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Rubber Stam and Seals Question
Rubber Stam and Seals Question
Rubber Stam and Seals Question
Module No. and Title MODULE No.21: Rubber Stamp and Seals
1. Learning Outcomes
2. Introduction
6. Summary
2. Introduction
Rubber Stamp
Rubber stamping, also called stamping, is a craft in which some type of ink made of dye or
pigment is applied to an image or pattern that has been carved, molded, laser engraved or
vulcanized, onto a sheet of rubber. The rubber is often mounted onto a more stable object
such as a wood, brick or an acrylic block. Increasingly the vulcanized rubber image with an
adhesive foam backing is attached to a cling vinyl sheet which allows it to be used with an
acrylic handle for support. These cling rubber stamps can be stored in a smaller amount of
space and typically cost less than the wood mounted versions. They can also be positioned
with a greater amount of accuracy due to the stamper's ability to see through the handle being
used. Temporary stamps with simple designs can be carved from a potato. The ink coated
rubber stamp is pressed onto any type of medium such that the colored image is transferred to
the medium. The medium is generally some type of fabric or paper. Other media used are
wood, metal, glass, plastic, rock. High volume batik uses liquid wax instead of ink on a metal
stamp.
Seal
A seal is a device for making an impression in wax, clay, paper, or some other medium,
including an embossment on paper, and is also the impression thus made. The original
purpose was to authenticate a document, a wrapper for one such as a modern envelope, or the
cover of a container or package holding valuables or other objects.
The seal-making device is also referred to as the seal matrix or die; the imprint it creates as
the seal impression (or, more rarely, the sealing). If the impression is made purely as a relief
resulting from the greater pressure on the paper where the high parts of the matrix touch, the
seal is known as a dry seal; in other cases ink or another liquid or liquefied medium is used,
in another color than the paper.
Most seals have always given a single impression on an essentially flat surface, but in
medieval Europe two-sided seals with two matrices were often used by institutions or rulers
(such as towns, bishops and kings) to make two-sided or fully three-dimensional impressions
in wax, with a "tag", a piece of ribbon or strip of parchment, running through them. These
"pendent" seal impressions dangled below the documents they authenticated, to which the
attachment tag was sewn or otherwise attached (single-sided seals were treated in the same
way).
Stamp classification is not based on the type of die material, but rather the location of the ink
source. Based on the ink source location, there are four main types of conventional stamps
encountered by forensic document examiners in their casework: the hand stamp, the self-
inking stamp, the pre-inked stamp, and the flat-die stamp. Personal, business, and industrial
use rubber stamps are produced by the same manufacturing processes and are classified by
the ink source. However, the die materials and inks differ in the industrial setting due to the
marking needs of a particular industry. Even though discussion in this text is limited to
personal or business use rubber stamps, the forensic document examiner should be aware that
other die materials are used in the industrial setting. Personal and business use hand and self-
inking stamps contain dies made of vulcanized rubber or photopolymer. The die of a hand
stamp is mounted on a die plate attached to a knob handle mount or a molded mount. Because
the die is exposed to its surrounding environment, it is subject to damage and debris
contamination. Inking of the die is accomplished by manually pressing the die onto the stamp
pad in order to obtain ink coverage. The inking process of the hand stamp is achieved
manually, while the inking process of the self-inker is achieved mechanically. The self-inking
stamp consists of a container (usually plastic) that houses the stamp die and ink pad. Since
the die is in a container that usually has a cover, it is protected from excessive debris
contamination or cuts and other damage that can occur as a result of colliding with other
objects one may find in or on a person’s desk. For inking, the die rotates 180° to press into
the ink pad when the top of the container is pressed down. The first two classifications
concern dies that primarily use water-based inks. The third classification includes pre-inked
stamps characterized by a high relief die and, as a general rule, use oil-based inks. Salt-
leached rubber, foam and powder, and premixed gel are the materials used to make high
relief pre-inked stamps. The flat-die stamp is the fourth classification, and it has a low- or no-
relief die, with the ink pad sandwiched between the die and the die holder. Depending upon
their intended use, water- or oil-based inks are used in flat-die stamps.
The two most common causes of a less-than-perfect stamp impression involve the mechanics
of stamping, i.e., failing to hold the stamp correctly, creating an uneven impression, and using
too much force when making the impression, causing the stamp to bounce.
Differences are observed between impressions made by hand or self-inking stamps and pre-
inked stamps. As a general rule, it would be difficult to make a definitive statement as to the
type of stamp that made the questioned impression. However, characteristics observed in a
stamp impression can provide clues as to the die material of the suspected stamp. Vulcanized
rubber and photopolymer are the most common materials used for hand and self-inking stamp
dies. These two materials are non-porous and do not retain ink. Whether the material is
vulcanized rubber or photopolymer, they share the same characteristics in their impressions,
as follows:
Due to its porosity, the die of a pre-inked stamp serves as its own ink reservoir. The materials
commonly used for pre-inked dies include pre-mixed gel, salt-leached rubber, and foam and
powder. Dies made of foam and powder can contain water- or oil-based ink. The remaining
die materials only use oil-based inks for personal or business use.
Flat-die stamps are divided into two categories: light-burst and thermal printer technology.
Light-burst technology uses a Xenon flash to seal the non-print area of the die. The only
pores left open that allow ink to pass through the die will be the printed areas. Heat is used in
the thermal printer technology to seal the micropores in the non-print area of the flat die. The
characteristics of an impression from either flat-die category closely mirror the characteristics
found in the pre-inked stamp impressions. However, a few of the flat-die stamps produce
impressions that contain characteristics that are more unique to a particular model. For
example, the Brother SC 300 PC makes flat-die stamps using thermal printer technology.
This particular model was one of the first flat-die machines marketed to the general public.
The impression made from a Brother SC 300 PC flat-die stamp will reflect a dot matrix
pattern within the printed text. The dot matrix pattern varies in relation to the type size of the
text. As the type size becomes smaller, the matrix evolves into a saw tooth pattern.
Conversely, the larger the stamp, the more dots in the printed text. Aside from the unique
pattern, the remaining characteristics of the impression mimic those observed in other pre-
inked stamp impressions.
In order to classify or determine the source of the defect, the document examiner must have
the suspected stamp. Determination or classification of defects cannot be made from the
examination of the impression. The defect’s significance, i.e., class or individual, is
determined by the stage of occurrence within the manufacturing process. For example, an air
bubble can occur in different stages of manufacturing. The air bubble would be a class
characteristic if it is in the Bakelite mold used to produce vulcanized rubber stamps. Every
stamp made from that particular mold would have the air bubble in the same location.
Individual defects can be transitory and care must be given in the handling of the stamp so as
not to affect the amount or location of the object causing the defect. For example, dirt, hair,
fiber, and accumulated ink are transitory and can be removed as a result of handling or
cleaning of the die. Nicks, cuts, edge wear and breakdown, and stamp distortion are
permanent defects, as they are a part of the die. Both transitory and permanent objects can
create individual defects that can assist in the identification or elimination of a stamp making
a suspected impression. The first step in the examination of a stamp impression is to examine
it microscopically to make sure you have a stamp impression and not an image created by
another printing process, such as an inkjet printer or a copier. If the image was created by
another printing process and not by a rubber stamp, the document examiner is limited to a
qualified report, as he or she is restricted to examining only the gross characteristics of the
text, i.e., the image reflects the same general class characteristics of type style, type size,
arrangement, and design of the submitted rubber stamp.
If the suspected stamp is submitted, conduct a visual inspection to determine the presence of
permanent or transitory defects. Determination of ink source and the condition of stamp die,
container, and ink pad also can be made during this visual inspection. The container or mount
(if a hand stamp) contains an index (also known as the title) that frequently is made from one
of the first impressions of the stamp. The name of the stamp manufacturer or stamp shop that
made the stamp may be displayed on the container and handle. This information may assist in
locating the business that made the stamp.
A microscopic examination to search for anomalies follows the visual inspection. Notation of
both the visual and microscopic inspections should be made. It is a good practice to
photograph the stamp and its die in order to record its condition when it was submitted. Once
this step has been completed, the next step is to compare the submitted rubber stamp to the
questioned impression. Are they in agreement in class characteristics: type size, type style,
arrangement, and design? If so, the examination proceeds forward. If there is any
disagreement in class characteristics, an elimination is justified, as the submitted rubber
stamp could not have produced the suspected impression.
It is important to stress that the stamp die should not be cleaned until numerous impressions
have been made that reflect the condition of the stamp when submitted. Ink saturation and the
angle at which the stamp die contacts the printing media determine whether defects on the die
will be replicated in the impression. A heavily inked impression may not reveal a small defect
due to filling of ink of the void area. It is unknown how the stamp was held by the suspect or
the angle of the die as it contacted the paper. Because of these unknown factors, the forensic
document examiner produces numerous known impressions of varying ink saturations and of
the die contacting the paper at differing angles. Collecting a series of impressions without re-
inking the die of the suspected stamp is the proper method of obtaining impressions with a
progressive decrease in ink saturation. For a self-inking or hand stamp, make sure the die is
adequately inked prior to producing the first impression. The ink coverage in the impression
will be at its optimum in the first impression. By not re-inking between impressions, the ink
coverage gradually decreases with each successive impression. From the 10 to 20 consecutive
impressions, the document examiner should observe a decrease in the ink saturation with
each successive impression.
The classification of the stamp will determine the range of ink saturation that can be obtained
from a suspected stamp. For example, impressions made from a hand or self-inking stamp
will reflect a wide range of ink saturation compared to impressions made from a stamp die
that is not inked in between impressions. A pre-inked stamp, such as a pre-mixed gel, has its
ink in the die.
The next step is to change the angle of the die contacting the paper when making an
impression. Obtaining impressions where even pressure is applied to the die allows the
examiner to determine how evenly the ink is dispersed throughout the text. Impressions
produced by the die contacting the paper unevenly (at differing angles) allow the document
examiner to observe how the impression appears when angles and pressure applications
change. Rocking the stamp side to side or front to back can cause transient characteristics
directly attributable to the improper handling of the stamp during the production of the
impression. Once the known impressions have been produced, a side by- side comparison is
conducted with the questioned impression to determine if they came from the same source.
6. Summary
1. Rubber stamping, also called stamping, is a craft in which some type of ink made of
dye or pigment is applied to an image or pattern that has been carved, molded, laser
engraved or vulcanized, onto a sheet of rubber.
2. A seal is a device for making an impression in wax, clay, paper, or some other
medium, including an embossment on paper, and is also the impression thus made.
3. Based on the ink source location, there are four main types of conventional stamps
encountered by forensic document examiners in their casework: the hand stamp, the
self-inking stamp, the pre-inked stamp, and the flat-die stamp.
4. Vulcanized rubber and photopolymer are the most common materials used for hand
and self-inking stamp dies. These two materials are non-porous and do not retain ink.
5. The document examiner must produce the consecutive impressions quickly in order to
observe some decrease in the ink saturation.