Written by Acorn Sales Company, manufacturing stamps and seals since 1964 · Reviewed by Holly R, VP of Sales and Marketing at Acorn Sales, against Acorn Sales product catalog, date stamp and dater range (145 published SKUs, $10.95 to $199.95, median $44.95), checked 21 September 2026 on 21 September 2026 · Updated 21 September 2026
Acorn publishes 145 date stamps and daters, priced from $10.95 for the BD00 Line Date Stamp with 1/16″ characters up to $199.95 for the BD6 with 3/4″ characters. The median is $44.95, which is what a Trodat 4000 or 2910 die plate dater costs. If you want one stamp that does the ordinary office job, a self-inking Trodat Printy dater runs $34.95 to $64.95 and carries the ink inside it; if you want a stock phrase such as RECEIVED or PAID already set above the date, the SD300 series is $59.95. Date band coverage is not uniform across brands: Trodat listings state up to twelve years, Shiny die plate daters state up to 6 years, and the Line Date Stamps state approximately 7 years.What these are for
These are bought by the people who have to prove when something arrived or when it was actioned. Mailrooms and receiving desks are the largest group, marking packing slips and incoming mail the moment they land. Accounts payable is the second, stamping invoices PAID or ENTERED with the date so an audit trail exists on the paper itself. After those come law offices, financial institutions and clerks of court, who need a legible received date on a filing; medical and dental offices, who take the Deceased Date and Flu Vaccine Date stamps; and engineering offices, who buy the Drawing Complete Date Stamp. A smaller group buys a dater for one project rather than daily use, which is where the Save the Date designer stamps sit.
The ranges we stock
Self-inking daters with a built-in pad
The Trodat Printy range is the volume seller and covers $34.95 to $64.95. Rectangular models run from the Trodat 4850 at 3/16″ x 1″ for $44.95 and the Trodat 4813 at 3/8″ x 1″ for $39.95 up to the Trodat 4726 at 1-1/2″ x 3″ for $59.95. Round models are the 46119 at 3/4″ diameter for $34.95, the 46125 at 1″ for $34.95, the 46130 at 1-3/16″ for $47.95, the 46140 at 1-5/8″ for $64.95 and the 46145 at 1-3/4″ for $64.95. Every one of these carries its own ink pad, and the listings say the pad is replaceable or re-inkable. Most state 11 ink colors of your choice or a two-color combination with blue text and red dates.
Heavy duty metal daters
These are the stainless steel bodied stamps for repetitive stamping, $69.95 to $119.95. The Trodat Professional line runs the 5430 at 1″ x 1-5/8″ for $69.95, the 5440 at 1-1/8″ x 2″ for $72.95, the 54045 at 1-3/4″ diameter for $74.95, the 5460 at 1-5/16″ x 2-1/4″ for $84.95, the 5474 at 1-9/16″ x 2-3/8″ for $86.95, the 5480 at 2″ x 2-3/4″ for $94.95 and the 54110 at 2-5/32″ x 3-5/16″ for $119.95. The Shiny Heavy Metal alternative is the HM-6100 at 15/16″ x 1-5/8″ for $72.95, and its listing is the only one in the cluster that gives a tested mechanism figure: over 100,000 impressions. The 5460 listing adds a positioning frame and rubber feet for precise placement of the impression.
Die plate daters that need a separate ink pad
These have no internal pad; the catalog says in plain words that a separate stamp pad is required. Most of the Trodat 2910 series and the whole Trodat 4000 series sit at $44.95, including the 2910-P01 at 1-3/16″ x 2″, the 2910-P10 at 2″ x 2-3/4″, the 4000-A at 1-1/4″ x 2″ and the 4000-C at 2″ x 2″. Smaller framed models are $34.95: the Trodat 3350 Single Bridge and 3450 Double Bridge at 5/16″ x 1-1/2″, the 3525 at 1-1/4″ x 1-1/4″, the 3550 at 1-1/4″ x 1-1/2″, and the four Local Style 1113 models from 5/16″ x 3/8″ to 5/16″ x 1-1/2″. Shiny covers the same ground with the NTbac S-3200 daters at $34.95 and the S-3600 specialty range at $49.95 to $79.95. The listings call this the economical option and note it is the one to pick if you need a special ink.
Line date stamps, hand and self-inking
This is the oldest format in the range and the one with the widest price spread. The Line Date Stamps have deep molded natural rubber bands on a steel plated frame with a handle, and take a separate pad: BD00 at 1/16″ characters for $10.95, BD0 at 1/8″ and BD1 at 5/32″ for $13.95, BD2 at 3/16″ for $18.95, the 9/32BD2-1/2 at 9/32″ for $39.95Prime; size for $39.95, BD3 at 3/8″ for $89.95, BD4 at 1/2″ for $119.95, BD5 at 5/8″ for $179.95 and BD6 at 3/4″ for $199.95. The self-inking versions of the same bands are the SI series: 1/16″, 1/8″ and 5/32″ all at $48.95, 3/16″ at $58.95, 9/32″ at $148.95 and 3/8″ at $169.95. Both families carry approximately 7 years of dates plus the words REC’D, PAID and FAXED on the same bands, which is why they are bought for warehouse and shipping marking rather than desk work.
Stock phrase daters: RECEIVED, PAID, ENTERED and the rest
The SD300 series is the phrase-above-the-date office stamp, all seven at $59.95 with an impression of 1-3/16″ x 1-13/16″: Stock Received, Stock Paid, Stock Entered, Stock Approved, Stock Faxed, Stock Sent and Stock Cancelled. Each prints its phrase at the top and a By: ____ line at the bottom. The listings say 11 ink colors or the two-color combination of blue text and red dates, and 5,000 to 10,000 impressions from the built-in pad. Two older phrase daters sit beside them: the Regular Approved Date Stamp at $39.95 and the Regular Drawing Complete Date Stamp at $39.95, both 1-1/8″ x 2-3/8″ and both needing a separate pad, with self-inking versions of each at $59.95.
Slim pre-inked and small self-inking date stamps
The cheapest phrase-plus-date stamps are the slim pocket models at $12.95 pre-inked and $13.95 self-inking, in two impression sizes the listings give as 1/2″ x 1-1/2″ and 5/8″ x 1-5/8″. The phrases are Received with Date Box, Lowercase Received with Date Box, Signed with Date, Sign Date, Due Date, Deceased Date and Flu Vaccine Date. Large versions of the same phrases are $21.95 self-inking and $23.95 pre-inked with a 7/8″ x 2-1/4″ impression. The pre-inked bodies are described as containing 50% post-consumer recycled content, made with a LEM Flash Process, and available in 5 ink colors against the 11 offered on the larger self-inkers.
Round received daters with a time dial
Two models stamp the hour as well as the date, both at $52.95 and both approximately 2″ in diameter: the Trodat 2910-U-12 with a 12 hour dial and the Trodat 2910-U-24 with a 24 hour dial. Both come with the word RECEIVED already set above the date and three lines of your own text below it, and both need a separate ink pad. The 2910-U-24 listing names the uses directly: marking bills in an office, marking received products in a warehouse, noting time and date when bids are received, and tracking payments in an accounting office. The catalog does not list an electric time and date machine; these two mechanical dial stamps are the closest thing in the range.
Custom and designer date stamps
Four custom received date designs sit at $15.95 self-inking and $16.95 pre-inked, sold in Small 1/2″ x 1-1/2″ and Large 3/4″ x 2-1/4″, with you adding a department name, initials, routing note or location. The self-inking versions list 11 ink colors and up to 10,000 impressions; the pre-inked versions list 5 colors and up to 15,000. Case colors offered are Light Pink, Purple, Midnight Black and Fuchsia. Separately, the Save the Date designer stamps are announcement stamps rather than daters: the Self-Inking Heart at $24.95, the Self-Inking Champagne and Fleur de Lis at $29.95, and the PSI pre-inked and Slim versions of all three at $39.95. Those carry a fixed printed date, not rotating bands.
Sizes and dimensions
Impression sizes in this cluster run from 3/16″ x 1″ on the Trodat 4850 up to 4″ x 4″ on the Shiny S-3600-35, and the round models from 3/4″ diameter on the Trodat 46119 to 2″ diameter on the Trodat 4000-R, 2910-P30, 2910-U-12 and 2910-U-24. Two numbers matter and they are not the same. The first is the impression size, which is the whole stamped image. The second is the date character height, which is what decides whether the date is readable across a room or only at the desk. Nearly every Trodat listing in the range gives a date character height of 5/32″; the round 46130, 46140 and 46145 and the square 43132 give 1/8″ instead. The Line Date Stamps invert this and are sold by character height alone, from 1/16″ on the BD00 to 3/4″ on the BD6. Common office sizes cluster tightly: 1-3/16″ x 1-13/16″ on the SD300 series, 1″ x 1-5/8″ on the Trodat 4750 and 5430, 1-1/8″ x 2″ on the 5440, and 1-1/2″ x 2″ on the 4000-B and 2910-P02.
How many impressions you get
Impression counts are stated per listing and they vary by mechanism. The Shiny HM-6100 is the highest figure in the cluster at over 100,000 impressions, but that is a durability test of the stamp, not the ink: the same listing says up to 5,000 impressions before needing to re-ink. The SD300 stock phrase daters state 5,000 to 10,000 impressions from the built-in pad. The custom self-inking received date stamps state up to 10,000, and their pre-inked equivalents state up to 15,000. The slim pre-inked Due Date, Deceased Date and Flu Vaccine Date stamps carry the highest ink figure at up to 50,000. Most other listings say only thousands of impressions before re-inking. Date band coverage is a separate figure and the catalog is not consistent about it. Trodat listings almost all say up to twelve years, except the 54110, which says up to ten. Shiny NTbac and S-3600 listings say up to 6 years on the bands. The Line Date Stamps and their self-inking versions say approximately 7 years. The Regular and Self Inking Approved and Drawing Complete stamps say year bands valid for 7 years. Where a Trodat body text says twelve years, the highlights block on the same page often says a minimum of 10 years, so treat ten as the number you can rely on and twelve as the ceiling.
Ink and colors
Eleven ink colors is the standard offer on the self-inking and heavy duty daters, including the whole Trodat Printy range, the Trodat Professional range, the Shiny HM-6100, the SD300 stock phrase daters and the Self Inking Date Stamps at 1/16″, 1/8″, 3/16″ and 3/8″. Pre-inked stamps are narrower at 5 colors, and one listing names them: red, blue, green, purple and black. Two of the Self Inking Date Stamps break the pattern and list Red, Blue, Black, Green and Violet only, the 5/32″ and the 9/32″. Two-color daters are widely available and the standard combination the catalog names is blue text with red dates, offered on the SD300 series, the Shiny HM-6100, every Trodat Professional heavy duty model, and Trodat Printy models including the 4813, 4724, 4726, 4727, 4729, 4731, 43132, 46119, 46125, 46130, 46140, 46145, 4750 and 4850. The Trodat 43132 listing explains the mechanics: the pad itself comes either with one ink for the whole image or with two, one for the date and another for the text. Die plate daters and Line Date Stamps have no pad at all, so their color is whatever loose pad you buy.
What you can customize
Adding a name, company or phrase around the date is the normal order, not an extra. Capacity is stated per model as lines above and lines below the date. One line each way is the floor, on the Trodat 3450 Double Bridge at $34.95; the Trodat 3350 Single Bridge at the same price gives one line above only. Two lines each way comes on the Trodat 3550, 4000-B, 4000-D, 43132 and the round 46130. Three lines each way is the common office figure, on the Trodat 4726, 4727, 4731, 4000-R, 46140, 46145, 54045 and the Shiny NTbac daters. Four lines each way comes on the Trodat 2910-P04, 2910-P07 and 2910-P30. The largest is the Trodat 54110 at $119.95, whose listing states five lines above and five below in the body and six and six in the highlights. Three listings say a logo can go in that space instead of text: the Trodat 4000-R, 4000-C, 46140, 5474, 2910-P01 and 2910-P08. For a round received date stamp with a name on it, the 2″ 2910-U-12 and 2910-U-24 at $52.95 come with RECEIVED already set above the date and leave three lines below for your own company or department line.
The cheapest RECEIVED date stamps do not print a date
Search the site for a received date stamp and the first results are the cheapest ones, the Received with Date Box stamps at $12.95 pre-inked and $13.95 self-inking. Read the listing and the date is not there. The copy says the stamp has an outline font and a large space to add a date, time, or signature. The box is blank. You write the date in it by hand. The same is true of the Lowercase Received with Date Box at the same prices and the Large Self-Inking Received with Date Box at $21.95. These are filed in the catalog as stock stamps, not as date stamps, and that is the giveaway.
If you want the date to print itself, you need rotating bands, and the cheapest of those in this cluster is the BD00 Line Date Stamp at $10.95, which prints only a date and needs a separate pad. The cheapest self-contained stamp that prints a phrase and a real rotating date together is the SD300 series at $59.95. The gap between $13.95 and $59.95 is the gap between writing the date and printing it, and it is the single most common mistake in this range. One more caveat worth checking before you order: the catalog lists no pre-inked 1-3/16″ round custom dater. The 1-3/16″ round in the range is the self-inking Trodat 46130 at $47.95, which takes two lines of text above and two below.
Ordering, proofs and delivery
Production is 1 business day. There is no minimum order and no setup fee. Orders ship from Richmond, Virginia, and transit runs 3 to 10 business days depending on method and carrier, with rush shipping available at checkout. Order by model number rather than by brand, because the sizes repeat across families: a Trodat 46130 and an SD300 both measure about 1-3/16″ across, but one is round and self-inking at $47.95 and the other is rectangular with a fixed phrase at $59.95. Check before you order whether the model needs a separate ink pad. Every Trodat 2910, Trodat 4000, Trodat 1113, Trodat 3350, 3450, 3525 and 3550, every Shiny NTbac and S-3600, and every Line Date Stamp requires one. The Trodat Printy and Professional models, the Shiny HM-6100 and the SD300 series do not. Rubber stamps carry a six month warranty; embossing seals carry two years. Contact us if you need a size or a line count that is not listed.
Care and longevity
Change the date first and clean second, because most complaints about a faint dater are really a dry pad. On a Trodat Printy or Professional dater the bands are turned with wheels on the side of the body, and the Trodat listings note a finger guard that keeps ink off your hands while you set the date; the 4000-R listing describes oversized wheels for the same reason. On a die plate dater such as the 2910-P06 you press the red button to open the text plate and rotate the wheels underneath. On a Line Date Stamp the bands are turned by hand on the steel plated frame. Set the year once a year and the month once a month, and check both on the first working day of January, because the year is often shown as the last two digits only, as the Trodat 3525 and 3550 listings state. For ink, self-inking daters take a replacement pad or a few drops of refill ink into the existing pad; the SD300 and Trodat listings both describe the built-in pad as replaceable or re-inkable. Pre-inked slim stamps have no pad to lift and are re-inked through the body. Wipe the rubber with a damp cloth, never a solvent, and keep the stamp out of direct sun. Rubber stamps carry a six month warranty.
Products in this range
Browse the full range: Custom Date Stamps, Accounting and Finance Stock Stamps, Electric Time Date Machines and Electric Embossers.
Related guides
- Self-Inking vs Pre-Inked vs Traditional Rubber Stamps
- Numbering Machines and Number Stamps: Models and Prices
- Medical & Healthcare Stamps: Complete Guide to Types, Uses, and Ordering
- Shipping & Packaging Stamps: Complete Guide to Types, Uses, and Ordering
- Stamp Ink, Pads and Re-Inking: Which One Fits Your Stamp
- Self-Inking, Pre-Inked and Traditional Rubber Stamps Compared
- Stamp Ink and Pads: Which Ink Fits Which Stamp
- Office, Finance and Date Stamps: Complete Guide
Frequently asked questions
What does a date stamp cost at Acorn?
The range runs $10.95 to $199.95 across 145 published products, with a median of $44.95. The $10.95 end is the BD00 Line Date Stamp, which needs a separate ink pad. The $199.95 end is the BD6 Line Date Stamp with 3/4″ characters. A standard self-inking office dater sits between $34.95 and $64.95.
How many years do the date bands cover?
It depends on the brand, and the catalog does not harmonize them. Trodat listings state up to twelve years, with the 54110 stating up to ten. Shiny NTbac and S-3600 die plate daters state up to 6 years on the bands. The Line Date Stamps and Self Inking Date Stamps state approximately 7 years. The Regular and Self Inking Approved and Drawing Complete stamps state year bands valid for 7 years.
Which received date stamp actually prints the date?
Any model with rotating bands. The Received with Date Box stamps at $12.95 and $13.95 print a blank box you write in. For a printed date with the word RECEIVED above it, the Stock Received Date Stamp is $59.95 at 1-3/16″ x 1-13/16″, or the Trodat 2910-U-12 and 2910-U-24 at $52.95 give a 2″ round RECEIVED with a time dial.
Do you sell a double date stamp?
The catalog does not list a stamp that prints two separate dates. The nearest is the Trodat 3450 Double Bridge Date Stamp at $34.95, which is 5/16″ x 1-1/2″ and takes one line of text above and one below the single date. If you need two dates on one document, most buyers order two stamps, or order a model such as the Trodat 4727 at $59.95 with three lines above and three below and write the second date in.
Is there a 2 inch diameter received above date stamp?
Yes. The Trodat 2910-U-12 with a 12 hour dial and the Trodat 2910-U-24 with a 24 hour dial are both $52.95 and both approximately 2″ in diameter, with RECEIVED already set above the date and three lines of your own text below. Both need a separate ink pad. For 2″ round without the time dial, the Trodat 4000-R and 2910-P30 are $44.95.
Do you have a pre-inked 1-3/16″ round custom rotary dater?
Not in the published range. The 1-3/16″ round dater is the Trodat 46130 at $47.95, and it is self-inking with a built-in pad rather than pre-inked. It takes two lines of custom text above the date and two below, comes in 11 ink colors or blue text with red dates, and has a 1/8″ date character height with up to twelve years on the band.
Can I put my company name or a department on a date stamp?
Yes, and the line count is stated per model. One line above and one below on the Trodat 3450 at $34.95. Two each way on the Trodat 43132 at $42.95 and the 46130 at $47.95. Three each way on the Trodat 4726 at $59.95 and the 46145 at $64.95. Four each way on the Trodat 2910-P30 at $44.95. The Trodat 54110 at $119.95 is the largest, with five or six lines each way depending on font size.
Which stamps come with RECEIVED, PAID or APPROVED already on them?
The SD300 series, all at $59.95: Received, Paid, Entered, Approved, Faxed, Sent and Cancelled, each 1-3/16″ x 1-13/16″. The Regular Approved Date Stamp and Regular Drawing Complete Date Stamp are $39.95 with a separate pad, or $59.95 self-inking. Shiny die plate daters include REC’D, ANS’D, ENT’D, PAID, P.M. and A.M. as extra phrases on the bands, and the Line Date Stamps carry REC’D, PAID and FAXED.
How many impressions before I need to re-ink?
The SD300 stock phrase daters state 5,000 to 10,000. The Shiny HM-6100 at $72.95 states up to 5,000 before re-inking, although the mechanism itself is tested to over 100,000 impressions. The custom self-inking received date stamps at $15.95 state up to 10,000, their pre-inked equivalents at $16.95 state up to 15,000, and the slim pre-inked Due Date and Flu Vaccine Date stamps at $12.95 state up to 50,000.
Can I get the text in one color and the date in another?
Yes. The standard two-color combination the catalog names is blue text with red dates. It is offered on the SD300 series at $59.95, the Shiny HM-6100 at $72.95, every Trodat Professional heavy duty model from the 5430 at $69.95 to the 54110 at $119.95, and most Trodat Printy models including the 43132, 46130, 46140, 46145, 4726 and 4729. The Trodat 43132 listing explains that the pad itself is supplied with either one ink or two.
Which date stamps need a separate ink pad?
All the die plate daters and all the Line Date Stamps. That covers the Trodat 2910 series, the Trodat 4000 series, the Trodat 1113 Local Style models, the Trodat 3350, 3450, 3525 and 3550, the Shiny NTbac S-3200 daters and the Shiny S-3600 specialty range, and every BD size from the BD00 at $10.95 to the BD6 at $199.95. The listings say this is the option to choose if you need a special ink.
What size characters should I choose?
Nearly all Trodat daters print the date at a 5/32″ character height, and the round 46130, 46140, 46145 and the square 43132 print at 1/8″. That is a normal office size. If the date has to be read on a carton or a shipping label, buy a Line Date Stamp by character height instead: 3/16″ for $18.95, 3/8″ for $89.95, 1/2″ for $119.95, 5/8″ for $179.95 or 3/4″ for $199.95.
How fast do date stamps ship?
Production is 1 business day. Orders leave Richmond, Virginia, and transit runs 3 to 10 business days depending on method and carrier, with rush shipping available at checkout. There is no minimum order and no setup fee. Rubber stamps carry a six month warranty and embossing seals carry two years.
