Have you ever wondered how rubber stamps are manufactured? Wonder no more! We have prepared this photo tutorial to walk you through the basic steps of rubber stamp making.

Step 1 - The Artwork The first step in making rubber stamps is to create high quality artwork in crisp, clear lines. The artwork is then sent to the engraver.

 

 

 

Step 2 - The Engraving The engraver then creates a master engraving, referred to as a plate. The plate comes in a reverse image - as if a mirror image of the original art. The engraving is a positive relief, meaning the lines of the art are raised.

 

 

Step 3 - the Mold The plate is then used to make a mold by placing the engraving on a rigid board, and placing in a vulcanizer for several minutes to cure. The mold is a negative relief of the original artwork.

 

 

Step 4 - the Rubber A sheet of uncured rubber is trimmed to fit on the mold. The rubber comes in a large roll, and must be trimmed to size.

 

 

Step 5 - the Vulcanizer The mold with the rubber is placed in a vulcanizer which uses heat and pressure to form and cure the rubber sheet. A sheet of release paper is used to keep the melting rubber from sticking to the machine.

 

 

Step 6 - the Cured Rubber After about 10 minutes, the now cured rubber is removed from the vulcanizer, and pulled off of the mold. Gloves are worn at stage because the rubber is over 300 degrees.

 

 

Step 7 - the New Rubber Stamps The newly made rubber stamps are ready to be trimmed, packaged, and shipped to you for your creative use! If the stamps are to be mounted, there are additional steps necessary to finish the product. Since we are an unmounted rubber stamp company, we will end our tutorial at this point.

 

We hope you have enjoyed learning the steps we take to make rubber stamps for you : )

If you are interested in starting your own line of rubber stamps, but want someone else to do the manufacturing for you, Alluring Impressions offers rubber stamp manufacturing services.
We will be happy to discuss your needs with you, feel free to contact us!