Our county recorder posted a notice Monday that they’ll reject deeds with faint or smeared seals. One small thing that saved me on a rush file: I wiped the stamp face with a microfiber and did a quick test hit on a sticky note - crisp seal, no bounce. anyone else?
Ugh, same here — our recorder’s Monday notice had me double-checking every single stamp. I started carrying a firm backing board and do a quick test hit on a sticky note like you said, plus a light re-ink and a gentle edge-to-edge press to avoid the hollow center — crisp every time. Did their notice show an acceptable example or just the warning?
Swapping in a fresh self-inking pad and letting the refill soak 10–15 minutes made a night-and-day difference, and I do a slow straight-down 2-count to avoid voids. I also do a quick phone zoom check on the seal before I leave so I can redo on a clean margin if needed — better than a rejection boomerang. Are they flagging embossers in your county or just ink seals?
After re-inking a pre-inked stamp, I do 10–12 test hits on scrap to purge the excess so the real impression doesn’t halo; only use the manufacturer’s ink… @pean82, has that made a difference for you?
I keep a second stamp in my kit for emergencies, and when stamping I do “press, pause, lift” — count to one so the ink fully transfers and you don’t drag and smear. @isaac.wea8026, do you pause or go straight up?