Saturday, April 24, 2010

Stamp Pads , Stamp Pad, Stamp Pads...

There are so many options, do you know which one is best for the project you are working on? I am not really new to the stamping scene, but I have to admit I don't do a lot of it. I find it tough to get my image to look even and maybe that's because of the ink i'm using..who knows. I think if I'd put my mind too it, and practiced more...I'd become so much better at it. So lets discuss inks..

Dye-based Ink--> Some dye based inks can be used on multi-surfaces and will dry quickly on most paper and some are waterproof and acid free. They are not meant of heat embossing because of their quick drying time. When watercolour, non smear, dye-based inks are dry they are permanent on absorbent surfaces, such as paper. If you stamp your image using this type of ink on matte or glossy paper, you can add colour almost immediately which water-based markers, such as Tombow or Stampin' up. with fear of smudging or smearing. This ink can also be used to alter metal embellishments such as eyelets or brads. Once you've applied your ink to your metal object, you will need to heat set the ink using a heat gun to speed up drying time.

Pigment Ink--> Pigment ink is water-based, acid -free and has a generous drying time. It will air dry when used with matte paper or by sandwiching your project between two pieces of clean newsprint and heat set with a dry iron. This slow drying ink is not only for heat embossing but also for blending. You can use a foam tip or stylus to create amazing effects blending inks onto your projects. When using this ink on glossy paper, you'll need to add some embossing powders and heat set with your heat gun or dry iron or it may stay wet forever!!!. Because this ink is so stable (it will set the same vibrant colour as when you stamped it wet) you are able to stamp lighter colours over darker colours making this the ink of choice for stamping on dark colours of cardstock or paper.

Clear Embossing Ink--> An embossing pad is made for just that, heat embossing. It stays wet for a very long time and soaks up embossing powder beautifully making heat embossing fool proof! Embossing inks are water-based and leave no sticky residue on your stamps after clean up. Because it's water based clean up is a snap, you use only water! This ink allows you to emboss any colour of embossing powder with it.

Chalk Finish Ink--> This style of ink dries with a chalk line or powder finish. Once again there are a number of varieties on the market. An excellent example of a great chalk ink is Fluid Chalk by ColorBox. This chalk style ink combines the resilience of pinkment inks with the fast drying characteristics of dye based inks. Although chalk inks are not formulated for heat embossing you can heat emboss on vellum. This ink can also be blended using a stylus and a foam tip.When buffed with a foam tip or soft cloth, chalk ink will give you a beautiful shiny finish.

Solvent Inks--> StazOn is an excellent example of solvent-based ink. It's ideal for non porous surfaces such as metal, glass, shrink plastics, transparencies. It's is fast drying and permanent so be careful. It will stain both your rubber and your clothes. Solvent-based inks require special stamp cleaners as water will not work. StazOn is true to it's name...IT STAYS ON!!

So there you have it. We'd love to know which type of ink you use and which ones you recommend as being great ones to work with~~

Enjoy your Saturday

4 comments:

  1. Oh T, this is great! I am not really a stamper, and this will help me when deciding what inks to buy. I have accumulated a lot of stamps in the past couple of months and it is good to read about the differences in the inks. I have lots to learn still though, I am sure.

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  2. Thanks for sharing this list T. It cleared up a couple of things for me too! :)

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  3. great info. :) tfs!

    hugs,
    sarah.

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  4. Wow T.. that is a great list.. thanks for posting it

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