Stamp or seal, and does a digital one count
A stamp is an inked impression used to mark documents in the ordinary course of business; a seal is the formal instrument that binds the entity, and whether a digital version is accepted depends entirely on the document and the jurisdiction.
These two words are used interchangeably in most conversations and mean different things in the ones where it matters. The distinction is worth knowing before you make either, because it decides what wording goes on it and who in an organisation is allowed to use it.
What you get
- A stamp marks: received, paid, approved, checked. It records that something happened and it is used many times a day by whoever is doing the work.
- A seal binds: it executes a deed, certifies a record, or represents the entity itself. It is used rarely, and by somebody specific.
- The same physical object often does both jobs in a small business, which is why the words blur. In a company with a registered common seal they are genuinely separate things kept in separate places.
- Company chop, common seal and corporate seal are regional names for the seal. Rubber stamp, office stamp and self-inking stamp are names for the stamp.
- A digital version of a stamp is ordinary and uncontroversial. A digital version of a seal is accepted for plenty of commercial documents and not for filings where a registry requires a registered physical seal.
- Neither replaces a signature by itself in most jurisdictions, with the significant exception of places where the chop carries corporate authority in its own right.
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
What is the difference between a stamp and a seal?
A stamp records an action on a document: received on this date, approved by this office, paid. A seal represents the entity and binds it, which is why executing a document under seal is treated more formally than stamping one. In everyday use the same round block often serves both purposes, and that is where the confusion comes from.
Is a digital stamp legal?
For the ordinary business use of a stamp, marking a document as received, paid or approved, there is nothing to be legal or illegal about: it is a record your organisation makes for its own purposes. The question only becomes real where a specific rule requires a specific instrument, such as a registry demanding a registered physical seal on a filing. Check the requirement for the document in front of you rather than looking for a general answer, because there is not one.
Can a stamp replace a signature?
Usually not on its own. In most jurisdictions a stamp accompanies a signature rather than substituting for it, and a document carrying only a stamp invites the question of who applied it. The main exception is the company chop across much of Asia, where the chop itself can bind the company, which is exactly why custody of it is treated so seriously there.
Do I need legal authority to make a seal?
To make one for an organisation, yes, you need to be acting for that organisation. Producing the seal of a company, public body or bank you do not represent is forgery. That is the boundary the Terms of Service here draw, and it is not a formality.
Which one do I actually need?
If you are marking documents day to day, you want a stamp, and the useful features are an auto-filling date and a reference number. If you are executing or certifying something on behalf of an entity, you want a seal, and the useful part is the wording being exactly right and the custody being controlled.
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.