<p>My wife wants me to use an FFM 3d printer to make custom stamps for her to use on paper (scrap books, letters, etc.). She is convinced, however, that they will be too rigid to make good stamps.  A quick google search showed ones made from <a href="https://3dprint.com/110918/3d-printed-stamp-collection/" rel="noreferrer">PLA</a> and <a href="http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3669" rel="noreferrer">ABS</a>. Logically, though, a TPU or similar would address her concerns.  A good quality stamp needs to hold ink and make good, even contact with the paper. It would probably need to be able to be sanded or smoothed in some way.</p>

<p>I am supposed to receive my printer next week or so and am trying to get some filaments, STL files, and accessories I will need ready in advance so I can rapidly learn how to use it.</p>

[{'answer_id': 2825, 'author': 'emackey', 'author_id': 1400, 'author_profile': 'https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/1400', 'pm_score': 2, 'selected': False, 'text': '<p>Recently I\'ve experimented with printing some <a href="http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B00TOOBPNO" rel="nofollow">Nylon 618 filament</a> after <a href="http://www.matterhackers.com/articles/printing-with-nylon" rel="nofollow">reading stuff online</a> about it.  I\'m using a Craftbot original with the stock hotend, keeping the Nylon dry in a ziploc bag.  It prints really well, just tricky to get it to stick to the bed (I\'m still working on that), but otherwise it\'s great.</p>\n\n<p>Once printed, the main difference from PLA prints is the nylon remains more flexible.  If you bend a thin nylon print, it tends to just spring back to the shape that came off the printer.  That\'s very different from my PLA prints, which will either stay bent or break apart.</p>\n\n<p>I believe that nylon would be a good material for you to try for stamps, because of this flexibility and shape-preserving quality.  The comments show some other materials to try, but I\'m limiting my answer here to my own personal experience.</p>\n'}, {'answer_id': 2893, 'author': 'Chris Thompson', 'author_id': 4483, 'author_profile': 'https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/4483', 'pm_score': 4, 'selected': True, 'text': '<p>I see three options...</p>\n\n<p><strong>1. Print with a flexible filament:</strong></p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>Many options: TPU as you pointed out, the flexible PLA that Tom mentioned, and others.  Here\'s an article with a few options from <a href="https://3dprintingindustry.com/news/which-flexible-3d-printing-filament-should-you-choose-61961/" rel="noreferrer">Matter Hackers</a></li>\n<li>I\'d suggest printing the stamp side down so you get a nice flat stamp with no post processing.  For any wide gaps, mind your bridging...use fillets or chamfers so the "roof" of the gap is an upside down V or U shape.</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p><strong>2. Print with any hard filament, but use a rubber mat under the paper.</strong></p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>The idea here is to use a semi-flexible surface under the paper to help get uniform contact pressure between the paper and the hard stamp.  As long as your stamp holds ink, this should work okay.</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p><strong>3. Print your stamp shape, then use it to make a rubber stamp.</strong></p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>Making a model and then copying it with your desired non-printable material is a common manufacturing technique that can be used in many situations.  Use of molds for casting and related processes can really expand your possibilities.  Check out <a href="https://www.smooth-on.com/" rel="noreferrer">Smooth On</a>.  They have several rubber and flexible compounds that you could use for stamps.</li>\n</ul>\n'}]
['https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/2822', 'https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com', 'https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/36/']