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 dog and cat breed stamp range, 179 breed collections and 4,240 published SKUs, on 21 September 2026 · Updated 21 September 2026
A personalized breed stamp at Acorn runs from $11.95 to $39.95, and the working price is the median, $24.95. Acorn publishes 179 breed collections, dog and cat, and each breed appears on the same small set of bodies: a Shiny Duo hand stamp at $19.95, a wood handle hand stamp at $24.95, a self-inking stamp at $24.95, and a PSI or Slim pre-inked stamp at $26.95. What you personalize is the text beside the artwork, your name and address on a return address stamp or your name on a library stamp, while the breed silhouette itself is fixed artwork Acorn already draws. The money buys the mechanism rather than a better picture: $19.95 and $24.95 hand stamps need a separate ink pad, the $24.95 self-inking body carries its own pad, and the $26.95 pre-inked body is rated for up to 15,000 impressions in five ink colors. Across the whole dog and cat range Acorn publishes 4,240 products.What these are for
This is a range built around one decision: which animal goes on the stamp. Three buyers dominate. The first wants a return address stamp for household mail, holiday cards and invitations, with the family dog or cat beside the address instead of a monogram; that is the address artwork family, sized 7/8″ x 2-1/4″, and it is where the $19.95 Duo, the $24.95 wood handle and self-inking bodies and the $26.95 pre-inked bodies all live. The second wants a library or bookplate stamp, the kind that goes inside the front cover and says who a book belongs to, usually a name plus a phrase such as This Book Belongs To or an Ex Libris mark; those designs run 1-5/16″ x 2-3/8″ on the larger library families and 7/8″ x 2-1/4″ on the bookplate and Peeking Puppy families, at the same prices. Teachers and classroom buyers sit inside that second group, and the listings say so repeatedly. The third wants the artwork on its own with no personalization: plain wood mounted art rubber stamps at $11.95 for craft and card making, a Kitten Themed Void Hand Stamp at $12.95 for marking paperwork, and the general pet designs at $21.95 and $29.95 that carry a pair of animals rather than one named breed. One caution: the dog and cat range is stamps, not embossing seals. Every body in it prints in ink rather than raising an impression in the sheet.
The ranges we stock
Wood handle hand stamps
The traditional format: a shaped wooden handle over a laser engraved rubber die, priced at $24.95 for a breed design and $29.95 for the larger general pet designs such as the Charming Pets Custom Couple Envelope Stamp and the Personalized Sphinx Cat Address Stamp with Wood Handle. There is no ink in the stamp. The listings state plainly that the ink pad is sold separately, which is a cost to plan for but also the reason this body is the most flexible one in the range: you pick the pad, you change colors whenever you like, and nothing inside the stamp runs out. Acorn describes the die as precision cut and laser engraved. Buy this body if you stamp in bursts rather than daily, or if you want more than one ink color from a single stamp.
Shiny Duo hand stamps
The cheapest personalized route in the range at $19.95 for a breed design, rising to $21.95 for the square general pet designs and $12.95 for the Kitten Themed Void Hand Stamp. The Duo is still a hand stamp, so an ink pad is sold separately here too, but the body is modern rather than traditional: a modular plastic construction, an ergonomic handle and a snap on dust cover that protects the die between uses. Acorn lists the Duo as compatible with both permanent and water soluble inks, which makes it useful for craft work as well as mail. The Kitten Themed Void Hand Stamp also names built in antimicrobial protection on the grip and comes in two sizes, Small at 1/2″ x 1-1/2″ and Large at 3/4″ x 2-1/4″. Across the sample the Duo is the single most common body.
Self-inking stamps
At $24.95 for a breed design, the self-inking body is the same price as the wood handle and solves the pad problem: the pad sits inside the stamp and re-inks the die automatically after every impression. The listings describe thousands of clean impressions and an ergonomic handle built for one handed use. Ink color choice is described as multiple colors rather than a fixed list on the breed stamps, so if a specific color matters, confirm it before ordering. Two craft self-inking stamps in the sample, both Trodat bodies at $26.95, publish exact figures: 11 ink colors and up to 10,000 impressions per pad. This is the body for volume, where not reaching for a pad at all is the whole argument.
Pre-inked stamps, PSI and Slim
At $26.95 the pre-inked bodies are the top of the personalized breed range and the longest lasting. The ink is held in the die itself rather than on a pad, which is why the listings rate them at up to 15,000 impressions before re-inking, against thousands on the self-inking body. Acorn publishes an exact color list here: five ink colors, red, blue, black, green and purple. The listings describe the action as quiet or whisper soft, because a pre-inked die presses rather than snaps, and several name the ink as oil based, which gives the denser impression. Two variants share the price: the PSI pre-inked stamp is the standard body, and the Slim pre-inked stamp is a narrower one, sold under names such as the Personalized Labradoodle Dog Address Slim Pre-Inked Stamp, with the same rating and the same five colors.
Slim round address stamps
Two stamps in the sample sit above everything else at $39.95: the Slim Pug Face Address Stamp and the Slim Cartoon Cat Address Stamp. They are pre-inked, they use a round 1-5/8″ impression rather than the rectangular shapes used everywhere else, and the listings describe them as compact, easy to hold and offered in five ink colors with no pad to replace. The impression count is given as thousands before re-inking rather than a specific number. These are single designs, a pug face and a cartoon cat, not part of the 179 breed collections, so the artwork is what you are buying at that price.
Art rubber stamps
Six stamps in the sample are plain wood mounted art rubber stamps at $11.95 with no personalization at all, and they are the cheapest way into the range. The construction is described consistently: laser engraved red rubber, deeply etched, mounted to a sponge cushion backing on a white maple block, made in the United States. Sizes vary by design and the listings spell them out in words: the Santa with Kitten and Snowman Rubber Stamp is one and three quarter inches wide by three and one quarter inches tall, the Please Sign and Return Dog Rubber Stamp about three inches wide by one inch high, and the Sleeping Spotted Puppy Rubber Stamp about one and a half inches wide by one inch high. All need an ink pad bought separately, and these are the only listings in the sample that publish a dispatch time: they typically ship in under 24 hours.
Address artwork families
The address designs carry your name and address beside a breed image and all print at 7/8″ x 2-1/4″. Within that size Acorn runs several artwork families, and the same breed is often drawn more than one way. The most common is a clean black silhouette or outline, full body, described by the features that identify the breed, such as the Dalmatian spots and floppy ears. A second is the peeking design, where the animal looks over the edge of the frame. Cat breeds get the same treatment: the Balinese, Ojos Azules, Manx, Egyptian Mau and Colorpoint Persian all appear as address designs. Since size and price are identical across the family, the choice is purely which drawing you prefer.
Library, bookplate and Ex Libris designs
The book side of the range splits by size. The two largest library families print at 1-5/16″ x 2-3/8″, which gives room for a name above or beside the artwork; these are the ones titled as library or book stamps, such as the Yorkshire Terrier Custom Library Self-Inking Stamp. The bookplate, Ex Libris, Peeking Puppy and Bookworm families print smaller at 7/8″ x 2-1/4″. The wording differs as well as the size: some are built around This Book Belongs To, some around an Ex Libris mark, some around a From the Library Of line. All are described the same way, marking the inside front cover so a lending library, a classroom set or a personal collection stays identifiable. Prices track the body exactly as on the address side.
General pet and craft designs
Not every design names a breed. A small group of general pet stamps carries two animals together, a cat and a dog or a pair of dogs, under names such as Whimsical Pets and Charming Pets, and these print as a 1-5/8″ square. They are priced one step above the breed equivalents: $21.95 on the Duo hand stamp, $26.95 self-inking, $29.95 on the wood handle. Alongside them sit craft and classroom stamps, including the $12.95 Kitten Themed Void Hand Stamp and the $26.95 Trodat self-inking craft designs with 11 ink colors.
Sizes and dimensions
Four impression sizes cover almost the whole range, and size follows the artwork family rather than the mechanism. The address designs and the bookplate, Ex Libris, Peeking Puppy and Bookworm book designs print at 7/8″ x 2-1/4″, which is the most common size in the sample by a wide margin. The two larger library and book families print at 1-5/16″ x 2-3/8″. The general pet designs, the Whimsical Pets and Charming Pets group, print as a 1-5/8″ square. The two $39.95 Slim stamps print a 1-5/8″ round impression. A Dalmatian address design is therefore 7/8″ x 2-1/4″ whether you buy it as a $19.95 Duo, a $24.95 wood handle, a $24.95 self-inking stamp or a $26.95 pre-inked stamp; the body changes, the impression does not. Outside the personalized families, the $12.95 Kitten Themed Void Hand Stamp comes in Small at 1/2″ x 1-1/2″ and Large at 3/4″ x 2-1/4″. The catalog publishes no maximum character count and no number of text lines for any of these sizes, so if your address runs long, say so on the order rather than assuming it will fit.
How many impressions you get
The impression count is the clearest way to tell the four mechanisms apart, and it is the reason the price ladder exists. A wood handle or Shiny Duo hand stamp has no published count at all, and correctly so: the ink comes from a separate pad, the die itself does not hold any, and the stamp lasts as long as you keep a pad charged. A self-inking stamp is described on the breed listings as giving thousands of clean impressions from its built in pad, which re-inks the die automatically after every press; the two Trodat craft self-inking stamps at $26.95 put a number on it, up to 10,000 impressions per pad. The pre-inked bodies at $26.95, both PSI and Slim, are the highest rated in the range at up to 15,000 impressions before re-inking, and that figure appears on the large majority of the pre-inked listings in the sample. The two $39.95 Slim round address stamps are described as giving thousands of impressions before you need to re-ink without naming a figure. Read those numbers as a planning guide rather than a hard stop: the inked bodies are re-inkable, so reaching the count means adding ink, not buying another stamp.
Ink and colors
Ink works three different ways in this range and it is worth knowing which one you are buying. On the hand stamps, the $19.95 Shiny Duo and the $24.95 wood handle, there is no ink at all. The listings state that the ink pad is sold separately, and the Duo listings add that the die works with both permanent and water soluble inks, so you choose the pad, the color and the chemistry. That is the flexible option and also the one with a small extra cost attached. On the $24.95 self-inking breed stamps the pad is built in and the listings say multiple ink colors without naming them, so confirm the color before ordering rather than after. The two Trodat craft self-inking stamps at $26.95 do name a number, 11 ink colors. On the $26.95 pre-inked bodies, PSI and Slim alike, Acorn publishes a fixed list: five ink colors, red, blue, black, green and purple, with the ink held inside the die. The two $39.95 Slim round stamps use the same five. Several pre-inked listings describe the ink as oil based and the action as quiet compared with a self-inking snap.
What you can customize
What you personalize is the text, not the animal. The breed artwork is drawn by Acorn and fixed for each of the 179 breed collections, so ordering a Beagle stamp means ordering the Acorn Beagle drawing. The text beside it is yours. On an address stamp that is your name and address, set to print neatly and identically on every envelope, and the listings position it against handwriting rather than against another stamp: the same address, the same layout, every time. On a library stamp it is a name plus whichever fixed phrase the design carries, This Book Belongs To, From the Library Of, or an Ex Libris mark, and several listings describe adding a short custom message instead. The craft designs allow names, dates or a short message. Acorn publishes no character limit, line count, font list or proof step on any of these listings, so if your text is long, unusual or has to break in a particular place, put that in your order notes or contact us before you order. On breed choice, the cat side is well populated: Balinese, Burmese, Devon Rex, Cornish Rex, Egyptian Mau, Manx, Ojos Azules, American Shorthair, American Wirehair, Colorpoint Persian, Javanese, Aegean, Dragon Li, Australian Mist and Sphinx all appear in the sample. Crosses have their own designs rather than being folded into a parent breed, so look for the Cockapoo, Labradoodle, Cavapoo, Maltipoo or Pomsky by name.
The same drawing, four bodies, one decision
Take one breed and follow it across the range. A Dalmatian address design is $19.95 as a Shiny Duo hand stamp, $24.95 as a wood handle hand stamp, $24.95 as a self-inking stamp and $26.95 as a PSI or Slim pre-inked stamp. In all four cases the impression is 7/8″ x 2-1/4″, the artwork is the same Dalmatian, the text is the same name and address, and the die is laser engraved rubber. Nothing in the catalog suggests the $26.95 version prints a better looking Dalmatian than the $19.95 one. The difference in price buys ink delivery and nothing else.
That reframes the decision usefully. The question is not which stamp is best, it is how often you stamp and whether you want to own a pad. Stamp a handful of envelopes at Christmas and the $19.95 Duo is the whole answer, with a pad bought once in whatever color you like. Stamp weekly, and the $24.95 self-inking body pays for itself the first time you run twenty envelopes without touching a pad. Stamp daily, or stamp a classroom set of books each September, and the $26.95 pre-inked body earns its place on the 15,000 impression rating alone, plus the quieter action and the fixed five color list.
The trap runs the other way too. A pad is a real cost on top of the $19.95 and $24.95 hand stamps, so the gap to the self-inking body at $24.95 is narrower than it looks once a pad is in the basket. Decide pad or no pad first; the price follows from that.
Ordering, proofs and delivery
Order by the breed and the body, in that order, because the breed decides the collection and the body decides the price. Acorn publishes 179 breed collections, each of them holding the same design in the available mechanisms, so the Beagle collection and the Bengal collection are laid out the same way. Inside a collection, choose between the $19.95 Shiny Duo, the $24.95 wood handle, the $24.95 self-inking stamp and the $26.95 pre-inked stamp, then enter the text: name and address for an address stamp, name for a library stamp. On the pre-inked and Slim bodies also pick an ink color from the five published options. On the hand stamps, add an ink pad, since the listings are explicit that it is sold separately. There is one published dispatch figure in this range and it belongs to the $11.95 art rubber stamps, which the listings say typically ship in under 24 hours. The personalized breed listings describe turnaround as fast but do not publish a number of business days, so if you are ordering against a date, contact us with the date before you order rather than relying on a general description. The catalog also does not publish a minimum order, a setup fee or a proof step on these listings.
Care and longevity
None of the breed listings states a warranty term. The Acorn house terms are two years on embossing seals and six months on rubber stamps, and everything in this range is a stamp, so six months is the term that applies; because the product pages are silent, check the page for the item you are buying before you rely on it, and contact us if a stamp fails inside its term. Day to day care differs by body. A hand stamp, wood handle or Duo, is the one that needs cleaning, because it picks up ink from a pad and the listings recommend cleaning it so the same stamp can be used with several pad colors; the Duo adds a snap on dust cover that keeps the die clean between uses. A self-inking stamp needs almost nothing until the impression starts to go pale, at which point the pad is re-inked rather than the stamp replaced. A pre-inked stamp is re-inked from the top, and at up to 15,000 impressions that point arrives slowly. Store any of them die down or with the cover on, keep them out of direct heat, and do not mix chemistries: a die used with permanent ink should be cleaned properly before it meets a water soluble pad.
Products in this range
Browse the full range: Custom Designer Stamps, Address Stamps, Custom Cats and Kittens Stamps, Slim Pre-Inked Designer Stamps.
Related guides
- Address and Return Address Stamps and Embossers
- Self-Inking vs Pre-Inked vs Traditional Rubber Stamps
- State Pride Address Stamps: Your State, Your Address
- Custom Rubber Stamps: How They Are Made and How to Order
- Address Stamps and Embossers: Complete Guide
- Self-Inking, Pre-Inked and Traditional Rubber Stamps Compared
Frequently asked questions
How much does a personalized dog or cat stamp cost?
From $11.95 to $39.95, with a median of $24.95 across the 4,240 published products in this range. A personalized breed address or library stamp is $19.95 on the Shiny Duo hand stamp, $24.95 on the wood handle or self-inking body and $26.95 on the PSI or Slim pre-inked body. Below that, $11.95 buys a plain art rubber stamp with no personalization. At the top, $39.95 buys one of the two Slim round address stamps.
How many breeds can I choose from?
Acorn publishes 179 breed collections covering both dogs and cats. Each collection holds the same breed artwork on the available bodies, so you pick the breed first and the mechanism second. Cat breeds are well represented, with Balinese, Burmese, Devon Rex, Egyptian Mau, Manx, Ojos Azules, American Shorthair, Colorpoint Persian, Dragon Li and Sphinx among those in the sample. Crosses such as the Cockapoo, Labradoodle, Cavapoo, Maltipoo and Pomsky are listed as their own designs.
What actually gets personalized?
The text, not the artwork. The breed drawing is fixed for each collection. On an address stamp you supply your name and address; on a library or bookplate stamp you supply a name, which prints with whichever phrase the design carries, such as This Book Belongs To or an Ex Libris mark. The catalog does not publish a character limit or a line count, so put any long or unusual text in your order notes.
What is the difference between the $19.95 and the $26.95 version of the same breed?
Ink delivery. The $19.95 Shiny Duo is a hand stamp and the pad is sold separately. The $26.95 PSI or Slim stamp is pre-inked, holds its ink in the die, needs no pad and is rated for up to 15,000 impressions in one of five colors. The artwork is the same 7/8″ x 2-1/4″ impression either way. In between, $24.95 buys either a wood handle hand stamp, which also needs a pad, or a self-inking stamp, which does not.
Which one should I buy if I only stamp occasionally?
The $19.95 Shiny Duo, plus an ink pad. Nothing inside a hand stamp runs down, so a stamp used a few times a year is not wasting a built in pad, and one Duo can print in several colors if you own more than one pad. If you would rather not own a pad, the $24.95 self-inking body removes that question.
How many impressions do these stamps give?
The pre-inked bodies at $26.95 are rated at up to 15,000 impressions before re-inking. The self-inking breed stamps at $24.95 are described as giving thousands from the built in pad; the two Trodat craft self-inking stamps at $26.95 publish up to 10,000 per pad. The hand stamps at $19.95 and $24.95 have no published count, because the ink comes from a separate pad.
What size is the impression?
7/8″ x 2-1/4″ on the address designs and on the bookplate, Ex Libris, Peeking Puppy and Bookworm book designs. 1-5/16″ x 2-3/8″ on the two larger library families. 1-5/8″ square on the Whimsical Pets and Charming Pets designs. The two $39.95 Slim stamps print a 1-5/8″ round impression. Size follows the artwork family, not the body, so a design is the same size at $19.95 and at $26.95.
What ink colors are available?
It depends on the body. The $26.95 pre-inked stamps and the two $39.95 Slim round stamps publish a list of five: red, blue, black, green and purple. The $24.95 self-inking breed stamps are described as available in multiple ink colors without naming them, so confirm before ordering. The two Trodat craft self-inking stamps at $26.95 list 11. The $19.95 Duo and $24.95 wood handle stamps have no ink of their own, so the color is whatever pad you buy.
Do I need to buy an ink pad?
Yes, for the hand stamps. The $19.95 Shiny Duo, the $24.95 wood handle stamps, the $12.95 Kitten Themed Void Hand Stamp and the $11.95 art rubber stamps all state that the ink pad is sold separately. The self-inking and pre-inked bodies do not need one. The Duo die works with both permanent and water soluble inks, which widens the choice of pad.
Can I use one of these for a library or classroom set?
That is one of the two main uses in the range and the listings are written for it. The library, bookplate, Ex Libris and Bookworm designs mark the inside front cover with a name, so a lending collection, a classroom set or a personal library stays identifiable. For a full classroom set in one sitting, the $26.95 pre-inked body and its 15,000 impression rating is the practical choice; the $24.95 self-inking body is the cheaper version of the same convenience.
Does Acorn sell an embossing seal with breed artwork?
The breed range we could price for this page is stamps only, in one of the wood handle, Duo, self-inking, pre-inked or Slim bodies, and the collection names that read Stamps and Custom Seals use seal in the design sense rather than to mean an embosser. If you specifically want a raised, inkless impression with breed artwork rather than ink on the page, contact us and ask what is available rather than assuming a seal exists in the breed collections.
What are the stamps made of?
Every body uses a laser engraved rubber die, which the listings credit for holding fine detail in a breed silhouette. The $11.95 art rubber stamps are the most fully described: laser engraved red rubber, deeply etched, mounted to a sponge cushion backing on a white maple block, made in the United States. The Duo body is a modular plastic construction with an ergonomic handle and a snap on dust cover.
How fast do these ship?
The only published dispatch figure in this range belongs to the $11.95 art rubber stamps, which typically ship in under 24 hours. The personalized breed listings describe turnaround as fast but publish no number of business days, and the catalog gives no production time for them. If you are ordering against a deadline, contact us with the date before you place the order.
What is the warranty?
Acorn warrants embossing seals for two years and rubber stamps for six months. Everything in this range is a stamp, so six months is the term that applies. Worth stating plainly: none of the 170 listings in this sample publishes a warranty term of its own, so the product page will not confirm it for you. Check the page for the item you are buying, and contact us if a stamp fails inside its term.
Is a $39.95 Slim stamp worth it over a $26.95 pre-inked one?
Only if you want that particular artwork. The Slim Pug Face Address Stamp and the Slim Cartoon Cat Address Stamp are single designs with a round 1-5/8″ impression and are not part of the 179 breed collections. They are pre-inked with the same five ink colors as the $26.95 bodies, but their impression count is given only as thousands rather than the 15,000 figure the $26.95 listings publish. If your breed exists in the collections, the $26.95 pre-inked stamp is the better documented buy.
