Section 3.9 - Other Supplies
Notary Seal Embosser
Although a California notary seal embosser may contain all of the text elements of a valid notary seal, it should only be used in conjunction with a proper stamp seal. This is primarily due to the fact that the raised paper impression the embosser makes is not photographically reproducible. In addition, although ink can be added to the raised impression using a seal highlighter or inker, the resulting seal will not be as legible as a stamp. Therefore, having and using a notary stamp is essential.
At this point, you are probably asking why you should even consider the purchase of an embossing seal. Here are a few things to consider:
Many notaries like the more traditional look of the embossment.
During your commission, you may actually be faced with a situation that requires the use of an embosser or raised-impression seal. Though not required by law in the State of California, you may have a customer who requests it or you may need it to notarize certain documents destined for overseas.
If you believe you might need it for one of the preceding reasons, it will be less expensive and more convenient to purchase it when purchasing your rubber stamp.
Thumbprint Pad
In Section 3.6, you learned that you must record subscriber thumbprints in your notary journal for notarizations involving certain real property transactions or power of attorney documents. To do so, you will need some sort of thumbprint device.
The most prevalent and arguably the most convenient device is a thumbprint pad. Many pads on the market today are low-mess (that is, they will not leave your customers' thumbs black) and yield very clear fingerprints. You should expect an entry-level pad to produce approximately 500 thumbprints. A more advanced pad or professional version, such as the Notary Rotary AccuPrintâ„¢ Professional Touch Pad, will produce approximately 1500 thumbprints.
Notarial Wording Certificates and Stamps
In Unit 4, you will learn about acknowledgments and oaths/affirmations. Each of these notarial acts will require that you complete a form or certificate in support of the act being performed. In many cases, the prescribed wording will be included on the document you are notarizing. Where it is not included, you may need to attach a loose-leaf certificate or use a rubber stamp to stamp the wording directly onto the document in question.
Loose-leaf certificates can generally be purchased in pads and the most common type of certificate is the California All-Purpose Acknowledgment. The Notary Rotary acknowledgment certificates are available for purchase from Authorized Resellers and feature two-color printing, a microprint border, letter-sized sheets, and a comprehensive Optional Information section:
Despite the large amount of wording on the acknowledgment, a rubber stamp . Some notaries public will find the stamp preferable to the loose-leaf paper.
When administering an oath or affirmation, you will need to complete a jurat. The jurat contains significantly less wording than the acknowledgment and is also available in both rubber stamp and paper-based formats. When possible, though, you should use the jurat stamp over the loose-leaf paper certificate. Unlike paper certificates, the jurat stamp cannot be removed and fraudulently reattached to another document.