** the original article was published in May of 2003 - so it's been up for 13 years now (as of January 7, 2016, give or take a few) That is AMAZING to me!! Please, if there is something you feel should be listed here, a question that you need answered, just either contact me at my email - listed in the sidebar - or leave me a comment.
** May of 2003 - the original publication My old
website, goes into greater detail about inks if you’d like to read more – however, some
of the ink pads referenced are discontinued.
**On 2/27/2015, Wendy Vecchi did a FANTABULOUS post on the Ranger inks - instead of me copying and pasting, why don't you hop over here and read it yourself ~
Let’s start with the most basic question –
What is the difference between pigment ink &
dye ink?
Dye inks
are water-based and are permanent once they are stamped on papers. This is a
great general-purpose ink that can be used on all types of papers and is great
for everyday stamping and scrapbooking. Dye-base inks will fade over time.
These are harder to use for embossing because they dry quite fast; however,
Ranger Distress Inks tend to dry a bit slower so they may be used for
embossing.
Pigment
inks are wonderful to use on clay, mica, wood, paper, shrink plastic, and more.
Pigment inks are thick and fade-resistant. The inking surface is usually a
sponge because it is thicker and distributed better over a sponge. They are
also archival and acid-free, and are perfect for embossing! Pigment ink will
not dry on coated papers unless you emboss the image.
Any easy
way to remember the difference between dye & pigment inks: think of dye as
in dyeing a t-shirt – the dye (ink) literally sinks in to the surface – pigment ink stays on the surface.
Another question floating around recently:
Will solvent ink ruin my polymer stamps? I could find no definitive answer
to this question – some websites said yes, some said no. Personally I would err on the side of caution
and just skip the solvent inks.
Some good
resources on caring for polymer stamps & clear stamps info in general:
About.com - Rubberstamping
Not that you asked, but . . .
My favorite black ink pads – Black ink pads are the staple
for those of us who use ink in our art.
I think that everyone has a personal favorite but since this is my blog
(hahaha) I am going to tell you my favorites, in no particular order:
§ VersaFine Onyx Black – In my experience this ink pad
truly delivers a fine crisp line. There
is more on the Versa line of ink pads further down.
§ Ranger Archival Ink Jet Black – I found this pad by reading Dyan
Reaveley’s book on art journaling called “My Creative Journal Journey.” I figured if this pad stood up to all the
water & stuff she incorporates in her journal than it should work for
me. And it does. You can see all of the
Ranger Products she uses and sells here.
I do have
a few more that I use occasionally but those two are the ones I actually keep
on my desk – and I use them all the time (if I can find them).
The Adirondack line of inks is one of my personal favorites
(truthfully, I love everything about Ranger!). I have been using Adirondack inks since I started on this wonderful journey
& they are my first love. I love the
“earth tones” & have ink pads that are over 16 years old!
*I think Ranger is in the process of discontinuing the specific product lines with the goal of merging all unbranded pads into one happy family, but I could be wrong.
* This is where you'd want to look for more info on the Tim Holtz Distress Brand, as well as his website
Mostly
everything that Ranger makes is coordinated with the other products they
make. This is from their website: Adirondack
Earthtones, Lights and Brights Coordinating Products, Adirondack Dye Inks,
Adirondack Acrylic Paint Dabbers and Adirondack Alcohol Inks are available in
the Coordinating Colors palette of 12 Earthtones, 12 Lights and 12 Brights! The
Earthtones are still available in all 24 colors, too. Adirondack Earthtones,
Lights and Brights are corresponding hues of the same colors. This makes it
easy to create monochromatic scrapbook pages, shadow-type stamping and
tone-on-tone looks.
Adirondack Inks – Adirondack Inks are available
in both pigment & dye Ink formulations.
Adirondack
Pigment Inks give opaque coverage that air dries on
matte paper surfaces. They are embossable and can be heat set on gloss paper, vellum,
shrink plastic, metal and glass.
Adirondack Dye Inks are acid free, non-toxic &
fade resistant. . Raised above the
case, our pad allows easy use of any size rubber image, brayer, or for direct-to-paper
techniques.
Archival Inks - Archival Inks™ provide lasting stamping
results that are permanent on many surfaces. Get a crisp image that doesn't
bleed over water-based inks and markers, acrylic paint, water colors,
Adirondack® Alcohol Ink or Perfect Pearls™ pigment powders.
• Acid
free
• Non-toxic
• Waterproof
• Permanent on matte and gloss papers
• Air dries on matte surfaces
• Heat set on glossy surfaces
Tim Holtz Distress Inks – Tim Holtz Distress Inks are a collection of 48 acid-free, non-toxic,
fade resistant, water-based dye inks. They're perfect for the new vintage,
stained, aged effect crafters are creating in their altered books, scrapbook
pages, cards and paper craft projects.
Tim selected the colors and helped
develop these inks to produce a realistic, weathered look on paper, photos and
decorative fibers. All the colorful Distress Inks afford added versatility when
photo tinting and color layering with the original, award winning tones.
The 2" x 2" pads are
made with a higher raised felt for easier use with direct to paper techniques.
- Acid free
- Non-toxic
- Fade Resistant
- New Higher Felt
- Water-based Dye Inks
Information on Stewart Superior Inks
Ink Chart from Stewart Superior this is the link to the Stewart Superior home page – they make Palette Hybrid
& the Memories ink lines. You can find the chart on their site)
The chart below does not cover all the
surfaces there are in the world for rubber stamping! However, an avid stamper
took the time to test our inks on the surfaces listed below. These are the
results and of course your results may differ. Please use this chart as a
guide and always test a small area or sample of the surface initially to be
safe. Some inks have not been tested on some surfaces. We will update this
chart as that information comes in.
CHART KEY:
X indicates that the ink performed well on the surface.
X+ means that a heat-set and or fixative is recommended.
X- means that the ink performed unsatisfactorily on the
surface.
X* means
embossing is required on that surface.
? means it hasn’t been tested on
that surface
|
INK
|
SURFACE
|
Memories
|
Mem
Chalk
|
MemPigment
|
PaletteMetal
|
India
Ink
|
Hybrid
|
|
Paper/Card
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
Glossy paper
|
X
|
X
|
X+
|
X
|
X
|
X+
|
Vellum
|
X
|
X
|
X+
|
X
|
X-
|
X+
|
Photos
|
X
|
X
|
X-
|
X
|
X
|
X+
|
Acetate/CD’s
|
X
|
X
|
X+
|
X+
|
X
|
X+
|
Shrink Plastic
|
X+
|
X+
|
X+
|
X
|
X
|
X+
|
Vinyl
|
X
|
X
|
X-
|
X
|
X
|
X+
|
Glass/Ceramic
|
X+
|
X+
|
X+
|
X+
|
X-
|
X+
|
Porcelain
|
X
|
X+
|
X+
|
X+
|
X
|
X+
|
Terra Cotta
|
X
|
X
|
X+
|
X+
|
X
|
X+
|
Wood
|
X
|
X
|
X+
|
X
|
X
|
X+
|
Polymer Clay
|
X-
|
X-
|
X+
|
X+
|
X-
|
X+
|
Metal
|
X+
|
X
|
X+
|
X+
|
X
|
X+
|
Leather
|
X
|
X
|
X+
|
X
|
X
|
X+
|
Fabric
|
X
|
X
|
X+
|
X+
|
X
|
X+
|
Paper Clay
|
X
|
X
|
X+
|
X+
|
X
|
X+
|
Acid Free/Arch
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
|
The
Palette Hybrid ink is a sorta new ink – it wasn’t around when I started
stamping. I don’t have any myself, but
this is what the Stewart Superior website says about them (on the chart above
it is referred to as Hybrid):
The Palette Hybrid ink pad represents an innovation in stamping
ink technology. It eliminates all the confusion over which ink to use for what
surface - because it works on everything and is a non-solvent ink. It
doesn’t smell bad, it’s nonflammable and it won’t immediately dry out. It
dries instantly on paper and porous surfaces and requires a heat-set on glossy
surfaces and fabrics. It dries too
quickly for embossing - so a clear watermark/embossing ink pad is part of the
line. This ink pad is the perfect answer for scrapbooking retailers and
others who are tired of the confusion of different inks for different surfaces
- now one ink works for all surfaces.
** Stewart Superior used to make an ink pad called India Ink - that stuff was THE best when working with intricate stamps, like photo stamps. Alas, unless they have changed the name it seems to be gone :(
Tsukineko
makes several different kinds of inks. I have included as much information as I
could get from the website and promotional materials. There are more inks from Tsukineko than I
have listed here. For more information,
got to their website.
All Purpose Ink - Acid-free,
water-based and non-toxic
(this ink comes in a bottle – it
is not available in inkpad form)
Due to
its blendability, washability and versatility, this quick-drying craft ink has
become a favorite among fabric artists. And because it's water-based and
non-toxic, All-Purpose Ink is fun for artists of all ages. Use it on
wood, paper, leather and other porous surfaces too. All-Purpose Ink must be
heat set on fabric for permanence. Heat set between color applications to
prevent bleeding. Or layer colors to achieve a blended "watercolor"
effect.
Quick
Tips
• Maintain the soft hand of
your fabric while still applying vivid colors to all of your fabric masterpieces!
• Perfect for any porous
surfaces—try it on wood, fabric, leather, paper and more!
Brilliance Ink - Archival,
water-based, acid-free & non-toxic
Fast-drying
ink and rich pearlescent colors... you never thought you'd see this combination
from a pigment ink. Designed for use on shiny papers, Brilliance dries to
perfection on vellum, mica, acetate, photo papers, Sculpey clay, shrink
plastic, and much more! Brilliance is the solution to all your tricky
pigment stamping problems. Ideal for scrapbook embellishments - no smeared
pages or smudged page protectors.
Quick Tips:
• Pad is very inky- tap stamp lightly at first to avoid overinking.
• Use Brilliance
Inkers to occasionally
rejuvenate dry edges.
• Keep pad covered when not in use. Close lid tightly and reuse
inner plastic cover!
• Give ink approximately 3-5 minutes to dry completely. Individual
results depend on paper weight and texture- always
pre-test your surfaces
• Try Brilliance on cured or uncured polymer clay
• Stamp with Brilliance, then brayer over image with Kaleidacolor or
Impress for a dazzling resist technique
• Take Brilliance pad direct-to-paper for a shimmering
background
• Stamp or smear Brilliance onto acetate and create an elegant
stained glass effect
StazOn Ink – Solvent based inks
StazOn is
our only solvent-based ink, designed for decorating non-porous and semi-porous
surfaces, such as metal, shrink plastic, acrylic, cellophane, aluminum foil,
leather and some glass surfaces. Thanks to its mild smell, StazOn is much safer
to use than other permanent inks. Wide mouth bottles are available for all 31
colors. For everything from industrial projects to home decor, StazOn is sure
to remain the top crafting ink!
The “Versa” inks – ALL are pigment inks
VersaColor
Ultimate Pigment Ink
Expect
ultimate results with VersaColor Ultimate Pigment Ink. VersaColor
combines the highest quality raw materials, including a superior ink recipe, a
stackable container with a unique hinged lid and an ultra-dense foam pad for
crisper stamped images. VersaColor Ultimate Pigment ink is perfect for every
stamping technique, from embossing to archival projects.
VersaFine
Looking
for an ink to give you extremely fine detail? An ink that you are able to
watercolor or marker over and it won't bleed? Then look no further! This
natural oil-based pigment ink dries instantly on matte cardstock. You won't
believe it till you see it. Available in 10 colors, no inkers needed. Inkpad
lasts 3-5 times longer than regular inks.
VersaMagic (chalk ink)
The
perfect chalk pigment ink that dries beautifully on any color cardstock- even
dark cardstock! Soft, opaque, chalk-like look with none of that chalky residue.
Other manufacturers not discussed are ClearSnap, Stampin' Up!, Close to My Heart, ColorBox and with each stamp company now introducing their own inks things could get even more confusing. But, my hope was, when writing this in May of 2003 was to take some of the mystery out of the different inks. I think I've done that.
SOME OTHER RESOURCES
Besides
the ink manufacturers themselves I found a few resources that also address the
differences in ink pads:
Scrapbooking Tips
