Before placing an order for the manufacture of a seal or stamp, it is worth understanding how these two products differ from each other. Please note that organizations usually require both a seal and a stamp.

The difference between seal and stamp

Any organization needs both of these products, because they perform completely different functions:

1. A seal is an impression confirming the authenticity of a document. Most modern seals contain details of the organization (name, PSRN number and TIN, etc.). The cliché of the seal has a round shape. The print does not need a handwritten addition;

2. stamp - a type of imprint that has no legal force and is, as a rule, an element of the organization's internal document flow. It may also contain basic details and leave specialized marks ("COPY", "PAID" and similar). In most cases, stamps are triangular or rectangular in shape. In rare cases, the impression of a stamp may be completely unique. When making an impression, it is possible to include handwritten elements (dates, comments, etc.).

It is important to remember that the form and use of seals is strictly regulated by the state. Neglecting the storage conditions of the seal can also lead to unpleasant consequences, such as theft of documents or the certification of false papers. Having your own print legal entity is mandatory, it is needed to secure a specific agreement.

Special attention should also be paid to the place of imprinting. The seal is placed over the signature, and the stamp is placed in the upper left corner in the free space.

In office work, two tools are used when processing documents: and. Each of them serves a specific purpose and has its own scope. The difference between print and stamp is very significant. It is necessary to clearly understand the differences in order to avoid mistakes in the preparation of business papers and not become a victim of fraud. The difference between printing and stamping is as follows:

Legal force

The seal has incomparably greater legal force. It certifies the authenticity of the document. It is the seal and signature that are mandatory elements when concluding contracts, transactions, agreements. A document certified by a seal acquires full legal force. A legal entity is required to have its own seal, while a stamp is an optional element. To complicate the possibility of forgery, an image invisible to the naked eye can be applied to the print.



The loss of a seal is an extraordinary event that requires an immediate response. In this case, you should immediately contact the appropriate government agency and replace it. The loss of a stamp does not carry any special risks for the owner. It can be freely replaced, as well as add the required number of them.

The legal force of the stamp is very small. In fact, the stamp simply simplifies the design of documents, replacing the need for manual application of text. The use of a stamp makes it possible to facilitate and standardize the workflow.

It is worth mentioning that there are some types of documents that require both a seal and a stamp at the same time.

The form

In the vast majority of cases, the seal has a round shape. Most legal entities, individual entrepreneurs, notaries and lawyers have such seals. The other form is very rare. Another thing is stamps. You can find a lot more variety here. different forms: rectangular, oval, triangular. But in the bulk, a rectangular stamp is used.


Place of application

The seal is placed on the certifying signature at the bottom of the document. The stamp is usually placed at the top of the document. A common place for setting is the upper left corner.

Additional notes

The information that the stamp carries can be changed. In some types of stamps additional information are entered by hand: dates, surnames, document number, etc. The seal bears full information and its editing is not allowed.

Remember, the seal is the main graphic tool for certifying official documents, the stamp has practically no legal force. To avoid severe legal consequences never confuse one with the other.

In this article, we will tell you how the seal legally differs from the stamp of the organization, what functions they perform, and whether it is important to know such differences.

Stamp and seal are often confused due to resemblance. Both attributes consist of the same parts - a rubber plate and manual or automatic equipment for printing and stamping. They can perform the same action - to leave a certain image (information) on paper or other surface. But in fact there is a significant difference in seals and stamps.

Is it important to know the difference between a seal and a stamp?

Modern office work cannot be carried out without a set of seals and stamps, so these tools should be in every organization. Why?

  • Organize and simplify paperwork.
  • Reduce time and labor costs.
  • Increase the confidence of counterparties and banks in the organization.
  • Protect documents and signatures from falsification.

Every employee of the organization needs to know what the difference between a seal and a stamp is, otherwise various unpleasant situations may arise. Just imagine what kind of damage will be done to the enterprise if the warehouse releases products on an invoice, where only a stamp with details or “Agreed” is affixed, and there is no round seal.

Print vs Stamp: What's the Difference?

Above, we answered the question of what a seal and a stamp are, it is clear that these are important attributes of office work that have the same device, but their functions and content are fundamentally different. Let's dwell on these points in more detail.

Information

Print contains official name and the status of the organization (IP, LLC, etc.), location (address), TIN, PSRN, logo. If it belongs to an authority or government agency, then it can contain a stamp image (in accordance with GOST R 51511-2001). The main purpose of the seal is to certify the authenticity of a document, a specific signature, the authority of the person presenting or signing the paper.

The stamp, as a rule, contains information that has to be reproduced often:

  • Bank details;
  • address;
  • purpose of the document (“To accounting”, “To warehouse”, “For signature”);
  • document status (“Agreed”, “Repaid”, “Paid”, “Copy is correct”);
  • access restriction ("Top Secret");
  • facsimile (signature print);
  • bookplate (indication of belonging);
  • putting down the date, incoming / outgoing number, etc.

In a word, the stamp mechanically affixes information on paper that is repeated every day. This greatly speeds up the process of correct paperwork.

There is another important difference. Print information is always sufficient and does not require any additions. A stamp often involves entering some information by hand; for this, free fields are made between the signs. There usually enter the name, address, position, serial number or date, appointment.

Location of the imprint

According to the rules of office work, the seal is placed at the bottom of the document over the signature of an employee or manager. Stamps are usually located in the upper right or left corner of the paper.

Application area

The seal is used on outgoing and internal documentation. It must be present on every official letterhead and document. Stamps are for internal office use only.

The shape and size of the cliché

Traditionally seals have a round shape. This is a stamp, main and additional seal of an organization (IP, LLC, etc.), individual seals of a doctor and a lawyer. Rectangular and triangular seals are used relatively less often, mainly they have special appointment, for example, "For information". According to the standard, the maximum print size is up to 50.1 mm in diameter.

There are no strict requirements for the shape and size of stamps. They can be round, oval, triangular, rectangular (mostly those that replace the letterhead and contain the address and details of the enterprise, the “header” of the document).

How is a seal legally different from a stamp?

The seal of the organization or official seal give documents legal force. According to the law, LLC and IP have the right not to use the seal in office work. However, in many documents (forms strict accountability, work books, reports for the Social Insurance Fund, pension fund, contracts, invoices, etc.) the presence of an imprint of the main seal of the organization is mandatory.

Stamps have no legal force and are used mainly for the convenience of employees and the standardization of documents. Their use is optional and is at the discretion of management.

Another difference between the stamp and the seal of the organization is that the use of the seal must be prescribed in the Charter, and this requirement does not apply to stamps.

Summing up

Answering the question, what is the difference between a seal and a stamp, it is safe to say that:

  • the press is the "face" of the organization, individual entrepreneur, authority, institution, it gives legal force to documents, confirms their authenticity and protects against forgery, is an attribute officially enshrined in the Charter and / or in legislation, has an approved form and contains specific information. The number of seals is limited;
  • a stamp is an important office work tool that allows you to optimize document flow, is used at the request of employees, has an arbitrary form and content, and does not require documenting. There can be any number of stamps in an organization. They have no legal force.

The facsimile occupies a special position. In fact, this is a stamp, but in some cases it has the same legal force as a handwritten ink signature. This moment is regulated by special agreements on the possibility of using a facsimile signature, but it may not be recognized in court. Therefore, this stamp should be used with care. In no case do not put it on accounting and tax documents.

Not a single type of activity of enterprises can do without the use of seals, as well as stamps. The use of these devices confirms the trustworthiness of the person putting the seal and the authenticity of the document on which they are located. What is the difference between stamp and print?

What are their differences between seal and stamp?

Differences between these concepts exist, despite the similarity of concepts. Stamps and seals are a special kind of tools designed to make impressions on paper documents. They usually contain information in the form of text about the institution. At the request of the customer, images of emblems or company logos are added to them. So, state organizations may have in the cliche of seals or stamps the image of the coat of arms of our country.

How is a stamp different from printing?? The fact that it may contain a variety of additions: numbers, signatures of assurance, dates, and so on. This information cannot be printed.

Documents that have legal force are confirmed by printing: financial, state, economic, and so on. The round shape of the cliché is what stamp is different.

Stamps are made in most cases of a triangular or rectangular shape. But there are exceptions in the form of fanciful forms. Triangular stamps are affixed to internal documents and certificates. Company details are contained in rectangular stamps.

Everyday, not too important documents are stamped - this is how a stamp differs from a seal. The frequency of use of the stamp is quite high, since there are quite a lot of documents of this type. Put it in most cases in the upper right corner of the document. Also, stamps carry certain details - “Secret”, “Paid”, “Copy”, “Urgent”, “Cancelled” and so on.

How is a seal different from a stamp? The first answer to this question will be - strict regulations and control by the state. Authorities of the licensing system in our country regulate and control both the use of seals and the use of stamps. The strict technical requirements for the size and shape of stamps established for stamps state that the diameter of the cliché can be no more and no less than 40 to 50.1 mm.

The main difference between a stamp and a seal is in the amount of legal force it has. The stamp does not have such power and is used mainly for internal documents. Printing is mainly used for external documents enterprises.

In conditions modern management office work for the correct execution of many documents, such types of stamp products as seals and stamps are used. Each of them has its purpose and scope. In order to competently draw up business papers, it is necessary to clearly understand how a seal differs from a stamp and why these devices should not be confused with each other. This should be dealt with in more detail.

The purpose of the stamp and seal

Nowadays it is difficult to imagine the work of any organization without the use of stamp products. Tools such as stamps, numerators, seals and daters have long been an integral attribute of the activities of any legal entity. Each of these items carries individual information and has a specific scope.

Nevertheless, quite often people have a question: how does a seal differ from a stamp and in what cases should one or another tool be used? The answers to such questions lie in the very definition of each device. You can understand how a seal differs from a stamp only after you manage to figure out what they are. To begin with, it is worth recalling that printing is a tool that consists of two parts:

  • a special cliché, which is a relief plate designed for imprinting on paper;
  • housing (equipment), inside which it is attached.

This device is used to certify various documents in order to confirm their authenticity. The stamp is essentially special kind print. It contains information that is often used in the work. It turns out that the stamp allows you to simply replace part of the handwritten text.

From this it is clear how a seal differs from a stamp. The difference lies in the purpose of the tools. One of them is needed to confirm the legal force and certify important documents, and the other is only for the mechanical display of repetitive information.

Application area

Specialists who are engaged in record keeping can give a few more arguments, from which it will become clear how a seal differs from a stamp. After all, this is part of their work, which is associated with the design of business papers.

There are several differences here:

  1. Mandatory. According to Russian laws The seal must be present on every official document. At the same time, the stamp is used exclusively at the request of this legal entity.
  2. Application rules. The seal is always located at the bottom of the sheet over the individual signature of the responsible person. The stamp is usually located at the top of the form.
  3. Adequacy. The information placed on the press contains all the data necessary for it. In contrast, stamping sometimes involves certain additions, which are usually applied by hand.

Finding out how printing differs from a stamp, we can conclude that in addition to the type of document, one must also pay attention to the features of the use of each of these devices.

Tool shape

Many believe that the difference between a seal and a stamp lies in the special form of these items. Indeed, there is some truth in this statement. Most seals are usually round or oval in shape. These include:

  • stamp;
  • doctor's seal;
  • lawyer;
  • main and additional seals for a legal entity or individual entrepreneur.

When imprinted, they give an image, part of the information on which is located around the circumference.

Stamps in this sense are very diverse. They are rectangular, square, diamond-shaped, oval and triangular. Each of these samples has its own scope.

There are several types of stamps:

  1. Angular, or address. It contains the main details of the enterprise and is used in the absence of a letterhead.
  2. Urgent. The most popular of them are “Paid”, “Received”, “Repaid”.
  3. Free access restriction stamp.
  4. Registration(for incoming documents).
  5. Marking.
  6. Dater.
  7. Numerator.
  8. Bookplate.
  9. Other(“The copy is correct”, “Deregistered” and others).
  10. Facsimile.

Most of them (with the exception of the last one) are rectangular in shape.

Legal force

What is the main difference between such tools as a stamp and printing? The difference lies in the legal status of the document on which this or that imprint is placed.

Both of these devices in this case perform different functions:

  1. Seal is usually used for legal confirmation of documents. They acquire full legal force. In addition, at the same time, the signature put by a specific authorized person is certified.
  2. The stamp is used only to standardize business papers, if necessary. Basically, it contributes to the optimization of workflow in the enterprise. Not being a mandatory attribute, stamps are used solely at the request of management to facilitate the work of subordinates.

In addition, it must be taken into account that printing, being a mandatory attribute, is under strict control government agencies. If it is lost, you must immediately contact the appropriate authorities to restore the device. At the same time, the absence of a stamp worries only the employees of this enterprise, who will have to look for a different way of applying the necessary information.