Inks, Inks and More Inks

Shelley and I were playing with some different ink pads yesterday. We were testing how they work on different papers and what you can do with them other then just using them for stamps. Then Shelley made the comment that sometime it gets confusing as to what ink does what so I decided to write a blog about ink pads and explain what each can do and how to use them.

We will start with Brilliance (which is one of my favorites). Brilliance Archival Ink Pads are a fast drying pigment ink. It is the only water-based pigment ink that dries to perfection on vellum, wood, glossy cardstock, photo paper, mica, polymer clay and shrink plastic. Most colors are pearlescent, a select few are matte. The ink doesn't dry well on metal. The fast drying pigment ink makes crafting a snap but also means the pad dries out faster then standard pigment ink pads so it is recommended that you buy a reinker when you purchase your pad. You can also use it for embossing but it doesn't stay wet as long as standard pigm ent ink pads. Acid-free, child safe and non-toxic.

Memento Dye Ink is fast drying and fade resistant. The innovative pad delivers finer impressions and expectational even coverage. I can personally attest to this as I use Memento pads quite a bit. They are also a great ink to use for the watercolor technique. Permanent when dry. These ink pads have become the ink pads of choice for copic alcohol marker artist because they don't smear. Water based, acid free, and non-toxic.

Ancient Page Pads are a rich and vibrant dye based ink pad. Quick drying and permanent on most paper surfaces. This acid-free, water proof, and smear-resistant dye ink is ideal for scrapbooking and keepsake applications. Ancient Page permanent dye inks are popular for archival use and a wide range of craft projects. Their translucent quick drying properties on many surfaces allow a layered effect for contrasting subtle and brilliant colors. I recommend this ink a lot because you can use watercolors and markers and the ink doesn't smear. When inking a stamp a light tapping motion inks the stamp evenly.

Versafine is an oil based pigment ink. It provides the clearest stamped images with the finest detail and is really much different than any other ink on the market. Once dry it is permanent and very popular among watercolor artists because it won't bled on watercolor papers. Versafine ink pads last 3-5 times longer than regular ink pads so no inkers are needed. Because the ink is oil-based it will not dry on non-porous surfaces or coated papers.

Distress inks are water based inks and are specially formulated to spread when wet. One of the most popular ways of using Distress ink is to create wonderful aged and textured backgrounds for stamping projects. These are very versatile, acid-free, non-toxic, and fade resistant. The ink pads have a raised pad which makes them ideal for direct to paper techniques.

Versacolor pigment ink pads contain slow drying ink perfect for use with embossing powders. Versacolor combine the highest quality raw materials including a superior ink recipe and an ultra-dense foam pad for crisper stamped images. Versacolor pigment ink is perfect for every stamping technique from embossing to archival project. They come in 1 inch cubes so you can collect

a wide variety of colors and are able to stack and store them easily.

Stazon is our only solvent-ink designed for decorating non-porous and semi-porous surfaces such as metal, shrink plastic, acrylic, cellophane, aluminum, foil, leather and some glass surfaces. The solvent-based ink is transparent in nature resulting in beautiful stained glass look. Thanks to it's mild smell Stazon is much safer to use then other solvent-inks. For everything from industrial projects to garden art and home decor. Stazon is certain to become one of your favorite ink pads and it is acid-free. Cleaning is easy with Stazon All-Purpose Cleaner.

There are many more brands of ink pads but I only blogged the ones we carry.

Hope it is helpful.

SherRee