We often get asked What is the difference between self-inking and pre-inked rubber stamps?

The main difference, is the quality of the impression and how long the stamp lasts between re-inkings. Both are refillable and come in multiple colors.  Self-inkers are made of water-based ink & pre-inked stamps are made of oil-based ink. Pre-Inked stamps provide a solid, crisp impression while self-inkers offer a good impression at an economical price.

Self-inking stamps have an inner working mechanism where the rubber die retracts back up and stamps the inner pad every time while pre-inked stamps have the ink impregnated in the rubber die and with a simple press, the impression is done. The self inker is a little more economical, but the pre inked, while more expensive, offers thousands of more impressions without re inking, and the impressions are crisper.