An endorsement stamp, also known as a check endorsement stamp or business stamp, is a personalized stamp used to endorse checks for bank deposits. It saves time for businesses when endorsing each check by hand can take hours. Endorsement stamp units are custom made, because a specific bank's information goes on each stamp. Choosing the best endorsement stamp will involve finding one with enough custom lines for your needs, and selecting the right type of stamp and ink color.
Endorsement stamps come in different sizes, allowing for different numbers of lines. Smaller stamps allow for two lines of text, while larger ones have from six to eight lines of text. The most common size for an endorsement stamp is four or five lines. Depending on the needs of your company, you may need a small stamp with just the bank name, the “For deposit only” message and the account number, or a large one to include the business name and location.
Another consideration to do with sizing is the number of characters that can fit on each line. Depending on the width of the endorsement stamp, companies usually allow between 20 and 30 characters per line. Before deciding on a size, spell out your endorsement message and count the number of characters.
Ink color is another consideration for endorsement stamps. The typical ink color used for these stamps is black, but some companies offer green, blue or red as alternatives. Using different colored inks can help ease confusion if you need several different endorsement stamps. Most companies that produce endorsement stamps add an additional charge for different ink colors.
The largest difference between endorsement stamps is the model. There are three different types: rubber, self-inking and pre-inked. The cheapest, and least durable, is the rubber stamp. This type of stamp is used by pressing the rubber stamp into an ink pad, then stamping the check. The imprint can be difficult to read if saturated with too much ink, and the ink pad usually lasts for a few hundred stamps.
Self-inking stamps are moderately expensive, in part because this type of stamp has the most complicated construction. It has a rubber stamp insert, along with an ink pad at the top. At rest, the ink pad and stamp are touching. When stamped, the stamp goes from the top of the unit to the bottom and rotates to touch the paper. You can commonly get a few hundred to a few thousand uses from the ink, depending on the brand; to change the ink, the ink pad slides out, and a new one is placed into the unit.
A pre-inked endorsement stamp is the most expensive. This model of stamp has ink placed into the top of the unit, which is used when the stamper unit is applied to paper. Self-inking stamps typically hold enough ink for several hundred to several thousand imprints, depending on the brand. Changing the ink is easy, and involves taking off the top and placing drops of ink into the stamp.