Trodat Printy 4912: Stamp Size, Text Lines & Ink Pads

Trodat Printy 4912 self-inking stamp beside its impression in red ink, drawn to scale at 47 by 18 mm (1-7/8 by 3/4 in) with four lines of text — The Printy 4912 and its 47 × 18 mm impression, with room for up to four lines.

Product facts

Product: Trodat Printy 4912 Self-Inking Stamp (47 × 18 mm)
Brand: Trodat
Brand origin: Austria
Made in: Not stated^*
Material: Plastic housing, rubber text plate
Released: 1976^*
Price range: $$$5–20 per stamp or ink pad

Notes on these facts

Made by Trodat GmbH, Wels, Austria (part of TroGroup, with Trotec). Country of manufacture not stated: Trodat doesn't state where the 4912 is made in the sources we found; it lists production plants in Austria, China, India and Romania. TroGroup's German history page says stamps have been made in Wels since 1951 and calls Xiamen, China (since 2001) one of the group's most important production sites. Retailer listings conflict: a Swiss retailer (Digitec) gives China for a Printy 4912, while US eBay sellers of pre-inked 4912 stamps and the German shop Office-Partner (for the 6/4912 pad) give Austria. Check the packaging. Source. Price: example listing. Released: Year Trodat introduced the Printy line, per Wikipedia; TroGroup's German site confirms the Printy was the world's first plastic self-inking stamp but gives no year. We found no separate date for the 4912 size.
Price bands are typical US retail, checked October 2026.

Key takeaways

Impression area: 47 × 18 mm (about 1-7/8 × 3/4 in) per US and EU retailers; Trodat's own page gives a maximum text plate of 46 × 17 mm.
Trodat lists the DIY 4912 Typomatic at up to 4 lines of text; some European shops allow 5 lines on custom plates.
The replacement ink pad is model 6/4912, listed in 5 ink colors plus an un-inked dry pad and a 2-color version.
The larger sister model, the Printy 4913, has a 58 × 22 mm impression (57 × 21 mm plate per Trodat) and up to 6 lines.
Trodat says it runs 4 production plants, in Austria, China, India and Romania, so the 4912's origin can vary.

What is the Trodat Printy 4912?

The Trodat Printy 4912 is a small rectangular self-inking text stamp, sold for return addresses and short office messages such as PAID or PAST DUE. It is made by Trodat GmbH of Wels, Austria, part of TroGroup alongside the laser maker Trotec.

Wikipedia dates the Printy to 1976, and TroGroup’s German site calls it the world’s first plastic self-inking stamp. TroGroup’s history page also calls it the world’s most-sold stamp; that is a maker claim we have not seen sales data for.

Trodat Printy 4912 specs

Spec	Value
Maker	Trodat GmbH, Wels, Austria
Impression area	47 × 18 mm (3/4 × 1-7/8 in), per retailers
Max. text plate	46 × 17 mm, per Trodat
Lines of text	Up to 4 (Trodat, DIY version); some EU shops allow 5
Ink	Water-based, meets DIN ISO 14145-2 for indelibility (per Trodat)
Replacement pad	6/4912, 4.7 × 1.8 cm (also fits the 4952)
Pad colors	Black, red, blue, green, violet; dry pad; 2-color pad
Versions	Custom plate, DIY Typomatic kit, Office Printy stock text
Made in	Not stated by Trodat; listings say Austria or China

The plate size, line count and ink standard come from Trodat’s own pages. The impression size, pad colors and origin come from retailer listings.

How big is the 4912 impression, and how many lines fit?

Retailers list the 4912 impression as 47 × 18 mm, about the size of a short return-address label, and Trodat lists up to four lines of text. Trodat’s product page gives the maximum text plate as 46 × 17 mm, so the printable area sits a millimeter inside the stamp’s footprint.

Four lines in 17 mm leaves a little over 4 mm per line. That is enough for a name, street, city line and phone number, but not for a long company name in large type.

To-scale drawing of the Trodat Printy 4912 impression, 47 by 18 mm, with a 46 by 17 mm text plate holding four lines of address text — Four address lines fill the 46 × 17 mm plate, drawn at 10× scale.

Some European shops, such as Basler’s online stamp designer, allow 5 lines on a custom 4912 plate. More lines means smaller text, so keep to four if the stamp will be read at a glance.

How does a self-inking stamp work?

The rubber text plate rests against an ink pad inside the housing, and pressing down flips it over to print, then back up to re-ink. Each press inks the plate again, so there is no separate stamp pad to dab.

The ink sits in a removable pad cartridge. Trodat says the ink is water-based and meets DIN ISO 14145-2, a standard for document ink that resists erasing. For stamping on glossy or non-porous surfaces you need a solvent ink instead; see our StazOn ink pad guide.

What replacement ink pad does the 4912 use?

The 4912 takes the Trodat 6/4912 replacement pad. US stamp shops list it in black, red, blue, green and violet, plus a dry pad with no ink for use with other inks, and Dutch distributors list a 6/4912/2 two-color pad in blue and red.

German shop Office-Partner lists the pad’s stamping area as 4.7 × 1.8 cm, matching the 4912 impression, and says it fits the 4912, the 4912 Typo and the 4952; it gives the origin as Austria. The Stamp Maker, a US shop, describes a pad as good for several thousand impressions and says it can be re-inked; Trodat doesn’t publish a count in the sources we found.

Should you buy a custom 4912 or the DIY kit?

Buy a custom plate for a clean, permanent return address; buy the DIY kit if your text will change.

Custom (made to order): a stamp shop makes the text plate from your layout, so the text is fixed.
DIY Typomatic kit: Walmart lists it with two sets of loose rubber letters, 3 mm and 4 mm tall, plus tweezers. Bruneau lists 264 characters in 4 mm and 328 in 3 mm.
Office Printy: stock wording such as PAID or PAST DUE, sold ready to use.

For a hand-drawn logo or picture rather than text, you can carve your own stamp from a Speedball Speedy-Carve block. For tiny ready-made icons in a planner instead of text, the Kodomo no Kao Pochitto6 puts six self-inking 5.5 mm stamps in one stick.

How does the Trodat 4912 compare to the 4913?

The 4913 is the next size up in the same Printy line, with room for two more lines.

	Printy 4912	Printy 4913
Impression (retailers)	47 × 18 mm	58 × 22 mm
Max. text plate (Trodat)	46 × 17 mm	57 × 21 mm
Lines of text	Up to 4 (5 at some shops)	Up to 6
Replacement pad	6/4912	6/4913

Choose the 4913 if you need a company name plus four address lines, or a logo beside the text.

Is the Printy 4912 eco-friendly?

Trodat’s distributors describe the current Printy 4.0 as climate-neutral. Bruneau’s Italian site says up to 49% less CO2 is emitted in manufacture than for the previous model, with the rest offset through Gold Standard projects. These are Trodat’s claims.

Where is the Trodat Printy 4912 made?

Trodat doesn’t say where the 4912 is made in the sources we found, and retailer listings disagree. Trodat lists four production plants, in Austria, China, India and Romania. TroGroup’s German history page says stamps have been made in Wels since 1951 and calls its Xiamen, China, subsidiary (founded 2001) one of the group’s most important production sites.

A Swiss retailer gives China as the origin of a Printy 4912, while eBay sellers of 4912 stock stamps and a German shop selling the 6/4912 pad give Austria. Check the packaging of the one you buy.

If you are stocking a desk, our guides to the Pilot G2 and the Tim Holtz Distress Oxide ink pad cover two other common stationery buys.

Frequently asked questions

What size is the Trodat 4912 stamp?

US and European retailers list the Printy 4912 impression as 47 × 18 mm, or 3/4 × 1-7/8 inch. Trodat's own product page gives the maximum text plate as 46 × 17 mm, so design your text to fit inside that.

How many lines of text fit on a Trodat 4912?

Trodat lists up to 4 lines for the 4912 Typomatic DIY version, and most US stamp shops offer 4 lines on custom plates. Some European shops allow 5 smaller lines.

What replacement ink pad does the Trodat 4912 use?

It uses the Trodat 6/4912 replacement pad, with a 4.7 × 1.8 cm stamping area. Retailers list it in black, red, blue, green and violet, plus an un-inked dry pad and a 2-color pad; German shop Office-Partner says it also fits the 4912 Typo and the 4952.

How many impressions does a Trodat 4912 pad last?

Trodat doesn't publish a number in the sources we found. Retailers say only that a pad gives several thousand impressions, and that it can be re-inked or swapped.

What is the difference between the Trodat 4912 and 4913?

The 4913 is the next size up in the same Printy line. Retailers list it at 58 × 22 mm with up to 6 lines, against 47 × 18 mm and 4 lines for the 4912, and it takes a 6/4913 pad.

Can I make my own text on a Trodat 4912?

Yes, with the DIY version Trodat calls the 4912 Typomatic. It comes with loose rubber letters in 3 mm and 4 mm sizes and tweezers, so you set and change the text yourself.

Where is the Trodat 4912 made?

Trodat doesn't say in the sources we found, and listings disagree: some give Austria, one gives China. Trodat is based in Wels, Austria, and runs plants in Austria, China, India and Romania.

Is the Trodat Printy really the best-selling self-inking stamp?

That is Trodat's own claim: TroGroup's German history page calls the Printy the world's most-sold stamp to this day, and distributors repeat it. We have not seen independent sales data behind it.

Sources (24)

Plain-text version for AI agents: trodat-printy-4912.md · Spotted an error? See how we check facts.