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, numbering machine and line number stamp range (104 published SKUs) on 21 September 2026 · Updated 21 September 2026
For a working office the usual answer is a six wheel self-inking numbering machine, and the two entry points are the Trodat Metal Economy Sequential Number Stamp at $89.95 and the Reiner Economy Sequential Numbering Stamp Model B-600 at $129.95. Both print 3/16″ Roman numerals, both carry their own felt pad in black or red, and both come with a stylus for setting the wheels by hand. The full range runs from $10.95 for a hand held Regular Line Number Stamp in 1/16″ characters to $1,729.95 for the Book and Page Numbering Stamp Left Print, with the middle of the catalog sitting near $115. What separates the tiers is wheel count, frame material and how many characters the machine can advance in one press, not print quality.
What these are for
Two different buyers share this section of the catalog. The first stamps documents in sequence and wants the numbering to advance by itself: accounting, claims, legal exhibits, printing, ticketing and shipping. That buyer wants a Reiner or Trodat machine, where the listing states thousands of impressions per day from a self-inking felt pad and movements that repeat the same number, advance it by one, or advance it after 2, 3 or 4 presses. The second buyer is setting a number or a code by hand and stamping it onto parts, cartons, lumber tags, files or craft work. That buyer wants a band stamp, either a Just Rite Regular Line Number Stamp from $10.95, where the bands are turned with a thumb and the stamp is pressed onto a separate ink pad, or a Shiny Heavy Duty Numberer from $49.95, which holds the same idea in a steel frame with a built-in pad. The band stamps are also where letters live. Acorn does not sell steel punches for marking metal; everything in this range prints with ink.
The ranges we stock
Just Rite Regular Line Number Stamps, $10.95 to $154.00
The cheapest way to stamp a number. A rubber band stamp mounted in a chrome-plated steel frame with a wooden handle, holding a row of bands you turn to the digits you want. Nine character sizes are published: 1/16″ at $10.95, 1/8″ and 3/16″ at $12.95, 5/32″ at $13.95, 9/32″ at $29.95, 3/8″ at $49.50, 1/2″ at $62.95, 5/8″ at $74.95 and 3/4″ at $154.00. Every listing says the same thing about ink: the stamp will require an additional inked stamp pad, which is what lets you stamp in any color you like. Bands are 0 to 9 only.
Just Rite Special Assembly Line Number Stamps, $30.95 to $192.50
The same frames and the same character sizes, but the bands can be letters as well as digits. The listings state that bands are offered in 0 to 9, A to M and N to Z in any position, and that Special Configurations are included in the displayed cost. That is the whole difference, and it is priced: 1/16″ goes from $10.95 to $30.95, 1/8″ and 3/16″ from $12.95 to $44.00, 3/8″ from $49.50 to $77.00, 5/8″ from $74.95 to $110.00 and 3/4″ from $154.00 to $192.50. On the Regular listings the catalog says to call for a specific quote on custom configurations; the Special Assembly listings are that quote, already published.
Shiny Heavy Duty self-inking numberers, $49.95 to $99.00
A band stamp with a built-in pad, in a steel frame the listings describe as built for industrial applications. Two character sizes. The 5/32″ family runs 6446 at six bands for $49.95, 6448 at eight for $52.95, 6410 at ten for $54.95, 6412 at twelve for $62.95, 6414 at fourteen for $64.95, 6416 at sixteen for $68.95 and 6418 at eighteen for $72.95. The 3/16″ family runs 6556 at six bands for $54.95, 6558 at eight for $58.95, 6510 at ten for $71.50 and 6512 at twelve for $65.95. Every Shiny listing in the range states 11 ink colors. Special Assembly versions, with A to M and N to Z bands available in any position, run $69.95 to $110.00.
Shiny numberers with a die plate, $72.95 to $132.00
The same numberers with a 1-5/16″ x 2-3/16″ rubber plate wrapped around the bands, so a fixed line of your own text prints above and below the number. Most listings state one line of text above and below; the 61608 eight band 5/32″ model at $72.95 states two. Prices start at $72.95 for that 61608, $74.95 for the 6556 six band 3/16″ and the 64410 ten band 5/32″, and run up to $92.95 for the eighteen band 6418. Special Assembly plate models, which add letter bands, reach $132.00 for the fourteen band 5/32″.
Economy numbering machines, $89.95 to $249.95
Where the wheels advance on their own. The Trodat Metal Economy Sequential Number Stamp at $89.95 is a six wheel machine with 3/16″ Roman numerals, metal internal parts, a heavy-duty metal case and eight movements. The Reiner B-600 series has a high-impact black plastic frame: the six wheel B-600 at $129.95, the B600-8 at $249.95 with eight wheels and an imprint range of 0 to 99999999, and the B600-A at $249.95 whose leading band carries letters. The B6 series at $179.95 is the same idea in a nickel-plated die-cast metal frame, in four variants: B6-532 in Roman 3/16″, B6-533 in Gothic 3/16″, B6-534 in Roman 7/32″ and B6-535 in Gothic 7/32″. All of these list the Bates movements in full: repeat, consecutive, and 2x, 3x, 4x, 5x, 6x, 12x and 20x advancement.
Deluxe Reiner numbering machines, $329.95 to $749.95
The main working range, six to ten wheels, and the tier most offices settle on once the economy machines wear out. Six wheel models: the 316 in Roman 3/16″ and the 317 in Gothic 3/16″ at $329.95, the 732 in Roman 7/32″ and the 733 in Gothic 7/32″ at $349.95, the 18 in Roman 1/8″ and the 19 in Gothic 1/8″ at $359.95, and the 6A at $459.95 with an alpha leading band. Seven wheel: the 318 and 319 at $395.95, and the 18-7, 19-7, 732-7 and 7A at $529.95. Eight wheel: the 320 and 321 at $595.95, the 18-8 and 732-8 at $629.95. Nine wheel: the 18-9, 322 and 323 at $689.95 and the 732-9 at $729.95. Ten wheel: the 324 and 325 at $749.95. These list five movements rather than eight: repeat, consecutive, and 2x, 3x and 4x advancement.
Wide frame Reiner machines, $495.95 to $1,349.95
Built for long imprints. The listings state these are available with up to 15 wheels. The ND6K at $495.95 is a six wheel wide frame in Roman 3/16″ whose listing says a date wheel can be added to the 15 numeric wheels. The 307 series at $789.95 covers four builds at one price, 307-NR and 307-DR in Roman 3/16″ and 307-NG and 307-DG in Gothic 3/16″, all six wheel, all with date wheels selectable in addition to the standard numeric settings. Above that the wheel count climbs: the 326 in Roman and the 327 in Gothic at eleven wheels for $929.95, the 329 at twelve wheels for $1,049.95, the 330 in Roman and the 331 in Gothic at thirteen wheels for $1,149.95, and the 332 at fifteen wheels for $1,349.95.
Book and page numbering machines, $1,695.95 and $1,729.95
The top of the range and a single job. The Book and Page Number Machine, catalog number 20MBK-PG, is an eight wheel wide frame machine in Roman 7/32″ characters at $1,695.95. The Book and Page Numbering Stamp Left Print, 20MBK-PGL, is the same machine printing to the left at $1,729.95. Both have a die-cast metal frame and special alloy figure wheels, both carry the drop zeros feature, and both are listed as available with up to 15 wheels with movements of 2x, 3x and 4x repetition. These are the machines used where a book number and a page number advance on different cycles.
Sizes and dimensions
Character size and wheel count are the two numbers to settle before price. The numbering machines print in three sizes only: 1/8″ on the Model 18, 19, 18-7, 19-7, 18-8 and 18-9; 3/16″ on most of the catalog, including the Trodat 5756-M, the whole B-600 and 307 range and the 316 through 325 models; and 7/32″ on the B6-534, B6-535, 732, 733, 732-7, 732-8, 732-9 and both book and page machines. Wheel counts on the machines run from six up to fifteen, and the wide frame listings state they are available with up to 15 wheels. The six wheel economy machines list an imprint range of 0 to 999999; the eight wheel B600-8 lists 0 to 99999999. Band stamps cover far more character sizes and fewer characters per line. Just Rite publishes nine sizes, 1/16″, 1/8″, 5/32″, 3/16″, 9/32″, 3/8″, 1/2″, 5/8″ and 3/4″, and band capacity falls as the characters grow: up to 22 bands at 1/8″, up to 18 at 1/16″ and 5/32″, up to 16 at 9/32″ and 3/8″, up to 13 at 1/2″, up to 12 at 5/8″ and up to 10 at 3/4″. Shiny publishes two sizes, 5/32″ and 3/16″, in band counts of 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16 and 18.
How many impressions you get
The catalog states duty by machine family and does not publish a total lifetime figure for any product. Most Reiner listings say the machine is designed to produce thousands of impressions per day using a self-inking felt pad, and the B-600 and B6 economy listings repeat the same wording. Six listings state a lower figure: the four Model 307 wide frames at $789.95 and the Model 326 and 327 at $929.95 all say hundreds of impressions rather than thousands, which reads as a slip in the copy rather than a real derating, since the 329, 330, 331, 332 and both book and page machines above them are back to thousands per day. Trodat states 8 movements on the 5756-M and nothing about volume. No Shiny Heavy Duty Numberer listing and no Just Rite Line Number Stamp listing states an impression count at all, so treat those as unrated: what the Shiny listings do say is that the frame is steel and built for industrial applications, and that the pad is built in.
Ink and colors
Three inking systems sit in this one range and they are not interchangeable. A Reiner or Trodat numbering machine is self-inking from its own felt pad, listed in black or red only, and the package includes the ink pad with holder plus a stylus; several Deluxe and wide frame listings add that the pad re-inks through a snap-in inking system. The ink for these is Numbering Machine Ink at $24.95, a waterproof oil based ink made with mineral and vegetable oils, and the catalog is explicit that it is for numbering and dating machines with metal dies and is NOT made for use with natural rubber bands, because the oil swells the material. A Shiny Heavy Duty Numberer is also self-inking but the bands are rubber, and its listings state 11 ink colors, so it takes ordinary water soluble stamp ink and never the oil based bottle. A Just Rite Line Number Stamp carries no pad at all; every listing says it will require an additional inked stamp pad, which is also why the catalog says you can stamp in any desired color.
What you can customize
Customization here is mechanical rather than artwork. The first option is letters. On the band stamps, Special Assembly is the published name for it: the listings state bands are offered in 0 to 9, A to M and N to Z in any position, and that Special Configurations are included in the price, which is what separates a $12.95 Regular Line Number Stamp in 3/16″ from the $44.00 Special Assembly version. On the machines, three models carry an alpha leading band instead, the B600-A at $249.95, the 6A at $459.95 and the 7A at $529.95, and each offers a choice of three sets: A to J, K to R, or S to Z. The second option is fixed text. The Shiny numberers with a die plate carry a 1-5/16″ x 2-3/16″ plate that prints your own line above and below the digits, from $72.95. The third is dates: the ND6K listing says a date wheel can be added to the 15 numeric wheels, and all four Model 307 listings say date wheels can be selected in addition to the standard numeric settings. Beyond those, the Regular Line Number Stamp listings say to call for a specific quote on custom or special configurations.
Half the Reiner range is the same machine in a different typeface
Reiner model numbers come in pairs. The two machines in a pair have the same wheel count, the same character size, the same movements and the same price, and differ only in whether the numerals are Roman or Gothic. The Model 316 and the Model 317 are both six wheel 3/16″ machines at $329.95; the 316 is Roman and the 317 is Gothic. The 732 and 733 are both six wheel 7/32″ at $349.95. The 18 and 19 are both six wheel 1/8″ at $359.95. The 318 and 319 are both seven wheel 3/16″ at $395.95. The pattern holds up the range: 320 and 321 at $595.95, 322 and 323 at $689.95, 324 and 325 at $749.95, 326 and 327 at $929.95, 330 and 331 at $1,149.95. Even the $179.95 economy tier does it twice over, with the B6-532 and B6-533 in 3/16″ and the B6-534 and B6-535 in 7/32″.
This matters because nothing in the model number tells you which is which, and the Model 307 wide frames make it worse by putting four builds at one price of $789.95: 307-NR and 307-DR in Roman, 307-NG and 307-DG in Gothic. If you are replacing a machine and the new imprints have to sit alongside years of old ones, check the typeface on the listing before you order, not the wheel count. A machine ordered one model number off will number your documents correctly in a font that does not match the file.
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. Order by model number: this range publishes them plainly, from the Trodat 5756-M at $89.95 through the Reiner 20MB600 at $129.95 to the 20MBK-PG book and page machine at $1,695.95, and the model number is the only thing that pins down wheel count, character size and typeface at once. For the band stamps, settle the letters question first, because that is the difference between the Regular and the Special Assembly listings and it is a price difference of roughly $20 to $40 at the small sizes. Every numbering machine in the range ships with its ink pad, holder and stylus in the box; a Just Rite Line Number Stamp does not, and you will need a stamp pad with it.
Care and longevity
Almost every fault in a numbering machine is the pad, not the mechanism. The Reiner listings state the pad is re-inkable and replaceable, and the Deluxe and wide frame models add a snap-in inking system so the pad comes out without opening the machine. Re-ink with Numbering Machine Ink at $24.95 and nothing else: it is the oil based ink these metal dies are built around, and the listing says in plain words that it is not made for natural rubber bands. That cuts both ways. Do not put oil based ink near a Shiny Heavy Duty Numberer or a Just Rite Line Number Stamp, because the bands on those are rubber, and use ordinary water soluble stamp ink on a separate pad instead. Use the stylus that ships with the machine to set the wheels rather than forcing them with a fingernail, and use the drop zeros feature on the B-600, B6, 329, 330, 331, 332 and book and page models to blank leading zeros rather than leaving a blank band exposed. On warranty, Acorn warrants rubber stamps for six months and embossing seals for two years.
Products in this range
Browse the full range: Numbering Machines, Line Number Stamps and Rotating Alphanumeric Stamps.
Related guides
- Date Stamps and Daters: Sizes, Bands and Prices
- Office, Finance & Date Stamps: Complete Guide to Types, Uses, and Ordering
- Shipping & Packaging Stamps: Complete Guide to Types, Uses, and Ordering
- How to Choose an Embosser by Reach and Price
Frequently asked questions
What is the cheapest numbering machine you sell?
The Trodat Metal Economy Sequential Number Stamp at $89.95. It is a six wheel sequential machine in 3/16″ Roman numerals with metal internal parts, a heavy-duty metal case, eight movements and an ink pad and stylus in the box. Below that price you are into hand set band stamps rather than machines: the Reiner B-600 six wheel machine is $129.95, and the cheapest Just Rite Regular Line Number Stamp is $10.95.
How many digits do I need?
Count the highest number you will ever print and add one wheel. A six wheel machine such as the Model 316 at $329.95 lists an imprint range of 0 to 999999. The eight wheel B600-8 at $249.95 lists 0 to 99999999. Above that, Acorn publishes nine wheel machines at $689.95, ten wheel at $749.95, eleven wheel at $929.95, thirteen wheel at $1,149.95 and the fifteen wheel Model 332 at $1,349.95, and the wide frame listings state they are available with up to 15 wheels.
What is the difference between Roman and Gothic on these machines?
Typeface only. The two are paired at identical prices across the range: the Model 316 is Roman and the 317 Gothic, both six wheel 3/16″ at $329.95; the 732 is Roman and the 733 Gothic, both 7/32″ at $349.95; the 18 is Roman and the 19 Gothic, both 1/8″ at $359.95. Wheel count, movements and price do not change. Check the listing before ordering if new imprints have to match old ones.
Can a numbering machine print letters as well as numbers?
Three models do, by carrying letters on the leading band: the B600-A at $249.95, the Model 6A at $459.95 and the Model 7A at $529.95. Each offers a choice of three sets, A to J, K to R, or S to Z, so one machine gives you one third of the alphabet. For letters in any position you want a Special Assembly band stamp instead, where the listings state bands are offered in 0 to 9, A to M and N to Z in any position, from $30.95.
What does Special Assembly mean, and is it worth the money?
It means the bands can be letters as well as digits, in any position, and that the special configuration is already included in the displayed price. It roughly triples the cost at the small sizes, taking a 1/8″ Line Number Stamp from $12.95 to $44.00 and a 1/16″ from $10.95 to $30.95, but the premium narrows as the characters grow: 3/4″ goes from $154.00 to $192.50. If you only ever stamp digits, buy the Regular version.
What size characters should I choose?
Numbering machines print at 1/8″, 3/16″ or 7/32″ and nothing else, with 3/16″ the most common by a wide margin. Band stamps go much smaller and much larger: Just Rite publishes 1/16″, 1/8″, 5/32″, 3/16″, 9/32″, 3/8″, 1/2″, 5/8″ and 3/4″, and Shiny publishes 5/32″ and 3/16″. Remember the trade: at 1/8″ a Just Rite frame holds up to 22 bands, at 3/4″ it holds up to 10.
Do numbering machines need a separate ink pad?
No. Every Reiner and Trodat listing in this range states the machine does not need a separate ink pad and that the package includes an ink pad with holder and stylus, with the pad supplied in black or red. Shiny Heavy Duty Numberers also have a built-in pad and list 11 ink colors. The exception is the Just Rite Line Number Stamp, where every listing says the stamp will require an additional inked stamp pad, bought separately.
Which ink goes in a numbering machine?
Numbering Machine Ink, $24.95. It is a waterproof oil based ink made with mineral and vegetable oils, designed not to clog the mechanism, and the catalog limits its use to numbering and dating machines with metal dies. The same listing states it is NOT made for use with natural rubber bands, because the oil swells the material, so it must not go into a Shiny numberer or a Just Rite band stamp. Those take ordinary water soluble stamp ink.
How many impressions will a machine give me?
The Reiner and Trodat listings state thousands of impressions per day from the self-inking felt pad, and say the pad is re-inkable and replaceable. They do not publish a lifetime total. Six listings, the four Model 307 wide frames at $789.95 and the Model 326 and 327 at $929.95, say hundreds of impressions instead, which does not match the heavier machines above them. The Shiny and Just Rite band stamps state no impression figure at all.
Can I print my own text along with the number?
Yes, on the Shiny numberers fitted with a die plate. The plate measures 1-5/16″ x 2-3/16″ and prints a fixed line of your text above and below the number bands; most listings state one line each side, and the 61608 eight band 5/32″ model at $72.95 states two. Prices run $72.95 to $92.95 for the standard plate models and up to $132.00 for the Special Assembly plate versions with letter bands.
Can I add a date to the numbering?
On two wide frame families. The Model ND6K at $495.95 states that a date wheel can be added to the 15 numeric wheels. All four Model 307 machines at $789.95 state that date wheels can be selected in addition to the standard numeric settings. No other machine in this range publishes a date option.
What do the repetition numbers mean?
They are how many times the machine prints the same number before advancing. The economy B-600 and B6 machines at $129.95 to $249.95 list the widest set: repeat, consecutive, and 2x, 3x, 4x, 5x, 6x, 12x and 20x advancement. The Deluxe machines from $329.95 up list five movements, repeat, consecutive, and 2x, 3x and 4x. Set 20x on a B6-532 and it prints the same number twenty times, then moves on.
What is a book and page machine for?
Numbering where two counts advance on different cycles, a book number and a page number. Acorn publishes two, both eight wheel wide frame machines in Roman 7/32″ characters: the 20MBK-PG at $1,695.95 and the 20MBK-PGL, which prints to the left, at $1,729.95. Both have die-cast metal frames, special alloy figure wheels and the drop zeros feature, and both are listed as available with up to 15 wheels.
How fast do these ship?
Production is 1 business day, orders leave Richmond, Virginia, and transit runs 3 to 10 business days by method and carrier. There is no minimum order and no setup fee. Acorn warrants rubber stamps for six months and embossing seals for two years.
