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Ink Pads

Source: Unknown

If you are like me and the tops to your Ink pads are always coming off, put then in the snack size zip lock bags and the tops stay on. For the mini ones I put three to a baggie. This also keeps them from drying out which would help if you lived in an arid climate or have dry winter heat.

Source: Unknown

I have five or six Kaleidacolor pads. In addition to using them for multicolor projects I like using them when I am scrapbooking. If I am doing a title, most alphabets I own fit on one color. It saves me dragging out so many ink pads at once. You have several coordinating inks right in one spot.

Source: Unknown

Ranger's Clear Resist is a clear ink. I'm guessing it is glycerin based, but am not positive. It isn't quite juicy enough to be great for embossing. It's really designed to stamp an image on glossy card stock and then apply dye ink over it with a brayer, or sponge or direct to paper. The area with Clear Resist "resists" the dye based ink, so it remains the color of the glossy card stock. I've done side by side comparisons with Tsukineko's VersaMark and find that it does resist a little stronger with a cleaner crisper resist.

Source: Unknown

I just discovered the brayer that has been in my stash for years now. I have been having fun with different "applications" of sorts.

I used it to spread the ink evenly in to the pad when reinking a dry pad and then since it was loaded, I used it on my stamps to evenly ink them up and it didn't get any on the edges of the rubber! Now run the brayer over a piece of paper/cs to show the negative image of your stamp.

Makes inking up dominoes a clean way to do it!!! (fingers don't end up covered in ink from accidentally touching the pad) Then "kiss off" some of that ink with an UNinked rubber stamp or try using an inked stamp for a different look.

Source: Tyra Smith

1. This is what I've found to be true of the Opalite inkpads: (made by Tsukeniko)

•   NOT permanent (will smear under wet work and/or pressure, even when heat set)
•   ALL colors are interference colors and look best on black or dark cardstock/surfaces
•   Will dry on all surfaces, the more non-porous surfaces (doms/glossy cardstock, etc..) will have to be heat set to get inks to dry.
•   They look OK on light or white surfaces, very slight color is visible if you turn it in the
  light.
•   Colors are: crystal blush, glacier blue, nordic ice, cypress frost, arctic emerald, orchid ice,
  golden mist, sterling frost, winter rust.

2. The following is what I've found to be true of the Pearl Ex Inkpads: (made by USArtQuest)

•   They ARE permanent once heat set.
•   Will NOT smear under wet work once heat set.
•   Will dry on all surfaces, the more non-porous surfaces (dominos/glossy cardstock, etc..) will have to be heat set to dry inks.
•   Colors look nice on dark and light surfaces alike. Naturally, interference colors look better on darker surfaces.
•   The interference colors do show a light glimmer of color on white/light cardstocks. It really is quite enchanting.
•   Duo, Metallic and Interference ink colors are shimmery, Essential ink colors are not.
•   Duo, Metallic and Essential inks are opaque, Interference colors are translucent.
•   Colors are: Essential colors (sepia, black, indigo), Duo colors (red/gold, blue/gold,
  violet/gold), Interference colors(red, blue, violet), and Metallic colors (gold, silver, copper).

In my opinion...the Pearl Ex Interference inkpads and the Opalite inkpads are similar enough that you wouldn't want to buy both. I think the Pearl Ex inkpads are the better product because they are more versatile than the Opalites (the degree of permanency is my main issue here) and also because you are not limited to just interference colors with the Pearl Ex inkpads.

Now...you also asked about a comparison between the above and Brilliance inkpads (specifically the pearlescent color line). There are not any interference colors in the Brilliance inkpad line, so that rules out comparing them to the Opalites inkpads and 14 of the Pearl Ex inkpads (the interference colors). The Pearl Ex Essential colors (sepia, black and indigo) are not shimmery and are similar (in look, feel and application) to the Brilliance Non-Pearlescent Inkpad colors. The Pearl Ex Metallic colors are superior to the Brilliance Pearlescent metallic colors - richer, deeper, more luminous. The Pearl Ex Duo Colors are nothing short of fantastic - Brilliance ink pads do not have duo colors. The duo colors actually are quite shimmery and truly show a two color view. I love that the complimentary color for the duo color combinations is gold.

I also think that the Brilliance colors and Pearl Ex colors DO look different because the shimmer is not the same. I know Pearl Ex uses fine powdered mica to get their shimmer and it gives a stunning, luminous look and feel to the images you stamp with it. The Brilliance inkpads use something different to create the shimmer (not sure what it is), which makes it look more soft and feathery.

I have both the Pearl Ex line inkpad line and almost all the Brilliance inkpads and I do not feel that I have duplicated product by purchasing both of them. I think they really compliment each other quite nicely. Matter of fact....I would even go further and say that you could also purchase as many of the Opalite inkpads as you like to fill out your "inference color" inkpad collection.

I think that purchasing new inkpads is more about color than anything else. Dye inks are dye inks, regardless of who makes them. Same goes for pigment inks, pearlescent ink, interference inks, etc.... Naturally, once you get to using inkpads (and other products), many stampers (myself included) develop an affinity for a specific manufacturer - that's called personal preference. But, as far as inkpads go.....you need to understand the basics of ink type (pigment, dye, permanent, etc...). Then you simply buy the colors you prefer, regardless of brand. For example....I admit to being a HUGE fan of Ranger Industries and their inks. I got 'em all! But I also found that Marvy makes a wonderful gray inkpad (mavy matchables line) that I particularly love. So..when I want to use gray dye ink, I grab my Marvy Matchables gray dye inkpad. What I look for is color, not necessarily brand.

I also tend to place a higher value on inkpads which will dry and not smear under either pressure or wet work (paints, blender pens, etc...). I quite enjoy painting (watercolors) and also using colored pencils and pastel pencils, so I prefer more permanent inks that I know I can use in combination with those products. If can I use inkpads/inks in combination with my favorite products and techniques, then those inks/inkpads are more valuable and versatile to me and I'm more likely to buy them.

What I'm getting at here is quite simple. A comparison of products was requested and I am more than happy to help out with it since I do own and use all the products in question. But.....people need to understand that MY take on a product will be different than someone else's take. I "judge" the usefulness of a product, or value a product....depending on my own personal needs and tastes.

So..I do like the Pearl EX inkpads better because they fit nicely with what I enjoy doing and because *I* perceive them to be of higher quality and more versatile than similar products. And just in case ANY of you wonder.....I BOUGHT my inkpads (pearl ex and opalites) myself, they were NOT given to me by any manufacturer for product review.

Source: Tyra Smith

I have a fairly thorough and comprehensive explanation of the various types of inks on my web site
Click on "Newbie Center" at the left......then click on "Inks" in the first box at the right. This will bring up all the information you need.

As for inks being "special" or "special for something".....inks are just inks, another medium of color......and inkpads (dye or pigment) are just another tool we use as well. Pigment inks and Dye inks are the two most basic types of inks that stampers and paper artists use and they are significantly different from one another. Embossing is only one of a million things that can be done with pigment AND dye inks, so embossing is not necessarily the "reason" for using inks, but its a nice "perk" should you want to emboss when using inks.

For stampers and many paper artists, understanding inks is fundamental and necessary to know. How they work and when to (or not to) use certain inks, how inks work when mixed/used with other media, this is all important information.

So...take some time to read the "Ink" information on my web site that I listed above. If you have any further questions, just ask! If I don't have the answer, I'm quite sure someone else on this list will.

Source: Fran of "The Frantic Stamper"

Versacolor is a PIGMENT ink pad (same as Colorbox). Comes in dozens and dozens of colors. This ink is great for embossing.

Versamagic is a CHALK ink pad (same as Fluid Chalk). Comes in 36 colors. This is for a soft chalky look.... great for backgrounds and shadow stamping.

Versafine is an OIL based ink pad. Comes in 6 colors. This ink gives you FINE detail and the manufacturer says they will never need reinking. The reason is because they are oil based and oil does not evaporate.... so in theory, it should never dry up. One cool thing about OIL based ink is that is will act as a resist to any waterbased substance (cuz oil and water don't mix)...... so if you stamp something with red Versafine, and then color with markers, it doesn't matter if you go over the lines, you red stamping will stay red (and not muddy up)

Tsukineko is the maker of all the above. They also have Opalites (interference inks), Versamark (watermark ink), Kaleidacolor (dye rainbow pads), and Impress (dye ink.. which has not been heavily marketed so it's not super popular... but is great ink).

Source: Linda Mazar

I was busily trying to make some cards for an Autumn Moon card swap I am in and I came across something that works. I was embossing on vellum and wanted to make the crane in my stamp show up (I am mounting the vellum against navy blue CS), so wanted to paint something on the back of the crane part of the image to make it stand out. I looked around and found some "Sneaker Whitener" by Kiwi (sold where they sell shoe polish - this is in a bottle and intended to be put on sneakers to make them whiter) and thought I'd give it a go.
I dug out some cheap paint brushes (was afraid it might not wash off) and then pressed the container of whitener down on a disposable plate until I had a little puddle of it. Then I painted it on the back of the image wherever I wanted it to show through white. It worked wonderfully!!!!!! Dried really fast too!

Source: Bridget

So you have a marker and you want the same color of ink? Stamp your image in clear embossing ink, emboss with clear powder, and let cool. This usually only takes a few seconds. With your marker (any
kind), color over the embossed areas that you want to color. Heat it again with your heat gun to set it. That's it! No matter which kind of marker you use, as long as you set it with your heat gun, it'll dry. And if you make a mistake (pick a color you don't like for example), simply wipe it off of the embossed area before you heat set it.

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Site last updated December 4, 2004