Stamping 101: Types of Ink Pads

November 20, 2009 2 Comments

There are a variety of ink pads that you can use with your stamps.

The following chart illustrates the kinds of ink pads that are available and their uses:

Type of Ink	Description	Brands
Dye	Water-based; non-permanent; comes with a felt pad in a variety of colors; dries quickly	Close to My Heart, Stampin’ Up Classic, Ancient Page, Kaleidecolor, Vivid
Pigment	Thick, creamy consistency; comes with a foam pad in a variety of colors; ink dries slowly	Close to My Heart (White Daisy and Colonial White only); Stampin’ Up Craft, Brilliance, Color Box
Embossing	Clear or slightly tinted; comes with a foam pad; use with a heat gun and embossing powders; ink dries slowly	Emboss
Watermark	Used to create watermarks or tone-on-tone effects; rub chalks over ink for a soft look; suitable for heat embossing; ink dries slowly	Versamark
Permanent/Solvent	Ideal for use on acrylic, glass, plastic or metal; requires a special cleaner to remove ink from stamps	Staz-On
Chalk	Dye ink that dries to a matte finish	ColorBox Fluid Chalk

When you first start stamping, start out with a basic black ink pad, then diversify your color selection.

After much use, your ink pad will dry out. When it does, purchase the manufacturer’s re-inker to refresh your pads.

I’ll review other colorants available for stamping in the next post.

What stamping inks do you use the most?

Laura R November 20, 2009 at 7:59 pm

Thanks for the info. As someone that’s fairly new to stamping this is really helpful.
Carolyn November 21, 2009 at 6:52 am

Thank you. Im glad its been helpful. More to come!