Tips & Tricks:
Rubber Stamp Engraving

Now, it can be so easy to laser engrave all your rubber stamp text plates. Below, you will find a three-step guide for engraving the perfect rubber stamps, as well as our advice on what to consider whenever you decide to process a rubber stamp.

3 Step Guide Tips & Tricks

Create the Perfect Stamp: 3 Steps

Step 1: Drawing the Layout

When creating the layout, try to make it exactly the way it will be stamped onto paper later. You don't need to worry about inverting / mirroring the graphic either - if you select the 'stamp' process in the printer driver, the program will do this automatically. Even the cutting line can be selected for automatic cutting, so you will not have to specifically draw it.

Step 2: Printer settings

Ensure that you select the following settings in the printer driver:

Size: Enter the size of the stamp you intend on engraving. If a Trodat stamp is being used, simply select it from the list.
Materials: Rubber - here, we fall back on the tested laser parameters from our material database.
Process Type: Stamp - the engraving layout will be automatically mirrored and inverted.
Resolution: 600dpi+
Cutting Line: Optimised - the cutting line will also be adapted to the layout, thus preventing an impression of the background
Raster Algorithm: Black / White
Shoulders: Standard: Medium

Step 3: Laser process

Begin the laser process. When it's finished, make sure you clean the rubber stamp immediately. Clean it in the ultrasonic bath or with water and a brush. Finally, stick the lasered rubber inside the stamp, and you're ready to go!

Download: Instructions for Stamp Engraving

Things to Consider When Processing Rubber Stamps:

"How deep does my engraving need to be to produce a clean impression?"

The 'Trodat Aero' rubber stamp parameters are all stored within JobControl’s material database. Here, the engraving depth is set automatically. However, if you use another kind of rubber stamp, you'll need to make sure that the engraving depths are about 1.1mm to be able to achieve a good, clear impression.

"What are 'shoulders'?"

To obtain a clear, detailed impression on paper, it is important to create 'shoulders'. These are used to give the letters and characters of a stamp text plate greater stability at its base. Depending on how fine the stamp is, the following shoulder settings should be selected in JobControl:

Steep: suitable for larger areas
Medium: well suited for standard text stamps
Flat: ideal for very fine fonts

"Why should I use an extraction system?"

When you process rubber stamps, you will undoubtedly create a lot of dust and odour. This means it is increasingly important to have an efficient extraction system for good removal of debris. The extraction system should be fitted with a sufficient proportion of activated carbon to filter out the odours. We also recommend engraving the stamp plate form the top and working your way down. This will ensure the quality of the engraving is not affected due to dust.

More About Extraction Systems

"Which lens should I use for marking the text plate?"

We recommend using the 1.5"mm lens when processing texts and images with very delicate details.

More About Lenses

How to Maximise Stamp Engraving Efficiency

Rubber laser engraving requires a very high-power output in order to achieve the right level of productivity. The more power your laser machine has, the quicker your job will be completed. Additionally, you can use the 'link' function found within JobControl®. If you activate this, small connecting bridges will be automatically set between the laser engraved and laser cut text plates. This, in turn, allows you to engrave and clean an entire DIN A4 stamp plate in one single process. Then, all you need to do is break the individual text plates out and they’re ready to be inserted in the stamps. This process will significantly increase your output compared to creating individual stamp motifs each time.

More About Stamp Laser Engraving:

Using laser engraving machines for rubber stamp production can give you many incredible advantages compared to other technologies. You are free to engrave text plates for stamps, seal presses, signs, business cards and many more interesting items.

Producing Stamps with a Laser Engraving Machine

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