In Memory of the Ideal Stencil Machine Co.

Welcome to Ideal Stencil – Our website is dedicated to the history of the Ideal Stencil Machine Company of Belleville, Illinois. We are not affiliated with the former Ideal Stencil Machine Co. (Ideal Stencil Machine and Tape Co.)

We provide articles, facts, images amd documents for those interested in the history of Ideal stencil machines. The Ideal Stencil Machine Co. operated from 1911 to ca. 2002. All remains were bought by ITW.

Ideal was the third company in the U.S. and the world to manufacture hand operated stencil machines. The Ideal machines were and are appreciated worldwide. Today, many of these machines are still in use and continue to delight their owners.

We are looking for more Ideal stuff, manuals, parts lists and empheria. (Manuals and parts lists for 1920s, 1940s and 1950s machines)

If you have additional information about Ideal or its products, please us.

Important Notes

Spare Parts
We do not provide any service for Ideal machines! — For spare parts, please buy old Ideal machines and dismantle them. On the manuals page you will find parts lists for some later machines.

If you have created 3D models of spare parts, written restoration instructions, photos or videos, we would love to link to them or feature them on our website.

Old Ideal Inks etc.
Please reach out to U-Mark Inc. Although not a legal successor to Ideal Stencil, it was founded by former employees who possess valuable knowledge about inks.

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Videos about Ideal Stencil Machines

Youtube playlist: Ideal Stencil Machines

How old is my Ideal Stencil Machine?

The design of the nameplate on your machine can be an indicator of the age of your machine. However, the carriage unit with the type plate was sometimes completely replaced during maintenance.

ca. 1916

ca. 1920

ca. 1930

ca. 1960

ca. 1970

after 1982

ca. 1990