1. The main reason to use unmounted stamps is that they are easier to stamp with when using a temporary mounting system of acrylic blocks. You are able to see through the block so you know exactly where the stamp is placed. This allows you to get a far more accurate placement of your stamped images.

2. Unmounted stamps are much less expensive then mounted stamps. There is no additional expense for the wood mount and the assembling of the stamp. And much cheaper to mail.

3. Unmounted stamps take up far less storage space than mounted stamps because all you have is the rubber die.

Trim Your Rubber

The first step is to trim away the excess rubber from the image.

You need a pair of sharp scissors that cut right to the point; I find shorter scissors are more manageable. Kai scissors are very popular for this; I have a pair that are dandy.
Hold your scissors perpendicular when cutting. You do not want to the cut the rubber at an angle if you can help it.

Trim closely, about 1/8th inch. Test stamp: if there are high spots around the edges, trim these off. Any high spots can be reduced using sand paper.

Cutting curves increases the likelihood of cutting your rubber at an angle. It's OK to cut many straight lines instead of a long curved line.

To get started cutting inside an image, fold the rubber and make a small snip to create a hole. Be certain you are not cutting the image.

Using Your Unmounted Stamps

Unmounted stamps can be used two ways:

1. Permanent mounting - in which you attach the rubber die permanently to a wood or foam mount.

2. Temporary mounting - where you use a block and take the rubber die on and off as needed. This is the most efficient way to use unmounted stamps. Acrylic blocks are used for this method.

If you decide to use a temporary mounting system you will need an acrylic block(s), and some sort of adhesive. Many stamps do not require cushion to stamp a good clean image. Finely detailed stamps stamp better with a cushion. This does not have to be attached to the mount…just use a cushion pad (mouse pad, fun foam) under the paper on which you are stamping.

The easiest and least expensive adhesive to use is a removable poster tape. I use Scotch Removable Poster Tape by 3M in the red packaging. All you need to do is tear a small piece of tape and apply it to your acrylic block. Then take your trimmed rubber die and stick it onto the block. Press lightly to make sure the stamp is secure. Now your ready to stamp away! It's that simple.

When you are done stamping with one image, simply remove the rubber die and leave the tape on the block. You can now attach and stamp your next image. If you are done stamping, leave the tape on the block and re-cover the tape with the original backing. This will prevent the tape from getting dusty and will be ready to use in the future. Once the tape has lost its stick just remove it and apply another piece to the block. The nice thing about the removable tape is that it does not leave any sticky residue behind.

I also have used the permanent tape and it works well too. Either Scotch brand or Ultra-Line.