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I have just gotten into card making. I have a very old black ink pad and am looking for a new one. But with all the different options I am not sure what to get. I dont color with copics. Dont think I ever really will. I heard that Stazon is not good for clear stamps. I really only have clear stamps. Im just not sure about most of the black inks out there. I know that some prefer some and other like others. Id kinda like to know what the differences are and why I use one over the other. There are just far too many choices.
Hi Kaylink,
Glad you are getting into stamping...it is a wonderful addiction...er...I mean hobby ;)
There are many threads that discuss inks here on this forum, I'm on my tablet and can't get any links up for some reason but if you do a search in this forum you will find a wealth of info.
To give you a brief answer :
The two most basic inks are dye ink and pigment ink...dye ink soaks into the paper and pigment ink sits on top. Dye inks are fast drying, pigment inks dry more slowly and will smudge if you accidentally touch them while wet ( ask me how I know!)
Memento inks are great dye water- based inks and many of us use them. Tuxedo Black is the one I use the most.
If you want a richer, more saturated black Versafine Black Onyx ink is a great pigment ink. It also gives a crisper image
Also most dye inks are felt pads, though not all of them, and most pigment inks have a foam pad.
Pigment ink, since it stays wet longer works well with heat embossing. Both Memento and Versafine are made by Tsukineko and are usually available at Michael's and Hobby Lobby.
Ok, if I don't stop now this answer will not qualify as "brief"...lol...
I'm sure a lot of the seasoned card makers use Copics and Spectrums. I'm simple. I use Tombow, Berol, and American Crafts, and Distress. I have a variety of colors and love it. I do use a Copic Blender.
I use a couple of archival black inks for the original stamping of the image. I make cards on the need by need basis. I'm mainly a scrapper and mini album person, but I intergrade stamping into those.
I have loads of different ink pads. I mainly by on sale or with coups. I did get the dozen Stampin up classic color pack and I love it.
Knowning the basics as KLH54 have given, I think at this point, it's a matter of trial and error and playing with these wonderful mediums. I'm actually excited about getting my studio redone, so I can actually sit down and prepare some upcoming birthday cards. I'm also the lucky person who makes a bundle of "Star Award" cards for the staff at work when they make achievements. I felt kind'a special about that. I'll have to upload the first one I made.
Hi kaylink, and welcome to the obsession, lol. A while ago, I did a comparison between various black inkpads on my blog- link is HERE.
I was trying them out to see which performed best with clear stamps, but the info holds true for rubber too. You can see the type of print you will get from each pad, both with a line stamp, and a solid stamp. Hth.
I have just gotten into card making. I have a very old black ink pad and am looking for a new one. But with all the different options I am not sure what to get. I dont color with copics. Dont think I ever really will. I heard that Stazon is not good for clear stamps. I really only have clear stamps. Im just not sure about most of the black inks out there. I know that some prefer some and other like others. Id kinda like to know what the differences are and why I use one over the other. There are just far too many choices.
Get yourself a pad of Versafine Onyx. It is a wonderful fast drying pigment ink and works great on all stamps, especially clear ones. It is also especially good for detailed images.
__________________ Bugga in OK
"Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible." Dalai Lama
shazsilverwolf and buggainok, Thanks for sharing those. How helpful that was to me too. I love stamping but I consider myself a bit of a beginner to a novice at best. Shaz I love how you showed the differences. Thank you.
Denverkat276, we all started somewhere, sometime. And this place is the absolute best for help and advice. We've all asked questions on here at one time or another, and gotten so much help. Its a pleasure to be able to pass that on
Forgot to say, I'm another Versafine Onyx Black fan - really is probably the best multi- use inkpad I have. As long as you don't use Copics, of course.
Hi kaylink, and welcome to the obsession, lol. A while ago, I did a comparison between various black inkpads on my blog- link is HERE.
I was trying them out to see which performed best with clear stamps, but the info holds true for rubber too. You can see the type of print you will get from each pad, both with a line stamp, and a solid stamp. Hth.
Thanks for this. It was very clear and informative.
Versafine Onyx Black is great for detailed images, Ranger Archival black is amazing for deep, rich black. Most others I've tried are sort of...meh, compared to these. Memento for coloring with alcohol markers, as has already been mentioned...
Denverkat276, we all started somewhere, sometime. And this place is the absolute best for help and advice. We've all asked questions on here at one time or another, and gotten so much help. Its a pleasure to be able to pass that on
Forgot to say, I'm another Versafine Onyx Black fan - really is probably the best multi- use inkpad I have. As long as you don't use Copics, of course.
Shaz, I read on your blog that you are wishing for Versafine reinker in the UK. I have the reinker, and have bought another because the first was watery. The second one was watery too, so now I simply replace the Versafine pad when it gets dry. Used to take a long time, but takes hardly any time at all, lately. STILL, nothing beats Versafine for clear images, especially when stamping tiny sentiments.
Versafine Onyx Black is great for detailed images, Ranger Archival black is amazing for deep, rich black. Most others I've tried are sort of...meh, compared to these. Memento for coloring with alcohol markers, as has already been mentioned...
Ive been noticing the rich black of Archival which I think I like the look of. I just wonder why I dont see more people using it. Other then Tim Holtz. It seems to have similar qualities to the Staz On.
I don't find that my Ranger's Archival is any blacker than the Versafine Onxy. I have Memento purely so that if I am sending someone who uses Copics a couple of images, I can use a suitable ink for them. But it is definitely a less saturated black than the first two, and I don't use it for my personal card-making.
I do have both the Ranger Archival black and the Versafine Black Oryx and I think the Versafine is a richer black...the archival has a slightly bluer undertone. But I will reach for either if I want a darker black. What I love about Memento is the fact that it doesn't leave dark stains on my stamps.
__________________ Kathy
Last edited by klh54; 08-26-2014 at 03:56 PM..
Reason: didn't space two words.
It is hard to tell in someones pictures from the internet. I am loving all the opinions. I am getting a well educated of others experiences using them.
MEMORIES INDIA INK BLACK New art stamping ink designed for use with markers and water coloring! India Ink Black is a specially designed, deep black, super-quick-drying dye ink formula for use with watercolors, markers, art rubber stamping, scrapbooking and much more. Non-smearing, acid free, archival and fade resistant - India Ink Black is the fastest drying black dye ink pad on the market for all porous and nonporous surfaces. 2 1/4� x 3 1/2� pad size
I've use others mentioned in the past but find myself reaching for this one every time now.
For coloring with any alcohol markers i use memento tuxedo black. It doesn't smear. All my other blacks smear when I try to color with copics, spectrums and blendabilities. For good crisp black image, I love black onyx versa fine, however, it doesn't dry as quickly so be careful not to smear. I've done it many times! I use staz on black for stamping on acetate and my Gelli prints, since I sometimes mix a glossy medium with my acrylic paints so it is smooth and shiny.
Ive been noticing the rich black of Archival which I think I like the look of. I just wonder why I dont see more people using it.
I use Ranger Archival Jet Black sometimes (have for years) but I find the Ranger Archival to have a purple cast and not to be a true black and that is the reason why I don't use Ranger Archival Jet Black more frequently.
Interesting the different color perceptions from person to person...
__________________ "May your mind whirl joyful cartwheels of creativity." - Jonathan Lockwood Huie.
Ive been noticing the rich black of Archival which I think I like the look of. I just wonder why I dont see more people using it. Other then Tim Holtz. It seems to have similar qualities to the Staz On.
When I read this was the ink Tim Holtz used first on EVERY new stamp, I bought two pads and inked ALL my stamps because he said that would make them more likely to hold whatever ink I used next. How's THAT for a sales pitch? :-)
But whether it's the substrate the ink is on, or the ink itself , VersaFine makes a crisper blacker image EVERY time so to me there's no point in having or using the ten other brands now in my collection, including Archival.
When I read this was the ink Tim Holtz used first on EVERY new stamp, I bought two pads and inked ALL my stamps because he said that would make them more likely to hold whatever ink I used next. How's THAT for a sales pitch? :-)
But whether it's the substrate the ink is on, or the ink itself , VersaFine makes a crisper blacker image EVERY time so to me there's no point in having or using the ten other brands now in my collection, including Archival.
I agree about the versa fine, but if you are coloring with alcohol markers it smears. SSO I use versa fine for everything except alcohol marker coloring. For those I use memento tuxedo black.
From everyones posts, its clear that the best black inkpad depends very much on what you want to do with it!
So, for me, I go:
Versafine- for straight out stamping, either on plain card, or brayered/sponged/inked card. Also for solid silhouette type stamps
Memento- for any Alcohol Marker colouring.
Staz-on- things like acetate, or any shiny surface
Arcival- sometimes on inked/sponged card if the detail is not too fine.
Ditto what shazsilverwolf said - except that I loathe StazOn and don't do shiny, so I can eliminate that - and I use Archival for things like stamping images for my index...
I have Versafine I rarely use and Archival which I can't seem to find a reinker to buy for them.
Gina K and Memento are my go to inks ATM. I have had luck with Gina K and alcohol markers but the results with others seems to be mixed. I wasn't going to buy another black until I came across Gina K's and I will be honest, I love it. My second qualifier is that I no longer buy an ink pad unless I can get a reinker for it.
Last edited by RiverIsis; 08-31-2014 at 04:16 PM..
I have Versafine I rarely use and Archival which I can't seem to find a reinker to buy for them.
Gina K and Memento are my go to inks ATM. I have had luck with Gina K and alcohol markers but the results with others seems to be mixed. I wasn't going to buy another black until I came across Gina K's and I will be honest, I love it. My second qualifier is that I no longer buy and ink pad unless I can get a reinker for it.
RiverIsis,HERE is a link for both Versafine and Archival re-inkers, from Amazon.com. I had to order my Versafine from there, as I couldn't find anywhere in the UK that had it!.
Black Ink
