Circular seal for documents, and the other stamp shapes
A circular seal is the shape used to identify an organisation. Rectangles are used for messages like PAID or RECEIVED, and triangles for inspection and quality marks.
Circular seal for documents, and the other stamp shapes templates, ready to edit
Open the stamp maker with any of these
Every preview on this page carries a faint Estamplab watermark. Your own download does not: the editor renders your stamp again, clean, as a transparent PNG, an SVG or a PDF. See the full template library.
Shape is not decoration on a stamp, it is a signal, and people read it before they read the words. A circle says this document was issued by a body. A rectangle says something happened to this document. A triangle, in most places that use them, says something was checked. Choosing against that convention makes a document look wrong in a way most readers cannot articulate, which is worse than looking plain.
What you get
- Circular and oval seals with proper curved text on the ring.
- Rectangular and square stamps for dated messages, with room for lines of detail.
- Triangular stamps for inspection, quality and approval marks.
- A double-ring circle for the classic company seal with an inner band.
- The same wording can be tried in each shape before you commit to one.
How to make it
- Open the stamp maker and pick a shape, or start from a template.
- Type your wording, then set the colour, border and size.
- Add the date, time, serial number or logo, and position each one.
- Preview it live, then download. Designing and previewing are free.
Questions
Why are official seals round?
Convention, mostly, reinforced by the tools: a round die presses evenly and a circle has no orientation to get wrong. Because it has been the convention for centuries, a round mark reads as institutional and a rectangular one reads as administrative.
When should a stamp be rectangular?
When it carries a message rather than an identity: RECEIVED with a date, PAID, APPROVED, a signature stamp, an address block. Rectangles hold lines of text far better than a ring does.
What is a triangular stamp used for?
Inspection and quality control in most of the places they are used, and occasionally grading. They are rarer than circles and rectangles, which is exactly why they stand out on a page.
What size should a circular seal be?
Around 38 to 45mm across. Below about 30mm the curved text stops being readable when the document is printed or photocopied.
Can a company seal be square?
It can be anything the company chooses unless local law says otherwise, but a square company seal will be read as unusual. Where a registry or a counterparty specifies a form, that specification wins.
Estamplab is a design tool. This page describes common commercial practice rather than giving legal, tax or financial advice, and practice changes. Where a specific document matters, check the requirement with the body receiving it. Only produce a mark your own organisation or your own credentials are entitled to use.