Wednesday 101- Rubber Stamping- The Basics

Hello,
Welcome back to Wednesday 101- The Basics. Today we are going to look at another very important element of rubber stamping...Ink pads.

 There are quite a few types of inks and I'm sure I won't cover every one in this blog post, but I will get to the main ones and a couple extra.

 Each stamp pad fits into a particular category; Dye-based ink, Pigment ink, embossing/resist ink, craft/fabric ink or solvent (permanent) inks.

Dye-Based inks are water based and not as permanent as other inks. In fact some of these inks are created specifically so they will wash out and suggested for children's use. Traditionally felt pads were always used with dye-based inks, however some companies, Stampin' Up! for example, have switched to dense foam pads in their Classic Stampin ink pads. Dense foam pads are known for their ability to create sharp stamped images. This type of ink comes in the widest range of colors, they dry quickly and work well on vellum, matt and glossy papers. Dye inks are not recommended for use with heat embossing as they dry too quickly to hold the powder in place until it can be melted with a heat tool.

Pigment inks are thick, don't come in quite the color range as dye inks and are most often found with foam pads. Traditionally these types of inks took a long time to dry, and still most pigment inks have a longer drying time. But some pigment inks are now formulated to have a quicker drying time. Most fast drying pigment inks will have that noted on the label, so check the label when you buy pigment inks so that you purchase the one that is suitable for your purpose. Because of the slow drying time pigment inks are an excellent choice for heat embossing as they will hold onto the embossing powder long enough to be melted by the heat tool. When you use pigment ink on glossy paper it MUST be embossed as it will not dry, or soak into a glossy surface (the exception is Brilliance inks which we will talk about later).

Embossing/resist Inks are thick, slow drying inks that are formulated especially for embossing with opaque and metallic embossing powders and as a resist on glossy paper. They come in foam pads and are either clear or lightly tinted. Resist ink can be used to achieve a tone-on-tone effect. The ink pad that Stampin' Up! sells in this category is VersaMark watermark ink.

Craft/Fabric inks are usually formulated for use on fabric, however some are multipurpose and can be used on fabric, paper, wood, acetate, glass, metal and shrink plastic. Craft/Fabric ink needs to be heat set to become permanent in fabrics. Heat setting is also recommended on wood. Craft/Fabric ink is a type of pigment ink and is slow drying. Plenty of drying time should be allowed on nonporous surfaces. Stampin' Up! sells Whisper White craft ink, which can also be used to create chalk effects on dark papers and as an embossing ink.

Solvent/permanent inks are available in water-based and solvent based forms. They are quick drying and require special cleaners to remove from surfaces (in other words, not the best choice for children). This type of ink can be used on almost any surface. The water-based type ink pad is good for use with alcohol-based colored markers and the solvent-base pads work the best with water-based markers. Stampin' Up! carries both types of ink pads; solvent- Jet Black Stazon, and water-based- Memento Tuxedo Black.

Here are examples of the various types of inks

Classic Stampin' pad

Stampin' Up!s Classic pad is dye based, quick drying, comes in 46 colors. It is non-permanent and works great on matte, vellum, and glossy card stocks and papers.The ink is translucent and is in a thick raised foam pad. When closed the pad is upside down in the case so that the ink stays on the surface of the pad. The ink is acid free.

Craft Stampin' pad

Stampin' Up's Craft pad is pigment based, slow drying, and comes in Whisper White. The pad is made of foam. It works on most surfaces and is permanent when heat embossed. The ink is acid free.

VersaMark Watermark stamp pad

Stampin' Up! sells VersaMark watermark ink pads by Tsukineko. It is a resist ink pad that is slow drying and non permanent. The pad is made of foam. It works best on matte card stock and paper or on glossy paper as a resist. Use to create tone-on-tone background designs. This ink can be used as an embossing ink with embossing powder and a heat tool and is acid free.

Stazon Solvent ink pad

Stampin' Up! sells Stazon Solvent ink pads by Tsukineko. It is a permanent solvent-based ink that is fast drying and permanent. The pad is felt. It works well on most surface although it is not recommended for fabrics. This is the ink to use when coloring with water-based markers as it resists bleeding. Use this pad in a well ventilated area. This ink is acid free.

Memento Permanent ink

Stampin' Up! sells Memento ink pads by Tsukineko. It is permanent and fade resistant. It is quick drying and the pad is felt. It works on matte, glossy and vellum card stocks and papers. This ink resists bleeding and is great to use with alcohol based markers. This ink is acid free.

Brilliance ink pad

Remember I said we would talk about Brilliance ink pads? Well, they are not available through Stampin' Up! at this time, but they are one of my favorite inks. They used to be in every craft store and were available in many colors. Now the selections are very limited in stores, but I believe they can still be purchased online. I like these inks because they are what I call an all-purpose ink. They are pigment inks that dry fairly quickly and don't usually require heat setting. But they can also be used for embossing! The pads are foam and the ink is fade resistant, 

acid free and child-safe and can be used on almost

 any surface including photos and vellum. This is
                                                                                       also a Tsukineko product.

 

 

 

Color Box Fluid Chalk ink

This ink is not available through Stampin' Up! at this time, although it was available earlier this year in the Occasions catalog.
Chalk ink is a pigment ink that dries quickly and is permanent when heat set. The ink pads come in various sizes and colors. This ink has an opaque matte finish when dry and works well on dark papers for chalkboard effects. This ink is a product of Clear Snap.




I hope you've enjoyed this short tour of various inks that are available. There are so many more, but these are the ones that I use most often.

Have a blessed day,
Trude