The Beginning...
When Stampin’ Up! First started, the only option for stamps was wood-mount stamps came in a clam shell case with a sheet of rubber stamps, labels, and wood blocks. We had to trim the stamps from the rubber, mount them to the stamps, and then add the label. Then came another option for many of the sets was foam stamps. The rubber was mounted to a foam base. You did not have to assemble anything; the stamps were ready to go. This option was a little less expensive than wood-mount, but because it was foam, it didn't always offer the best image.
Clear-Mount Stamps and Die-cut Rubber...
Somewhere along the way, Stampin' Up! started offering Clear-Mount Stamps. This was a price-saver option, because there were no blocks included in the stamp sets. You simply punched out the stamp (it was already die-cut), added a label, then mounted the stamp to an acrylic block while you stamped, then removed it when you were finished. Sadly, however, the labels didn't stick well to blocks, and many stampers were frustrated when their stamp fell off the block in the middle of a project. I stopped adding the labels to the stamps, because they stuck to the blocks better without labels. This was frustrating to stampers who stamped upside-down images, however.
Photopolymer Stamps...
After years of hearing Shelli Gardner, Stampin' Up! Co-Founder and (then) CEO say, "Stampin' Up! will never sell clear stamps," Stampin' Up! introduced Photopolymer Stamps, and Shelli had to "eat her words," so to speak. (Never say, "Never!" right?) Photopolymer stamps are clear, so you can see exactly where you're placing them. Photopolymer stamps can also be manipulated on a block so you can change the shape (instead of a straight line, stamp a sentiment in an arc, for example). While I love our red rubber stamps - and they give a wonderfully detailed image - I'm a huge photopolymer fan as well.
Introducing Cling Stamps...
When you get your new Occasions Catalog and Sale-a-Bration Brochure, you'll see something different. There are cling stamps. Cling stamps are red rubber stamps that look exactly like Clear-mount stamps at first glance. But the labels are super, super, SUPER sticky, so they will not fall off those blocks any more. "YAY!"
Beginning with the 2019 Occasions Catalog and Sale-a-bration Brochure, all new stamps will be either Cling or Photopolymer, and the transition will be complete with the 2019-20 Stampin' Up! Annual Catalog. All my new red rubber stamps are Cling - and I love them!
You do need to be careful when you take the stamp off the block. Because the label is so clingy, you can damage/rip the foam if you just grab and go like the clear-mounts. But it's easy to remember to simply lift from a corner and gently remove the stamp from the block, and they stick so very well to the block. I'm in love!
For all you wood-mount lovers out there,we won't be offering any more wood-mount stamps. The market just didn't support it. But you will love the clings, I promise!
One word of caution: Many of us stored stamps in the cases with the label down (stuck to the bottom of the case). The clings are so clingy, you may not want to do that. I haven't had problems, but I've heard reports of the stamps sticking to the case. (You can use the spatula from the Take Your Pick Tool to remove them, of course.) I reccommend you store them rubber side down, and leave the label sheet over the labels.
