Written by Acorn Sales Company, manufacturing stamps and seals since 1964 · Reviewed by Holly R, VP of Sales and Marketing at Acorn Sales, against the Acorn Sales notary range (279 published SKUs) and the 13 published eSeal listings on 22 September 2026 · Updated 22 September 2026 · Product information and primary source reading, not legal advice. Confirm current status with your own commissioning authority.
Primary sources, all read on 22 September 2026:
- Uniform Law Commission, Current Acts catalog, Law on Notarial Acts, 2021 Revised
- Uniform Law Commission, Summary of RULONA (2021)
- Code of Virginia section 47.1-2
- Code of Virginia section 47.1-6.1
- Code of Virginia section 47.1-7
- Code of Virginia Title 47.1 Chapter 2, including 47.1-8.1
- Code of Virginia Title 47.1 Chapter 3, including 47.1-14 and 47.1-15
- Code of Virginia section 47.1-16
- Virginia Secretary of the Commonwealth, Electronic Notary
- A Handbook for Virginia Notaries Public
- Florida Department of State, Remote Online Notary Public
- Florida Statutes section 117.021
- Texas Secretary of State, Getting Started as an Online Notary
- Ohio Revised Code section 147.64
- Pennsylvania Department of State, Electronic or Remote Notarization
- Michigan Department of State, Notary services
- RCW 42.45.280, chapter 42.45 RCW
- Minnesota Secretary of State, Remote Online Notarization Authorization
- Arizona Secretary of State, Remote and eNotary
- Utah Lieutenant Governor, Remote Online Notary application process
- New York Department of State, Notary Public FAQ
- Tennessee Secretary of State, How to become an Online Notary Public
- Tennessee Secretary of State, online notary seal requirements
- Indiana INBiz, Notaries
- Maryland COMAR 01.02.08.07
- Colorado Secretary of State, remote notarization FAQs
- Iowa Secretary of State, Remote Online Notarization
- Iowa Code section 9B.14A
- California Secretary of State, Notary FAQ
What these are for
Three notaries arrive at this question. One has been commissioned for years, works in person with a rubber stamp or an embosser, and has been asked by a title company whether remote work is possible. One has just been commissioned and is working out whether a physical seal is still worth buying. One has already bought a $20.00 electronic image, opened the email, and found the file will not sign anything by itself. This page sets out what primary sources say remote online notarization is, and what they say about the seal used in it, so the right question reaches the right place. Where a source is silent we say so, and the commissioning authority governs. State by state stamp rules live on the notary stamp requirements by state pillar, supplies and prices on the notary supplies hub, and eSeal formats on the electronic seal hub. This page does not repeat them.
The ranges we stock
What the states that authorize it say remote online notarization is
Michigan separates the two things people conflate. An electronic notarization, in the Department of State's words, "is like a traditional/pen and paper notarization inasmuch as the signer appears physically before the Notary, but in an electronic notarization the document being notarized is digital and the parties use electronic signatures." A remote notarization "is an electronic notarization conducted through audio and visual equipment, so the signer is not in the physical presence of the Notary." Pennsylvania draws the same line: with electronic notarization the signer must "appear personally (physically) before the notary," while remote notarization allows that appearance "to be met by the use of audio-visual electronic communication technology." Virginia reaches it from the other side, section 47.1-15 prohibiting notarization where the signer is not present unless, for an electronic notarization, identity is established under section 47.1-2. The electronic part and the remote part are separate steps, and a state can authorize one without the other.
Remote ink-signed notarization is a third thing, and in one state it has ended
Remote ink-signed notarization, or RIN, is where the signer signs paper while the notary watches on live video, and the paper then travels to the notary to be sealed physically: remote appearance, physical document, physical seal. The Uniform Law Commission names it in its catalog entry for the 2021 revision of its notarial acts act, which "authorizes remote online notarization and remote ink notarization through the use of audio-visual recording and identity-proofing technology." New York shows one outcome: the Department of State's notary FAQ states RIN is not permitted after 31 January 2023, describing it as temporary pandemic relief replaced by electronic notarization under Executive Law section 135-c. We did not survey RIN elsewhere. The structural point survives: a remote appearance does not by itself mean an electronic seal, because RIN uses a physical one. Not legal advice, and the commissioning authority governs.
Sixteen states we confirmed, and exactly how we counted
We counted one way. For each state named here we opened the commissioning authority's own page, or the state's statute or administrative rule, read it on 22 September 2026, and confirmed a standing authorization or registration for notarial acts performed for a remotely located individual using communication technology. They are Virginia, Florida, Texas, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Washington, Minnesota, Arizona, Utah, New York, Tennessee, Indiana, Maryland, Colorado and Iowa. Sixteen. We also confirmed one in the opposite column: the California Secretary of State states "No, California law requires a person to appear personally before a notary public to obtain notarial acts like acknowledgments or jurats," and that "A video image or other form of non-physical representation is not a personal appearance." We did not read the other thirty-three states and claim nothing about them. Confirm current status with your own commissioning authority.
RULONA, and what it actually standardizes
The Revised Uniform Law on Notarial Acts is a model act drafted by the Uniform Law Commission, not a federal law. The Commission's current acts catalog describes the 2021 revision as governing "actions by a notary public, including taking an acknowledgment, administering an oath or affirmation, witnessing or attesting a signature, and certifying a copy of a document." The same entry says the act "allows electronic notarization using technologies approved by the enacting state's regulatory body." The Commission's summary adds identity verification by "at least two different types of identity-proofing processes or services" including "biometric identification technology or credential analysis," and a requirement that "an audio-visual recording of the performance of the notarial act be created." So RULONA standardizes vocabulary and procedure. It does not standardize seal artwork, vendor lists or retention periods, and neither Commission document we read states a count of enacting states, so we do not state one.
What states ask of the technology in a remote act
Five demands recur across our sources. First, a separate authorization: Texas, Tennessee, Arizona, Utah, Indiana, Minnesota, Colorado, Iowa and Florida each condition an online or remote authorization on already holding an active ordinary commission, and Maryland requires written notice before remote acts. Second, an approved platform: Pennsylvania maintains a list of approved solution providers, Michigan states "Only State-approved remote vendor platforms can be used," and Iowa warns that "Software that primarily offers video-conferencing will not meet these requirements." Third, identity proofing and credential analysis: Ohio Revised Code section 147.64 lists remote presentation of a government issued credential and "credential analysis of the identification credentials provided," while Washington RCW 42.45.280 accepts "at least two different types of identity proofing." Fourth, a recording, kept: Virginia section 47.1-14 requires the electronic notary to "keep a copy of the recording of the video and audio conference" for "at least five years," while Michigan, Maryland, Colorado, Iowa and Washington each state ten. Fifth, tamper-evident technology: Florida Statutes section 117.021 requires the electronic signature to be attached so "any subsequent alteration to the electronic document displays evidence of the alteration."
What the electronic seal is, in the language of the statutes
The definition doing the most work is Code of Virginia section 47.1-2, which defines an electronic seal as "Information within a notarized electronic document that confirms the notary's name, jurisdiction, and commission expiration date and generally corresponds to data in notary seals used on paper documents." Note what that is: information, corresponding to the paper seal. Florida Statutes section 117.021 sets contents the same way, requiring the full name as on the commission application, the words Notary Public State of Florida, the expiration date and the commission number. Texas specifies the wording, "Notary Public, State of Texas" around a five pointed star, and an outer size limit. Tennessee's rule prescribes a circular, square or rectangular seal carrying the name, the county of election and the words Online Notary Public. Arizona requires the commission number on the seal. Colorado puts it most usefully for anyone ordering artwork: "Your seal should exactly match your wet stamp." An electronic seal is an artwork and data specification. It is the thing an image file can actually be.
The digital certificate is not the seal image, and this is where money gets wasted
Several states we read require, separately from the seal, a cryptographic signing credential. The Virginia Secretary of the Commonwealth states it in a sentence: "An electronic notary shall use a digital certificate to digitally sign electronic documents requiring notarization." Texas is more specific: the digital certificate must be "issued by a third party provider, must use Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) technology and must be X.509 compliant," and when attached it "must render any subsequent changes to the document evident." A digital certificate is a key pair and an issued credential, from a certificate authority or a platform, carrying an identity a verifier can check. Now the product. Acorn's Notary eSeal Electronic Image Stamp of Seal is $20.00. Its listing states the eSeal is an electronic image of the notary seal, emailed at 300 dpi in PNG, DWG, JPG, DXF, PDF and TIF, then states plainly that electronic encryption and an electronic signature are not included with the purchase. The eSeal is artwork that can satisfy an appearance specification. It is not a digital certificate, not a digital signature, not a platform account and not a remote online notarization credential. Buying the $20.00 image expecting it to perform a remote act buys the wrong thing. Formats and delivery terms sit on the electronic seal hub. Product information, not legal advice.
Does a remote notary still need a physical seal
Our sources do not agree, which is itself the answer. Virginia requires one and says how to get it: section 47.1-8.1 directs a commissioned notary to "present proof of his commission to a vendor or manufacturer for purposes of obtaining a seal to affix on paper documents," and section 47.1-16 requires an "image of the official seal" that is sharp, legible, permanent and photographically reproducible. The Virginia handbook treats the electronic commission as an addition rather than a replacement: an applicant "must first hold a valid commission as a traditional notary public," and the two expire and renew together. California, which authorizes no remote acts, requires a seal for electronic notarizations with narrow real estate exceptions. Michigan goes the other way: "The MiLONA does not require Notaries to use an embossed seal or rubber stamp on a document." The honest summary: a remote authorization generally sits on top of an ordinary commission, that commission usually carries its own seal rule, and the commissioning authority governs. See the state requirements pillar for the paper side.
Sizes and dimensions
Physical and electronic sizes line up, because the image is cut from the same artwork. The Notary eSeal listing states the size depends on state specifications but is typically 1-5/8″ in diameter round, or 7/8″ x 2-1/4″ rectangular. The embossed impression on every notary embosser package is 1-5/8″, which is why the Notary Seal Impression Inker at $15.95 and the Slim Impression Inker at $19.95 are both specified for 1-5/8″ impressions. On the ink side the Regular State Seal Notary Stamp at $22.95 is 7/8″ tall by 2-3/8″ wide, and the MaxLight Pre-Inked Stamp of Notary Public Seal at $34.95 is 9/16″ tall by 1-1/2″ wide. Texas caps the electronic seal at two inches across for a circle, so the round die sits inside that ceiling. Acorn cuts to the published state specification.
How many impressions you get
Impression counts come straight from the listings. A self-inking notary stamp, such as the Self Inking Acknowledgment Notary Stamp at $22.95, gives up to 5,000 impressions before re-inking. A PSI pre-inked stamp, as supplied in the Deluxe Handheld Seal Package with PSI Stamps at $69.95, is rated at up to 15,000. The MaxLight Pre-Inked Stamp of Notary Public Seal at $34.95 gives 20,000 and has no moving parts. An embosser has no count, because it displaces paper rather than depositing ink, and what it does badly is photograph. That is what the impression inker fixes: a blank stamp laying a black circle over a raised impression so it reproduces. Code of Virginia section 47.1-16 uses that word, requiring an image of the official seal that is "photographically reproducible."
Ink and colors
Ink is a state question before it is a preference. The Regular Rubber Stamp of Notary Public Seal at $22.95 needs a separate pad, and its listing says to use the ink color the state requires. The Self Inking Identification Stamp at $22.95 comes in 11 ink colors and uses water-based ink, which the listing calls the most economical. PSI and MaxLight packages come in 5 ink colors. Black is the safe default where a state publishes no preference, and it is what scanners and county recorders handle best, which matters more now that documents beginning as paper end as a PDF. The Regular Rubber Stamp listing makes the point itself: a stamped seal shows up better than an embossed seal in PDFs and images.
What you can customize
Every notary stamp and seal Acorn makes is cut to the ordering notary's own commission details and to the specification the state publishes: the state, the name exactly as commissioned, and, where required, the commission number and expiration date. The Regular Rubber Stamp of Notary Public Seal offers four layouts, from name only to name with both number and expiration. Personalized self-inking and pre-inked stamps offer four date formats. The Self Inking Signature ID Stamp at $28.95 also carries the notary's signature, supplied by the customer. Where a state does not require a commission number, the listings say it is left off. Dies are laser engraved with deep cuts, PDF proofs are available before production, and the listings guarantee the seal meets the state specification. That same artwork becomes the 300 dpi eSeal image at $20.00. Acorn does not supply digital certificates, platform accounts or electronic signature software.
The seal that looks most official is the one that reproduces worst
The embossed seal is the older and more impressive object. The ink stamp is newer and plainer. But remote online notarization, electronic recording and the ordinary practice of scanning a closing package all reward the flat black impression and punish the raised one, because a raised impression does not photograph. Virginia writes the requirement as an image of the official seal that is "sharp, legible, permanent, and photographically reproducible," and Michigan, which does not require a stamp at all, still notes that using one "provides for a more consistent and complete notarization." That is why Acorn sells a blank stamp whose only function is to ink an embossed impression so it survives a scan, and why the eSeal is specified at 300 dpi. A notary working both ways ends up carrying three artifacts from one set of commission details: an embosser, an ink stamp of the seal, and an electronic image. None of the three is a signing credential. Not legal advice.Ordering, proofs and delivery
Ordering takes the commission details above plus the state, and the listings state that orders ship in one to two days. The Notary eSeal at $20.00 arrives by email as a 300 dpi file in PNG, DWG, JPG, DXF, PDF and TIF. Packages bundle what a working notary needs at once: the Deluxe Notary Rectangular Stamp Package at $44.95 pairs a rectangular notary stamp with a record book and one supplemental stamp, the Deluxe Black Hybrid Seal Package with Hand Stamps at $54.95 swaps in a custom engraved embosser, and the Deluxe PSI Notary Stamp of Seal Package at $69.95 is the pre-inked version. Virginia notaries can order the Quick Start Notary Combo for Virginia Notaries at $99.00, which includes a two hour Virginia notary law and procedures class, a Virginia self-inking state seal stamp in black and a record book. Acorn warrants embossing seals for two years and stamps for six months. If a specification is unclear, contact us before the die is cut.
Care and longevity
A notary seal is a controlled object and the sources treat it that way. The Virginia handbook requires the electronic seal to be "retained under the electronic notary's sole control," and Minnesota requires a remote online notary whose registration ends to destroy the coding, disk, certificate, card, software or password that enables electronic affixation of the official signature or seal. The Notary Pocket Seal Storage Box at $4.95 keeps a handheld or soft seal embosser in alignment. Keep the embosser dry, the stamp face clean, and the Official Notary Public Record Book at $12.95 current, which the listing describes as over 50 pages with space for more than 250 entries. The Fingerprint Pad at $9.95 is an inkless pad the listing says will not dry out if left open. Across the 279 published notary products prices run from $3.95 to $2,095.00, median $74.95.
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
- Electronic Seals and eSeal Image Files: What You Get and What You Do Not
- Notary Supplies: Stamps, Seals, Journals and Kits
- Notary Journals and Record Books: What They Are and What Goes In Them
- How to Become a Notary Public: The Steps and the Supplies
- Notary Bonds and Errors and Omissions Insurance: What Each One Protects
- Why a State Board Guaranteed Stamp Supplier Matters
- Notary Stamp Requirements by State
- Electronic Seals and eSeal Image Files
- Notary Supplies: Stamps, Seals, Journals and Kits
Frequently asked questions
What is remote online notarization in plain terms?
A notarial act on an electronic document for a signer who is not physically present, conducted over two way audio and video technology. Michigan describes it as "an electronic notarization conducted through audio and visual equipment, so the signer is not in the physical presence of the Notary." Ohio Revised Code section 147.64 authorizes an online notary public to act "by means of audio-video communication." In every state we read it is a separate authorization. Not legal advice.
How is it different from an electronic notarization?
An electronic notarization can still be face to face. Pennsylvania draws the line: with electronic notarization the signer must "appear personally (physically) before the notary," and it is the document and signatures that are electronic. Remote online notarization is where the appearance itself happens over audio-visual technology. A state can authorize one without the other.
What is remote ink-signed notarization?
RIN is where the signer signs paper while the notary watches on live video, and the paper is then sealed physically. The Uniform Law Commission names it in its catalog entry for the 2021 notarial acts act. The New York Department of State states RIN is not permitted after 31 January 2023, replaced there by electronic notarization under Executive Law section 135-c.
How many states authorize remote online notarization?
We confirmed sixteen from primary sources on 22 September 2026: Virginia, Florida, Texas, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Washington, Minnesota, Arizona, Utah, New York, Tennessee, Indiana, Maryland, Colorado and Iowa. That is what we verified by reading each state's own authority page, statute or rule, not a fifty state survey. We also confirmed California requires personal appearance, and claim nothing about states we did not read.
What is RULONA and does it apply to me?
A model act from the Uniform Law Commission, with no force until a state enacts it. The Commission describes the 2021 revision as authorizing "remote online notarization and remote ink notarization through the use of audio-visual recording and identity-proofing technology." Washington's chapter 42.45 RCW is titled Revised Uniform Law on Notarial Acts, which is what an enactment looks like.
Is the Acorn eSeal a remote online notarization credential?
No. The Notary eSeal Electronic Image Stamp of Seal at $20.00 is an image of the notary seal, emailed at 300 dpi in PNG, DWG, JPG, DXF, PDF and TIF. The listing states that electronic encryption and an electronic signature are not included with the purchase. It is artwork, not a signing credential, and it connects to no platform.
Then what is a digital certificate?
A separate cryptographic credential. Virginia states that "An electronic notary shall use a digital certificate to digitally sign electronic documents requiring notarization." Texas specifies that it be "issued by a third party provider, must use Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) technology and must be X.509 compliant." New York collects information about the notary's digital credential service provider. Acorn does not supply digital certificates.
Can I use the eSeal image for an in person electronic notarization?
What a state accepts is for that state to say, and it depends on its electronic seal specification and on any signing credential required alongside the seal. What we can tell you is what the file is: a 300 dpi image matching the artwork on the physical seal, with no encryption and no electronic signature attached. Not legal advice.
Does a remote notary still need a physical seal?
It depends on the state, and our sources disagree. Virginia section 47.1-8.1 directs a commissioned notary to present proof of commission to a vendor or manufacturer to obtain "a seal to affix on paper documents," and its handbook says an electronic commission requires a traditional commission first. Michigan states its act "does not require Notaries to use an embossed seal or rubber stamp on a document." The commissioning authority governs.
What do states require of the technology?
Five things recur in our sources: a separate authorization on top of an ordinary commission; an approved platform, with Pennsylvania, Michigan, Colorado, Utah and Iowa each maintaining or requiring approved providers; identity proofing and credential analysis; an audio-visual recording; and tamper-evident technology. Iowa notes that software "that primarily offers video-conferencing will not meet these requirements."
How long must the recording be kept?
It varies. Virginia section 47.1-14 sets "at least five years from the date of the transaction." Michigan, Washington, Maryland, Colorado and Iowa each state ten years in the sources we read. Those are the five we confirmed at ten years. We did not check the rest, and periods change, so confirm with your own commissioning authority.
What must appear on an electronic seal?
The same elements as the paper seal. Code of Virginia section 47.1-2 defines an electronic seal as information confirming "the notary's name, jurisdiction, and commission expiration date" that "generally corresponds to data in notary seals used on paper documents." Florida adds the commission number and the words Notary Public State of Florida. Tennessee's rule adds Online Notary Public. Colorado: "Your seal should exactly match your wet stamp."
Why does Acorn sell an impression inker?
Because an embossed impression does not photograph. The Notary Seal Impression Inker at $15.95 and the Slim Impression Inker at $19.95 are blank stamps carrying no information; they lay a black circle over a raised 1-5/8″ impression so it reproduces in a scan. Code of Virginia section 47.1-16 requires an image of the official seal that is "photographically reproducible."
Where should I confirm any of this?
With the authority that issued your commission. Every regulatory statement here is sourced and dated to 22 September 2026, and is reproduced because a primary source says it, not as advice about what any notary may do. Remote notarization law changes fast. The state requirements pillar collects the stamp rules and the supplies hub covers the range. For a specification question, contact us.
