Written by Acorn Sales Company, manufacturing stamps and seals since 1964 · Product facts checked against the Acorn Sales notary seal, stamp, kit, record book, sign and supply range (279 published SKUs) on 22 September 2026 · Updated 22 September 2026
Commissioning facts taken only from the following primary sources, fetched 22 September 2026: Virginia Secretary of the Commonwealth, Become a Notary or Renew My Commission, https://www.commonwealth.virginia.gov/official-documents/notary-commissions/become/ · Same office, Notary Application Process, https://www.commonwealth.virginia.gov/official-documents/notary-commissions/become/notary-application-process/ · Same office, Learn About Becoming an Electronic Notary, https://www.commonwealth.virginia.gov/official-documents/notary-commissions/enotary/ · A Handbook for Virginia Notaries Public, https://www.commonwealth.virginia.gov/media/governorvirginiagov/secretary-of-the-commonwealth/pdf/notary/2024-Notary-Handbook.pdf · Code of Virginia section 47.1-9, https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title47.1/chapter2/section47.1-9/ · California Secretary of State, Notary Public Qualification Checklist, https://www.sos.ca.gov/notary/checklist · Same office, Complete Approved Education, https://www.sos.ca.gov/notary/checklist/complete-approved-education · Same office, Take the Exam, https://www.sos.ca.gov/notary/checklist/take-exam · Same office, Purchase Notary Public Materials, https://www.sos.ca.gov/notary/checklist/materials · Same office, File Notary Public Oath and Bond, https://www.sos.ca.gov/notary/checklist/bond · Same office, Notary Frequently Asked Questions, https://www.sos.ca.gov/notary/faqs · New York Department of State, Notary Public, https://dos.ny.gov/notary-public · Same office, Become a Notary Public, https://dos.ny.gov/become-notary-public · Pennsylvania Department of State, Notaries, https://www.pa.gov/agencies/dos/programs/notaries.html · Florida Executive Office of the Governor, Notary, https://www.flgov.com/eog/info/notary · Oregon Secretary of State, Qualifications for a Commission, https://sos.oregon.gov/business/Pages/notary-qualification.aspx · Texas Secretary of State, Notary Public, https://www.sos.state.tx.us/statdoc/notary-public.shtml · Same office, Notary Seal Requirements for U.S. States and Territories, https://www.sos.state.tx.us/statdoc/notary-seal-requirements.shtml · Missouri Secretary of State, How to become a notary, https://s1.sos.mo.gov/Business/Notary/newNotary · National Notary Association, Differences between E and O and Bonds, describing its own products, https://www.nationalnotary.org/support/errors-and-omissions-insurance · Louisiana Secretary of State material could not be fetched and no Louisiana requirement is stated here · Product information and general research, not legal advice; commissioning requirements are set by your own state authority · Updated 22 September 2026.
A notary public is commissioned by a state, not by a national body, and in most of the states checked for this page that job sits with the secretary of state. Florida is the clear exception among them: the Executive Office of the Governor states that "The Governor may appoint as many notaries public as he or she deems necessary." Virginia is a third pattern, where commissions are issued by the Secretary of the Commonwealth and claimed in person at a circuit court. The process is usually an application, an eligibility check, sometimes a course, sometimes an exam, sometimes a bond, and in several states an oath filed with a court or county office. How much of that applies to you is set by your own state. What follows is split down the middle. The first half is the commissioning process, and every statement in it traces to a source listed at the foot of the page. The second half is the Acorn catalog, where a new notary stamp package starts at $44.95, a seal package at $54.95, and the record book alone is $12.95. This is product information and general research, not legal advice.What these are for
This page is for the person who has decided to become a notary and has not started yet, and for the person who has just been commissioned and now has to work out what to buy. Acorn already publishes a state-by-state rules hub at notary stamp requirements by state, where seal layout and wording rules belong, and a full catalog walkthrough at notary supplies: stamps, seals, journals and kits. Neither answers the upstream question: how a person gets commissioned, and what lands on the desk at the end of it. Renewals and name changes are handled separately at replacing a seal after renewal or name change, because a commission ends on a date and the seal usually changes with it.
The ranges we stock
Who commissions notaries, and what kind of office that is
A notary commission is a state appointment. There is no federal notary, no national register and no single application. Of the authorities read for this page, most are the secretary of state or an equivalent department of state: California, Oregon, Texas and Missouri publish their notary programs under the secretary of state, New York and Pennsylvania under the Department of State. Two work differently. In Florida the Executive Office of the Governor states that the Governor appoints notaries public and that applications are routed through an approved bonding agency rather than filed directly with the state. In Virginia commissions come from the Secretary of the Commonwealth, and the Code of Virginia then sends the appointee to a court: section 47.1-9 says that "Before receiving his commission, each person appointed a notary shall appear before the clerk of the circuit court" to present evidence of identity and take an oath. Start at your own state office, because the differences begin at step one.
The shape of the process, and how much of it varies
Read these pages together and a common outline appears, though almost no two states put the pieces in the same order. There is an eligibility test, usually an age floor, a residency or place-of-business connection, literacy in English and a conviction bar. Virginia states its version plainly: at least eighteen years old, a legal resident of the United States, able to read and write the English language, resident in or regularly employed in the Commonwealth, and without a felony conviction unless civil rights have been restored. Oregon and Texas publish similar tests. Then an application, filed online in most states read here. Then, in some states, a course, an exam, a surety bond, and an oath of office taken and filed somewhere other than the commissioning office itself. Only after that does the commission start running. Treat the outline as a map of what to look for on your own state page, not a checklist that works anywhere.
Education and examination, named only where the state says so
These are the states whose own pages were read, and the wording is theirs. California states that "All persons seeking appointment as a notary public must satisfactorily complete a Secretary of State approved six-hour course of study prior to appointment," with a three-hour refresher before reappointment, and its checklist places an exam after the course, run by CPS HR Consulting, where "A score of 70 or more is required to pass the exam." Pennsylvania states a minimum of three hours in an approved notary education program within six months before applying, plus an exam through Pearson VUE for first-time applicants and anyone whose commission has expired. Oregon requires training within the last six months and states applicants must have "Passed the Secretary of State’s Notary Public examination." New York lists "Pass the New York State notary public examination," with attorneys and court clerks exempt. Florida requires at least three hours of instruction for first-time applicants. Missouri instructs applicants to take a training course. Virginia lists neither on the pages read here. A state not named above was not checked.
Bond, oath and the window to qualify
A surety bond protects the public rather than the notary, and it appears in some states and not others. Texas asks applicants to "Obtain proof of a Notary Public Surety Bond from a Texas licensed bonding company." Missouri describes a bond "written for a term of four years." Pennsylvania requires a bond recorded with the county recorder of deeds. Florida routes the application through an approved bonding agency. California requires a new notary to "purchase and file an official bond with the county clerk’s office," and is strict about when: "within 30 calendar days from the commencement date of the commission. This 30 day period cannot be extended." Virginia sets a deadline in the other direction, since section 47.1-9 states that "No person shall be permitted to qualify who does not appear before the clerk within 60 days of his appointment." These deadlines are the part people miss. The National Notary Association, describing its own products, draws a line worth knowing: a bond "is not insurance protection for Notaries," while errors and omissions insurance is a separate policy bought for the notary’s own protection.
What a new notary has to have before acting
Most states expect a seal, several expect a journal, and the details are local. California tells new notaries to keep "one active sequential journal for all their notarial acts," and restricts who may make the seal: "A list of Secretary of State authorized seal manufacturers will be mailed with the notary public commission packet. These are the only manufacturers that are authorized to make notary public seals." Acorn Sales is on that California list under manufacturer code ASC3. If your state keeps such a list, check your supplier against it first. Virginia’s handbook asks for an impression that is "sharp, legible, permanent and photographically reproducible," and says traditional notaries there are not required to keep a journal while electronic notaries are. The Texas Secretary of State publishes a compilation of seal requirements across the states and territories, though it warns the list "should not be relied on in determining legal requirements for a particular jurisdiction." A few jurisdictions on it require no seal at all. For layout rules, use your own state page and Acorn’s state-by-state requirements hub.
Now the catalog half: what a newly commissioned notary buys
Everything from here down is Acorn catalog information, and none of it states what any state requires. Acorn publishes 279 notary products from $3.95 to $2,095.00, with a median of $74.95, and new notaries cluster at the bottom of that range. The cheapest complete starting point is the Deluxe Notary Rectangular Stamp Package at $44.95, described as the choice for a notary who does not need an embossing seal: a rectangular notary stamp, an Acorn Notary Public Record Book and one supplemental stamp from acknowledgment, jurat, certified copy, identification or original document. Those are regular rubber stamps, and the listing notes you will need an ink pad. The pre-inked versions of the same idea are $69.95 for the Deluxe PSI Notary Stamp of Seal Package and $79.95 for the MaxLight version, both in five ink colors with no separate pad. For an embosser as well, the Deluxe Black Hybrid Seal Package with Hand Stamps is $54.95 and adds a custom engraved notary seal embosser to the same contents.
The fuller packages, the supplements and the desk
Deluxe packages carry one supplemental stamp. Supreme packages carry more: the Supreme Black Hybrid Seal Package with Hand Stamps at $104.95 adds a stamp of your notary public seal, three supplemental stamps rather than one, a pack of gold foil seals and a notary public decal. Above that the money goes into the embosser frame rather than the paperwork, from the Deluxe Long Reach Notary Embosser Package with Hand Stamps at $149.95 up to the Notary Heavy Duty Standard Reach Electric Embosser at $1,795.00. Bought separately, supplemental stamps are the cheapest useful things in the range: $11.95 for a Regular Name and Expiration Stamp, a Regular Commission Number and Expiration Stamp or a Regular Acknowledgment Notary Stamp, all described as supplements to a seal rather than seals. The record book is $12.95 alone. Around the edges sit the Notary Pocket Seal Storage Box at $4.95, which the listing says cannot be used with a desk model, the Fingerprint Pad at $9.95, the eSeal electronic image at $20.00 and engraved desk signs from $21.95.
Sizes and dimensions
The round notary seal impression across the Acorn embosser packages is 1-5/8″ in diameter, the figure repeated on the hybrid, handheld, desk, gift, long reach and electric listings alike. The eSeal listing puts the two common shapes side by side and ties them to the state, saying the size depends on your state specifications but is typically 1-5/8″ in diameter for the round or 7/8″ x 2-1/4″ for the rectangular. Among the rubber stamps, the Regular State Seal Notary Stamp and the Regular Combination Stamp are both listed at 7/8″ tall by 2-3/8″ wide. Reach, the distance an embosser bites in from the edge of a sheet, runs in a short ladder: approximately 2-1/2″ on the long reach packages, 4-1/2″ on the extended long reach, and 2-3/8″ on the $1,795.00 electric unit. The Brass Engraved Sign on Tri-Block Holder is listed at 2″ tall by 10″ wide.
How many impressions you get
An embosser has no ink and no consumable, so the catalog publishes no impression count for the seal itself. Inked stamps are counted, and the ladder is worth knowing before choosing a package. Regular rubber stamps, the ones in the $44.95 and $54.95 packages, are described as unlimited, since the ink comes from a pad you keep charged. Self-inking stamps such as the $22.95 Self Inking Acknowledgment Notary Stamp are listed at up to 5,000 impressions before re-inking. Slim and PSI pre-inked stamps are listed at up to 15,000, and MaxLight pre-inked stamps such as the $26.95 MaxLight Pre-Inked Name and Expiration Stamp at up to 20,000. The $1,795.00 electric embosser is rated at an estimated life of 200,000 impressions.
Ink and colors
Three ink systems run through the notary stamps, and the package you pick decides which one you live with. Regular rubber stamps need a separate pad, stated openly on every one of those listings, and the $44.95 rectangular package and the $54.95 hybrid seal package are both built on regular stamps. Self-inking stamps carry a replaceable internal pad, are listed in 11 ink colors and use water-based ink. Pre-inked stamps, the Slim, PSI and MaxLight families, have no pad at all, are listed in five ink colors and use oil-based ink absorbed into a die plate. One item is ink with no text on it: the Notary Seal Impression Inker at $15.95, a blank stamp that adds black ink over a raised impression so it photocopies, sized for a 1-5/8″ impression, with a Slim Impression Inker at $19.95 in a low-profile body.
What you can customize
Every notary seal and seal stamp in the range is engraved to order, so what you send Acorn is text rather than a model number. The fields named across the listings are the notary name, the state, the commission expiration date and, where the state uses one, the commission number and the county. Supplemental stamps add date formatting as a choice, in four formats: a complete expiration date, the month and day with two digits of the year, the month and day with no year digits, or a blank line to write on. That last option outlives a commission, since a blank date line does not go stale when the expiration changes. Several listings offer a PDF proof before manufacture if you ask on the order. One caution comes straight from a product page: the Regular State Seal Notary Stamp warns that some states specifically prohibit using the grand seal. The catalog states its seals are made to state specifications; your state page remains the authority on layout.
The commission comes first, the seal comes second, and the gap is where people go wrong
Nothing on a notary seal can be engraved until the facts on it exist. The commission number, the expiration date and in some states the county are issued at the end of the process, not the beginning, so a seal ordered before the commission arrives is engraved from a guess. Several state pages make the sequence explicit. California lists purchasing notary public materials as step six of seven, after the course, the exam, the fingerprints and the commission packet, and states that the authorized seal manufacturer list arrives with that packet. Florida routes the seal through the bonding agency and states a new seal may not be used until the commission begins.
That produces a short, awkward window: commissioned on paper, unable to act, waiting on a die. Acorn publishes production at one business day and most notary listings state a dispatch window of 24 to 48 hours, with transit on top, so the practical question is whether you order the day your commission details land or the week after. The other half of the trap is buying too much too early. A new notary who has not yet learned whether local documents want an inked seal or a raised one can start at $44.95 with the rectangular stamp package or $54.95 with the hybrid seal package and add the second tool later. What cannot be undone is engraving the wrong number into a die.
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. Most of the notary stamp listings state their own dispatch window of 24 to 48 hours, or one to two days. Order by the text that goes on the die: your name exactly as it appears on the commission, the state, the expiration date, and the commission number and county where your state uses them. Say which of the four date formats you want, and ask for the PDF proof if you would rather check the layout before engraving. The other choice at the cart is which supplemental stamp you want, since Deluxe packages include one from a list of five and Supreme packages include three. If you are unsure which body suits your work, contact us with your state and the kind of documents you expect to handle.
Care and longevity
The house warranty is two years on embossing seals and six months on rubber stamps, and most of the notary range states it correctly. Three listings drift from that and are worth flagging rather than relying on. The Supreme Desk Seal Package with PSI Stamps at $169.95 says the seal has a two year warranty "so youll never have to purchase a new one," which overstates a two year term. The Supreme Cast Iron Notary Seal Package with Maxlight Stamps calls the seal guaranteed for life, which contradicts the two year term across the rest of the embosser range. The Deluxe Maxlight Notary Stamp of Seal Package at $79.95 describes itself as including an embossing seal and quotes 15,000 impressions, while MaxLight stamps elsewhere are listed at 20,000. Care is light. Keep a pocket or soft embosser in the $4.95 storage box, and re-ink pre-inked and self-inking stamps rather than replacing them when the impression goes faint.
Products in this range
Browse the full range: Notary Public Stamps and Seals, Notary Public Embossing Seal Kits, Notary Public Inked Stamp Kits, Notary Public Stamp and Notary Public Seal Supplies.
Related guides
- Notary Supplies: Stamps, Seals, Journals and Kits
- Replacing a Seal After a Renewal, Expiration or Name Change
- Notary Journals and Record Books: What They Are and What Goes In Them
- Notary Bonds and Errors and Omissions Insurance: What Each One Protects
- Notary Stamp Requirements by State
- Notary Supplies: Stamps, Seals, Journals and Kits
- Replacing a Seal After a Renewal or Name Change
- Notary Stamp or Notary Embosser: Which You Need
Frequently asked questions
Who commissions notaries in the United States?
A state does. There is no federal notary commission. Among the authorities read for this page, California, Oregon, Texas and Missouri run their programs through the secretary of state, New York and Pennsylvania through the Department of State, Virginia through the Secretary of the Commonwealth, and Florida through the Executive Office of the Governor, whose page states the Governor appoints notaries public.
What does the process generally look like?
Usually an application, an eligibility check covering age, residency or place of business, English literacy and convictions, then some combination of a course, an exam, a surety bond and an oath of office. Several states add a filing deadline after the commission is granted. The variation is large enough that no generic checklist is safe.
Which states require a course or an exam?
Only states whose own pages were read can be named. California states a six-hour approved course and an exam requiring a score of 70 or more. Pennsylvania states three hours of approved education within six months of applying plus an exam for first-time applicants. Oregon requires training within the last six months and a Secretary of State exam. New York lists an exam. Florida requires three hours of instruction. Missouri instructs applicants to take a training course. Other states were not checked.
Do I need a bond?
In some states. Texas, Missouri, Pennsylvania and Florida all reference a surety bond, and California requires an official bond filed with the county clerk. New York, Virginia and Oregon do not mention one on the pages read here. No bond amount appears on this page, because that figure belongs to your state. The National Notary Association, describing its own products, notes a bond "is not insurance protection for Notaries."
Is there a deadline after I am approved?
Often. California states the oath and bond are filed "within 30 calendar days from the commencement date of the commission. This 30 day period cannot be extended." Virginia’s statute states no person may qualify who does not appear before the circuit court clerk within 60 days of appointment. Pennsylvania gives a window to take the oath and finish the related steps.
How long is a commission, and what happens at the end?
Four years in every state where a term was found: Virginia, expiring on the last day of the notary’s birth month, plus New York, Pennsylvania, Florida and Missouri. A term was not confirmed for California. Virginia’s handbook is blunt: "After their term has expired, notaries must not act as such unless a new commission has been obtained." Renewal means fresh details, which is why the seal changes too. See replacing a seal after renewal or name change.
What does a new notary need before acting?
Most states expect a seal, some a journal. California states notaries keep one active sequential journal and that seals may be made only by manufacturers on its authorized list. Virginia asks for an impression that is sharp, legible, permanent and photographically reproducible, and requires a journal of electronic notarizations rather than traditional ones. Your own state page governs.
Can I order my seal before my commission arrives?
The engraving needs your commission number and expiration date, which do not exist until the commission does. California places buying materials at step six of seven, after the commission packet arrives, and Florida states a new seal may not be used until the commission begins. Acorn production is one business day, so the wait at the supply end is short.
What is the least expensive complete starting point in the catalog?
The Deluxe Notary Rectangular Stamp Package at $44.95, listed as the option for a notary who does not need an embossing seal: a rectangular notary stamp, an Acorn Notary Public Record Book and one supplemental stamp from acknowledgment, jurat, certified copy, identification or original document. Those are regular rubber stamps, so an ink pad is a separate purchase.
What does a package with an embossing seal cost?
From $54.95 for the Deluxe Black Hybrid Seal Package with Hand Stamps: a custom engraved notary seal embosser, the record book and one supplemental stamp. Pre-inked equivalents are $69.95 with PSI stamps and $74.95 with MaxLight stamps, $79.95 for the Deluxe Desk Seal Package with PSI Stamps, and $104.95 for the Supreme Black Hybrid package.
Should I buy an embosser or an inked stamp?
That depends on what your state accepts and what your documents do next. A raised impression can vanish in a scan, which is why the catalog sells the Notary Seal Impression Inker at $15.95 to add black ink over an embossed seal. An inked seal stamp reproduces without help, and plenty of notaries carry both. For what your state accepts, use the state requirements hub.
Do I need a journal, and what does one cost?
Whether you need one is a state question, and it differs: California states notaries keep one active sequential journal, while Virginia’s handbook says traditional notaries there are not required to. The Official Notary Public Record Book is $12.95, a soft bound book with over 50 pages and room for more than 250 entries, and it is included in the Deluxe and Supreme packages.
What is the warranty on notary seals and stamps?
Two years on embossing seals and six months on rubber stamps. Most notary listings state that correctly. A few do not: the $169.95 Supreme Desk Seal Package with PSI Stamps says the two year seal warranty means you will never buy another, and the Supreme Cast Iron package with MaxLight stamps calls the seal guaranteed for life. Treat the house terms as binding, and contact us if a product page reads differently.
Is any of this legal advice?
No. This is general research and product information from a stamp manufacturer. Requirements vary by state and are set by your commissioning authority, and nothing here tells you that you are eligible or qualified. Where sources disagreed or could not be confirmed, that is said plainly above. For anything turning on your own situation, read your state’s material or speak to a lawyer licensed there.
