Stamp Material

On Sentiments+, each stamp is labeled as being made from either "Cling" or "Photopolymer" on the stamp preview card.

This information is provided within Sentiments+ to help users.

When locating stamps, it can sometimes be helpful to know the material since the two options each have distinct purposes.
It may also be helpful to know what type of stamp
Some users prefer stamps from a certain material over another for specific uses.

"Cling" and "Photopolymer" refer to the material stamps are made of.

Cling stamps are what many people typically think of a "rubber stamps."
Stampin' Up!® uses a reddish-orange material to make its cling stamps. They are sometimes referred to as "red rubber."
Cling stamps come pre-cut with a thin layer of "rubber" and a thicker layer of off-white foam. The stamps come with a separate sheet of double-sided sticker labels that show the image or text of each stamp. To prepare a cling set for use, the user adheres each sticker to the back of each stamp once it has been removed from the larger sheet. The adhesive sticks semi-permamently to the foam, but is removable against surfaces such as plastic or acrylic.
The word "cling" is used to refer to the fact the stamps "cling" to blocks when a special double-sided sticker is applied to the back.
In general, cling stamps are used for specific styles of illustration that may be harder to achieve using photopolymer.
The phrase "cling" is used to avoid the use of "rubber" because, to some, the term "rubber stamp" refers to either cling or photopolymer, even though, not all of them are made from actual rubber.
Cling stamps can be used on a variety of work surfaces, but the built-in padding means that a silicone or similar mat may not be as essential.
This term can be confusing, however, because, at least in a technical sense, photopolymer stamps can still "cling" to things, although this is accomplished in a different way.

In August 2025, Stampin' Up! announced it will no longer offer cling ("red rubber") stamps.

Starting with the November 2025 Online Exclusives, all new stamps will be photopolymer.
The September 2025 Online Exclusive release was the last of these to offer cling stamps.
Starting with catalogs produced after December 2025, all new catalogs will feature photopolymer stamps only.
The September-December Mini-Catalog and 2025-2026 Annual Catalog will be the last ones to feature cling stamps.
Cling stamps may continued to be sold after these times as product inventory allows.
No stamp sets originally produced as cling will be converted to photopolymer.
By April 2026, Stampin' Up! will no longer sell cling stamps outside of the "Last Chance" category. The company has said it expects some cling stamp inventory to run out prior to this date.
Retired cling stamps manufacturered before this transition may continue to be sold on third-party sites as both new or used products. It's likely you will continue to see retired cling stamps sold on third-party platforms for years to come.
Despite this retirement, Sentiments+ will continue to label stamp set material for the foreseeable future in order to help crafters best organize and utilized their collections.

Photopolymer stamps are clear and made of a plastic material that can be broadly defined as "polymer."
Photomolymer stamps come on a clear sheet. To use them, you can peel the stamp off and adhere it to a block. The polymer material has self-adhesive properties and does not require a separate adhesive sheet.
In some cases, photopolymer stamps may lose their stickiness. This is generally because a layer of dust, oil and other irritants build up on the surface through normal use. A wipe with a damp cloth will generally remove this. For more stubborn cases, a diluated solution of gentle dish soap may be needed.
When using photopolymer stamps, be aware that certain ink colors stain the polymer permanently (this generally includes reds, pinks, violets and oranges but can vary based on the exact ink pad). This usually results in stamps used in one of these inks taking on a pink color. This is a limitation of the polymer material used but does not affect the functionality of a stamp.
While photopolymer stamps will work on variety of work surfaces, many crafters use a thin silicon or other mat to help get better quality images.
Photopolymer stamps are good at reproducing a wide variety of images and text, but there are some styles of images that don't hold up as well when the polymer is used.

Oct 15, 2025