8 cm;
• 2 paper clips (binder);
• stopwatch (available in every phone);
• double-sided foam tape 0.5 cm thick (you can use 0.2 in three layers);
• photopolymer (can be ordered online);
• dishwashing liquid;
• film for printing on laser printers (suitable for Lomond, ideally buy kimoto in the same place as the photopolymer);
• toothbrush (soft);
• baby powder;
• toothpicks or a needle;
• hair dryer;
• soft brush.

To make a seal, you need to create a sketch of this seal. This will require a minimum knowledge of Corel Draw.

If you want to make a seal of an existing notary or, for example, a tax one, then you will need to import the jpeg file into Correl. And on top of it, outline it by picking up fonts that are as similar as possible to the original print.

I give you ready-made print sketches in CDR format for training:

(fonts in the archive, install in advance) bank and branch data can be changed, printing is not blocked for editing:

(the relevance of the seal is the end of 2013), you can change the data to another notary, if you will provide certification in another city and region, then the original version of the seal is not required. No one ever checks the print for a hundred percent match with the original for a thousand miles.

Moscow No. 46 copy 7 (in practice I have seen stamps of this tax stamp copies 2, 4, 7, all stamps are the same, only one number changes in the middle just below the center.) The sketch is as close as possible to the original stamp. The fonts are standard, pre-installed on all computers, but in any case, you may experience deviations in the display of fonts due to different versions of Windows. The tax stamp is flattened by 1 millimeter, this is taken into account in the sketch! The seals of notaries, tax and other authorities are specially flattened to increase protection against counterfeiting.

We look for how to invert the image of the color of the sketch in YouTube, place the negative of the print on a black square 8x8 cm in the middle. you should end up with all white text on a black square after inverting the image.

And so let's get started!

You have prepared a print sketch, inverted the image in a mirror position and changed white to black, black to white and you have a negative! We print on film.

We take a glass plate, glue the side of the glass with double-sided adhesive tape on a foam basis, you get an almost tight square-shaped bath with a side of 5 - 6 mm.

Pour the photopolymer into the bath (I do this not from a bottle, but from a syringe. I made a small hole in the lid of such a size that the spout of the syringe of 20 cubic meters fits tightly there. We turn the jar upside down and draw the photopolymer into the syringe. In this way, bubbles do not get into the photopolymer air, which will not need to be removed additionally.) fill the bath to the brim with a syringe, until a light lens forms above the surface of the rim. if bubbles appear, bring them to the surface with a needle or toothpick.

We put our negative facing the photopolymer, lightly press it with our finger so that it sticks tightly to the photopolymer. Here, a couple of drops may spill out of your tub. This is fine.

We put a second glass on top of this negative.

We clamp this "sandwich" with paper clips (binders) on both sides.

We put the "sandwich" in the UV lamp with the negative down! It is important! Right down.

We turn on the lamp simultaneously with the stopwatch for 1.5 minutes. Later on, you train with time, the exposure time depends on the thickness of the applied toner on the negative, on the strength of your lamp, on the quality of the photopolymer, denser ones illuminate faster, more liquid ones a little longer. Here at the will of the experimenter.

After 1.5 minutes, turn off the lamp, take out the "sandwich" and turn it over with the negative up, put it in the lamp, repeat the exposure.

We turn off the lamp, take out the "sandwich" and disassemble it. Carefully without damaging the seal itself, peel off the negative from it, remove the sides, disconnect our seal from the glass. Now it's sticky for you. We go to the source of running water, pour dishwashing liquid onto this seal, take a soft toothbrush and wash away excess photopolymer with light movements in a circle. Rinse until it is clean. But still a little sticky. Then dry it with a hair dryer on a cold setting until the water is completely removed. Sprinkle generously with baby powder and shake off. Remove excess powder with a soft brush.

You can additionally illuminate in the lamp for 2-3 minutes to increase the rigidity. (not necessary).

Your print is ready.

We cut your seal in a circle with scissors, glue a thin double-sided tape to it, put it on the base.

A notary seal, for example, may be needed if you want to receive, for example, a Yandex money wallet with the status Identified. The Yandex office offers us identification options in the form of coming to their office or sending a notarized copy of the passport. Here you just go to the nearest notary, certify your personal passport, see what text the notary writes and how it draws up the certification. in the same way, you draw up a passport for your drop at home as a real notary does, put your seal and send a letter to the Yandex office without notification by regular mail from the address of your drop. After 2 weeks you get a wallet with a large limit.

A bank seal can be needed anywhere! For example, I needed to confirm the address in a stick, and they asked for a utility bill, it was generally simple here. I didn’t even make it, but just printed it on an inkjet printer on top of the receipt and just took a picture in my hand and sent it to a stick. A day later I received a limit on the withdrawal of 10 thousand ye.

There was a case from life. An acquaintance sent cargo in wagons and he needed a quarantine certificate for each wagon. The times were wild and before the reform of the quarantine inspection, they printed certificates on office paper in 2007. The cost of one certificate is 6 thousand rubles, there are more than a hundred cars. The inspectors themselves earned extra money by printing them to those who wished for half the cost of the certificate without wiring, until they were caught and imprisoned. But in any case, the production of a seal to my friend cost a hundred times cheaper than the profit received.