# Do they make a Time-Only Ink Stamp? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 20, 2017, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-they-make-a-time-only-ink-stamp/794230 "2017-08-20T23:39:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2017, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-they-make-a-time-only-ink-stamp/794230/1 "2017-08-20T23:39:51Z")
My google-foo has failed me. I thought what I was looking for would be easy to find. Here’s some backstory. I’m selling tickets to a multi-day film festival. Last year I sold daily passes and used different colored tyvek wristbands, but this year I’m selling individual showings. I designed the tickets and to save a little money I am only printing 4 sets of tickets, one for each day of the festival. Since I will be showing multiple movies each day I want to hand stamp the movie start time on the ticket in a space I have set aside for that purpose. I’ve been trying to find a ink handstamp that could be set to 11:00 am or 3:45 pm etc. I assume that such a stamp exists, but so far I haven’t been able to find one. The stamp size I need is #2 if that matters. If I could find one with the date and time on it I suppose I could blank out the date part, or I could use the date part although I have the date already printed on the ticket stock. Anybody ever seen such a beast? ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2017, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-they-make-a-time-only-ink-stamp/794230/2 "2017-08-20T23:41:47Z")
No but the movie marathon I go to takes your drivers license when you come in and marks the time, then they charge you for the movies that have shown while you were there, when you pick t up. ---
**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2017, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-they-make-a-time-only-ink-stamp/794230/3 "2017-08-20T23:55:07Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > No but the movie marathon I go to takes your drivers license when you come in and marks the time, then they charge you for the movies that have shown while you were there, when you pick t up. I see how that might work, but me keeping track of a bunch of drivers licenses doesn’t sound like an easy solution to me. Thanks for the idea though. ---
**Author:** ![Aspidistra](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspidistra/32/3894_2.png) [@Aspidistra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspidistra)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2017, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-they-make-a-time-only-ink-stamp/794230/4 "2017-08-21T00:04:00Z")
Doesn’t have a colon, but it looks like [this one](http://www.thestampmaker.com/rubber-stamps/band-stamp-wizard.aspx) can be customised to do things like “3.00” or “11.45” ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2017, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-they-make-a-time-only-ink-stamp/794230/5 "2017-08-21T00:13:25Z")
You could have a custom one made for you. I’ve used [this place](https://www.rubberstamps.net/) before for custom stamps and IIRC, it turned out just fine.\* Also, on Amazon I see stamps like [this](https://www.amazon.com/Number-Stamp-Inking-Numbering-Digit/dp/B00ZAT9SUO/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1503273957&sr=8-4&keywords=rubber+time+stamp) or [this](https://www.amazon.com/Hanperal-Personalized-Alphabet-Scrapbooking-Stationery/dp/B01MFF69D9/ref=pd_sbs_229_4?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B01MFF69D9&pd_rd_r=8B170ZEKHE10YB693SY1&pd_rd_w=8TJzS&pd_rd_wg=a2J2V&psc=1&refRID=8B170ZEKHE10YB693SY1) that are just a row of numbers, so you could use that and just have it say 1100 or 345 and see how that looks. \*If that’s a consideration, I’d want to double check that that’s the place I used and I’d want to see what stamp(s) I had them make before I totally commit to saying I liked them. ---
**Author:** ![Projammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/projammer/32/559_2.png) [@Projammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Projammer)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2017, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-they-make-a-time-only-ink-stamp/794230/6 "2017-08-21T00:25:47Z")
How about a [shaped hole punch](https://www.amazon.com/Darice-1201-15-Value-Punches-Shapes/dp/B0016840NS)? Star for 11:00 and heart for 3:45? No ink to make messes and bonus fun confetti when you’re done! ---
**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2017, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-they-make-a-time-only-ink-stamp/794230/7 "2017-08-21T00:29:03Z")
> [@Aspidistra](#): > > Doesn’t have a colon, but it looks like [this one](http://www.thestampmaker.com/rubber-stamps/band-stamp-wizard.aspx) can be customised to do things like “3.00” or “11.45” That may be the best I can do. I think I can live with that. ---
**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2017, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-they-make-a-time-only-ink-stamp/794230/8 "2017-08-21T00:31:37Z")
> [@Projammer](#): > > How about a [shaped hole punch](https://www.amazon.com/Darice-1201-15-Value-Punches-Shapes/dp/B0016840NS)? Star for 11:00 and heart for 3:45? > > No ink to make messes and bonus fun confetti when you’re done! I thought of something like that, but since someone might buy 3 movies on the same day I want them to know what time each of the 3 movies start. If I could print the times of the 5 movies being shown on a given day and just hole punch the one they purchased for that ticket that might work. Something to consider. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2017, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-they-make-a-time-only-ink-stamp/794230/9 "2017-08-21T00:42:17Z")
> [@dolphinboy](#): > > I thought of something like that, but since someone might buy 3 movies on the same day I want them to know what time each of the 3 movies start. > > If I could print the times of the 5 movies being shown on a given day and just hole punch the one they purchased for that ticket that might work. Something to consider. When I read the earlier post (without seeing the this one), I had it in my head that you would print both (or, I guess, all) the times and use the hole punch to _remove_ the time(s) they weren’t going to. Honestly, I have no idea why that popped into my head first, but it did. Probably something about avoiding confusion. If you just remove one time, there’s no ‘wait, is this punched right’ or people being able to play dumb and see multiple showings. There’s only one time on the ticket. Anyways, if you use that method, you could have as many times on the ticket as you want and remove the ones they aren’t going to. It’s not very elegant, but it would work. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2017, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-they-make-a-time-only-ink-stamp/794230/10 "2017-08-21T01:57:24Z")
> [@dolphinboy](#): > > If I could print the times of the 5 movies being shown on a given day and just hole punch the one they purchased for that ticket that might work. Something to consider. Maybe if Row 1 has all of the times & Row 2 is where you punch out the one they purchased. Punching out they show they purchased (so they can’t see the time) is a bad idea. Even my idea isn’t great if you’re punching fast as you can mis-punch over the time. A quick search found this [stamp](https://www.staples.com/U-S-Stamp-Sign-Self-Inking-Professional-Numberer-Black-Each-5013/product_USST55510) at Staples for \< $40. See what else they have that might be even better. ---
**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2017, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-they-make-a-time-only-ink-stamp/794230/11 "2017-08-21T03:16:00Z")
> [@Spiderman](#): > > Maybe if Row 1 has all of the times & Row 2 is where you punch out the one they purchased. Punching out they show they purchased (so they can’t see the time) is a bad idea. Even my idea isn’t great if you’re punching fast as you can mis-punch over the time. > > A quick search found this [stamp](https://www.staples.com/U-S-Stamp-Sign-Self-Inking-Professional-Numberer-Black-Each-5013/product_USST55510) at Staples for \< $40. See what else they have that might be even better. Thanks Spiderman. I can run over to Staples this week and see if it will work for my application. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2017, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-they-make-a-time-only-ink-stamp/794230/12 "2017-08-21T05:06:41Z")
They have standard time stamps that are circular with 12 or 24 hours around the edge and a arrow in the center that points to the appropriate hour/half-hour. But those take up more room on a ticket, can only mark 1 time, and aren’t designed to let you easily change the time for each customer. You can also get line date-time stamps that print something like Aug 20 2017 11:45 – they have bands you can rotate to adjust the date/time. Usually they have a blank spot on the band so you could just set the date part to be blank. But again, these aren’t really that easy to adjust the bands for each customer – they are designed to be set once and then changed at each new hour or so. But they would probably work, depending on how fast you need to process each customer. Both the rotary and line stamps are standard ones from rubber stamp companies, so should be fairly inexpensive. ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2017, 9:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-they-make-a-time-only-ink-stamp/794230/13 "2017-08-21T09:31:42Z")
You could buy a DIY rubber stamp kit - one for each time. > **[Shiny S-882 Self-inking DIY Text Stamp Upto 3 Lines of 4mm Character Height...](https://www.ebay.co.uk/p/1407942173?iid=272782735149)** > > Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Shiny S-882 Self-inking DIY Text Stamp Upto 3 Lines of 4mm Character Height at the best online prices at eBay! Free delivery for many products! ---
**Author:** ![Lips\_Obsession](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/bbce88/32.png) [@Lips\_Obsession](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lips_Obsession)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2017, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-they-make-a-time-only-ink-stamp/794230/14 "2017-08-21T15:34:14Z")
> [@dolphinboy](#): > > Thanks Spiderman. I can run over to Staples this week and see if it will work for my application. I think this kind of stamp is for numbering pages/sheets. We use one at my work for numbering official copies. Generally it will self-increment. Not really intended for stamping the same number a bunch of times in a row, or at the very least it isn’t that easy to change the numbers… I’d vote against this one. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2017, 11:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-they-make-a-time-only-ink-stamp/794230/15 "2017-08-23T11:41:30Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > When I read the earlier post (without seeing the this one), I had it in my head that you would print both (or, I guess, all) the times and use the hole punch to _remove_ the time(s) they weren’t going to. Honestly, I have no idea why that popped into my head first, but it did. Probably something about avoiding confusion. If you just remove one time, there’s no ‘wait, is this punched right’ or people being able to play dumb and see multiple showings. There’s only one time on the ticket. > Anyways, if you use that method, you could have as many times on the ticket as you want and remove the ones they aren’t going to. > > It’s not very elegant, but it would work. This is the best answer. There’s no way for somebody to help themselves to an extra show. If instead you punch out the one(s) they’ve paid for, they can always punch out another one themselves. yes, it’s harder if you use a funny-shaped punch and your ticket-takers are diligent. But not that much harder.