Made By Me - Techniques 101

I can't believe how fast the time has gone, and why haven't I been posting my creations!!  I have been having classes quite regularly and I haven't even posted any of my creations, so here is the information from my last class a few weeks ago!

Made By Me

Technique 101 – All about Ink

For whatever you’re planning on stamping, it helps to know the basics about different rubber stamp inks and their uses. This ensures you’re using the right ink type for the job – whether it be paper, wood, plastic or fabric you’re going to be stamping on. Below are some of our key considerations for selecting the right ink for your custom project.

DYE-BASED INKS

For most types of paper, dye-based rubber stamp inks are your best bet. It dries incredibly quickly, and is considered a good all-round ink. Dye based inks have a consistency that is similar to water. These inks are generally not waterproof, so you need to ensure you do not use on top of any water-based mediums, such as pens or paint, because the inks may run or bleed together.

WATERPROOF DYE INKS/ ARCHIVAL DYE INKS                                                     

These types of ink have a different base so that when they're dry you can color with markers and watercolor over them and they won't bleed or smear. These inks are great for line images that you want to color in, and these inks tend to be more colorfast than their regular dye ink counterparts. These inks tend to be more difficult to clean off of your stamps and may require a special cleaner to fully remove the ink.

PIGMENT INK

Pigment inks are a lot thicker than dye inks and generally have a glycerin base. Regular  dye inks are more "liquid" and transparent, pigment inks are opaque and thick. Pigment inks almost always come with a spongy foam pad to enable the ink to be picked up easily by the stamp. Because it's a thicker ink these pads dry out faster than dye inks and need to be refilled more often.  These inks are great for stamping on card stock, and a great thing about them is you can stamp lighter colors on darker card stock and the ink color will show. Pigment ink tends to "sit" on top of the card stock and takes longer to dry, so it's great for embossing. These inks are generally fade-resistant and are good for scrapbooking, but they generally require heat setting to dry fully.  These inks don't work well on nonporous surfaces.

EMBOSSING INK

These types of rubber stamp inks come in pads that are generally clear and are a sticky glue-like substance.  These inks, like the pigment inks do not dry quickly.  They are often used in conjunction with embossing powders and a heat gun.   You can also use this type of ink to stamp the image on colored cardstock and let dry for a slightly darker image (watermark).  “VersaMark” is a common brand name, although many companies offer a similar product under different names.

Permanent Inks

When it comes to being the ultimate in permanent ink, StazOn brand is a good choice. You can use it on paper, metal, glossy paper, leather, ceramic, glass, transparencies, and even on plastic. When using on a non-porous surface, it only takes 5 minutes to dry, it is archival safe, and even acid-free, making it an excellent choice for scrapbookers.

DISTRESS INKS/Distress Oxides

Distress Inks are water-based dye inks but deserve a category of their own because of their rather unique properties. Even though they are water-based they dry slower than other water-based dye inks. They also react with water, enabling all sorts of techniques. They blend well together and blend well with water to produce different effects.

CHALK INKS

Chalk inks are usually similar to pigment inks but with a “chalkier” finish. They usually dry faster than pigment inks (but not as quickly as dye inks) and are acid-free and archival safe so great for scrapbooking. They are permanent when heat set. With their matte chalky finish, they look great on darker card stock.

KALEIDACOLOR DYE INKS                                                                                

These water-based Rainbow Dye Ink Pads come with 5 different colors in one pad with a sliding mechanism to keep colors from bleeding when not in use. Slide the colors together to get a unique blending of colors when stamping. This is a wonderful pad for use with your brayer to create stunning and simple backgrounds.

Acrylic Stamps                                                                                                                                       Acrylic stamps are less expensive and “cheaper” than photopolymer and are “stretchier” to the feel. They are generally lighter in weight than photopolymer.  You need to be careful when removing the stamp from the plastic sheet, they can tear, and in time these stamps can lose their ability to stick to acrylic blocks (they seem to collect lint and dirt).  Older stamps will sometimes get stuck to the backing sheet if they are and will tear when you try to pull them off.  When you ink up an acrylic stamp, the ink tends to “bead up” on the stamp and therefore, when you stamp, you do not get a crisp, clean impression. It is usually “blotchy” and uneven.  There are a few things you can do to make them stamp better; inking the stamp first with VersaMark ink and then with your colored ink or gently rub an eraser on the stamp before stamping may help.  Most acrylic stamps are made in China

Photopolymer Stamps                                                                                                                 Photopolymer stamps are higher quality. Photopolymer stamps are made to transfer ink so the ink sticks to the stamp extremely well, giving you a crisper, cleaner image.  They are heavier and less stretchy than acrylic. Since they are of better quality, the price index is generally higher as well.  Most of the larger companies use photopolymer.  Photopolymer stamps are usually made in the US. 

(Both of the above stamps require an acrylic block or a stamping platform to use)

Wood Rubber Stamps/Cling Stamps                                                                                                      Wood stamps are made from a red rubber.  They do not need a separate block to stamp with since they are permanently attached to the wood block.  They stamp very clear and crisp, the downfall, these stamps are more difficult to work with; you are not able to see clearly where you are stamping.  They are also more difficult to store. Cling stamps are the same red rubber quality, but do not have the wood block.  These stamps do require an acrylic block or stamp platform.  Again, these are crisp, clean images, but more difficult to use.

Acrylic Blocks/Stamping Platforms                                                                                                     

Acrylic blocks are used with rubber stamps that are unmounted (from wooden blocks), cling stamps or clear stamps (polymer or acrylic).  These blocks come in a variety of different shapes and sizes and can be purchased through most stamping companies or big box stores.  Some blocks are clear, some have grid lines (these are helpful).  A stamping platform is and innovated way to stamp with either clear or cling stamps without an acrylic block.  It allows you to stamp multiple times and get an accurate and precision image.  There are several different platforms by different companies (and each company has a unique platform for their company).  Common/popular platforms include the “MISTI” (by My Sweet Petunia), Tim Holtz platform (by Tonic Studios – no longer in production, but can still be found), Crafter’s Companion, and the Stamparatus (by Stampin’ Up).