Choosing Inks...
...but which one is the right one?

It's easy to get confused when choosing inks as there is a vast quantity out there




There is an ink to suit all papers and card, and some beautiful distressing inks to age your creations.

But how do you know which ink is the correct one to use?

They come in many different colours.

In general, dye based inks are usually in small felt pads, and these are suitable for use with an absorbent cardstock or paper, so that the ink will soak in.

They can be used to stamp out your images, or to ink the edges to give definiton. StazOn can be used to stamp onto acetate, and comes in different colours.

If you are stamping on glossy or coated card then the ink will just sit on top, so check the information about the ink pad to make sure it suits the project you're doing. You may need to heat set the ink, to dry it before the next step.

The texture of the card will affect the image, as the stamp won't be able to lie flat on the surface. If the stamp can't make contact with the card then parts of the iamge won't print properly, and this may spoil the effect. No matter how good your ink!

Alcohol based inks are permanent, and should be used when you wish to try embossing.









They are thicker, which makes them slow drying and suitable for this technique. VersaMark watermark stamp pad is my choice when embossing.

The longer drying time gives adhesion to the powder, giving you the time you need to melt it with the heat gun. You then have the lovely raised edge to your image.

Store your ink pads with the lids on to stop them drying out, and store level, as this keeps the ink evenly spread and the pad fully loaded.

Clean the rubber stamp before changing colour to prevent contaminating the ink pad. An oil free baby wipe will work between colours.

When choosing inks its best to use the darker coloured ones to stamp the images that you intend to colour in afterwards. This defines the edges.

Only re-ink your pads with the same colour and brand as the original.

When you are working with alcohol marker pens choose a dye based ink, otherwise your pens will remove the edges of your stamped image.

Colouring In
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