Rubber stamps are space consuming and organization can be problematic. Of course, this doesn’t stop us from buying more. Unmounted stamps have a lot of potential to save space and make organization easier, but many of us are caught in between with two different collections and several different organizational methods.

Most of us start our stamp collection with one black ink stamp pad, and a few mounted stamps. As our addiction grows, so does our collection. Rubber stamps are different sizes, and making them lay flat side by side without wasting space becomes difficult. It is important to find the method that works best for you, so that you can use your stamps without frustration as your collection grows.

For traditional rubber stamps, storage can be done several different ways. The way that works best for you will depend on the amount of space you have available, and the number of stamps that you own. When deciding how to store your rubber stamps you should try to plan for the future. Do you love this hobby enough that you can forsee your collection growing?

Very narrow shelving (maybe 2 X 4’s nailed into the wall) with the wood mount pictures facing out is ideal if you have enough wall space. Low depth boxes, such as the clear acrylic box frames turned upside down, work well and can be stacked. Or drawer space is always good if you can spare it. Plastic drawers on wheels also work well and can be purchased from an office supply store.

Unmounted stamps take up far less room, and that of course, is their charm. All you need is a few mounts (Acrylic or wood) of varying sizes and a binder. Some people chose to store their stamps in CD or VCR cases. These cases stack well and take up little room, but remember that the small page will fit less stamps, and you will need more cases due to the page size. Whichever method you chose, remember to stamp a picture of the unmounted rubber stamp somewhere so that you can easily identify which stamp you are looking for.

Regardless of what method you chose, you should consider grouping your stamps so that they are easy to find. Perhaps putting all of your background stamps together, your holiday stamps together, etc. For grouping ideas you can look on any stamping web site that sells stamps and get labeling ideas from there.

If you chose to start collecting unmounted rubber stamps, you store your mounted stamps one way and your unmounted stamps another way. Or you could microwave your mounted stamps and remove the mount for storage.