Personalised box stamp set

The Ultimate Guide To Choosing Your Marking Stamp

Are you struggling to wrap your head around all the different options and decide which stamp will suit your needs best? Then keep reading. In this article, we have outlined all the different types of stamps, their purposes and considerations you should take into account when stamp shopping.

It’s no question that marking stamps are a huge cost and time-saver for schools and teachers alike. But with so many options and brands out there, choosing the perfect stamp can be overwhelming. 

By purpose

The first thing you should do when ordering a stamp is to think where and how you will be using it. Below we collated all the different ways you can incorporate marking stamps in the classroom.

  • Homework: mark student’s homework, creating a sense of accomplishment and encouraging regular completion of assignments.

  • Rewarding behaviour: create a reward system in the classroom by using stamps with phrases like ‘fantastic work’, ‘well done’ or ‘perfect’.

  • Assignments: incorporate stamps to quickly mark student work as checked, incomplete, or outstanding.

  • Grading: different stamps like sad / smiling face can denote different grades but also add a fun, visual element to the process.

  • Languages: make learning languages even more interactive by using fun stamps to help students learn verbs, tenses and language structures.

  • Providing feedback: use stamps with messages like ‘Needs work’, ‘Keep it up’, ‘Please take care’ to recognise improvement and foster a culture of supportive learning.

  • Peer review: students can use stamps to review each other’s work or respond to each other’s feedback.

  • Teaching aids: by using stamps that represent different shapes, letters, numbers, or punctuation students can discover and learn these concepts.

  • Attendance: use stamps to keep track of student’s attendance, or participation in class discussions or group activities.

  • Organisation: stamps can be used to label folders, belongings or homework for teachers and students alike.

  • Encourage reading: recognise student’s reading efforts and keep track of books read (Mrs xx says stamp)

  • Milestones: recognise students' milestones and achievements, such as "Met Reading Goal", "Mastered Multiplication", etc.

Other uses

There are lots of other ways stamps can be used for, for example outside of the classroom:

  • Art projects & craft: use stamps in creative ways for artwork, decoration and patterns.

  • Home learning: as teacher use stamps to recognise parent’s efforts in their child’s learning (Mrs xxx says) or incorporate fun messages into home schooling as a parent.

  • Parent communication: incorporate stamps on notes or slips going home to parents with messages like "Important", "Reminder", "Signature Needed", etc.

  • Events: stamps can be used for creating invitations, posters, or decorations for school events.

  • Office: stamps, especially large format stamps, are perfect for complicated checklists, grids and diagram use, as well as office and administration purposes.

Now that you know exactly what the purpose of your stamp will be, you need to decide on the aspects of its design & daily use.

Key things to consider when choosing your stamp

Size

Smaller to medium-sized stamps are ideal for grading, marking attendance and succinct feedback with images, while larger stamps are more suited for in-depth feedback, checklists and school organisation.

Design

Self-inking or pre-inked stamps are recommended for school settings due to their convenience and suitability for frequent use. These stamps contain built-in ink pads or ink reservoirs, eliminating the need for a separate ink pad, ensuring a mess-free and efficient experience.

Larger stamps can be more useful for office or organisation thanks to their larger format and more design flexibility. They can be either pre-inked or come with an inking pad.

Ink Type

Water-based inks are suitable for stamping on paper or cardstock for most school-related tasks. Ink refills are quick, cheaper and environmentally solution - simply add a few drops to the ink pad to revitalise your rubber stamp. Explore our inks and pads. We also have stamps in skin-safe ink so that you can stamp directly onto your student's hands or wrists.

Frequency of use

Consider the volume and frequency of stamping tasks you'll be performing. Self-inking or pre-inked stamps will save you time and effort, as they don't require manual re-inking between impressions. They are therefore perfect for marking multiple books or papers with easy re-inking options!

Colours

You might think that once you order a stamp in a certain colour you can't change it – this couldn't be more wrong! Once your stamp rans out of ink, you can easily re-ink it with a different colour.

Customisation

We offer a wide range of singles and pre-made stamps but if you can’t find the one that suits your needs you can design one. We offer fully customisable stamps where you can add your own text, own image, a choice of shape (round, rectangle and square) and 14 different ink colours, including 2 colour designs. The possibilities are endless! Explore our range of custom stamps.

How many to buy

School Stamps offer fantastic discounts for multiple purchases and large orders. Explore our offers.

Types of stamps we offer:

Self-inking and pre-inked stamps

These stamps are the ultimate time and cost saver; they come in a range of designs and can be used up to 10,000 times. Self-inking stamps are also re-inkable, which extends the life of the stamp approx. 20 times, whilst pre-inked stamps come with a replaceable ink pad, making them both a cost-effective choice.

Stamp stacks (Stakz stamps)

Stamp Stacks offer the ultimate multi-tasking, space-saving solution for busy teachers. These stacks are fully customisable and multi-layered solution that offers fantastic value for money. You can easily personalise each stamp layer with most common marking messages and save time finding the right stamp, as they're all at hand. You can layer them like building bricks depending on your needs!

The stamp stacks are also super durable – they are re-inkable and you can also add extra stamp layers as and when you need them (max recommended stack size is 5).

Personalised stamps

These stamps take the marking game to the next level because teachers can customise them entirely to their needs, making them also fun and completely unique. With personalised stamps there is a broad range of choices, from shape, size and subject type, as well as own choice of image, message and up to 14 different ink colours.

Large marking stamps

These large format stamps are perfect for checklist marking, making them the most time-saving and versatile solution. They are also ideal for use outside of the classroom like data entry, grid designs and tables in an office, finance or administration environment. Available in different sizes, they can also be personalised with a choice of colour, images, words/grids and orientation (landscape or portrait).

Box sets

Great value solution for teachers who want to have all their stamps in one place for quick and easy marking. Available in a set of 6 or 8, each stamp can be hand-picked or customised to your school’s marking strategy with colour, image and text to save valuable time writing your most used marking stamp messages. The best part? They all come in a fun, practical box you can display on your desk or in the classroom and always have your most-used stamps at hand.