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I have been an SU fan for quite some time and was even a demo for a bit. Then I joined SCS and was lured away by all the other products out there in the marketplace everyone was talking about in the forums. I hated having to use only SU. The other thing that drives me insane about SU is how often they change or discontinue colors. Just when I fall in love with one, it goes on the retired list. I just cannot keep up or shell out $$$ to remain current with their offerings.
So I am looking to purchase new ink. I have a lot of wood, clear mount and photopolymer stamps so the ink has to work with all types of stamps.
Any suggestions? Tips on what brands to avoid? I do have some Copics so do I even need many colors?
For stamping images etc, Versafine or Memento are both hard to beat. Chalk inks or 'hybrid' inks are I believe both supposed to work well on solid stamps.
Almost any dye ink can also be turned into an ink you can emboss by putting Versamark on the stamp, then going over with your coloured ink.
For stamping images etc, Versafine or Memento are both hard to beat. Chalk inks or 'hybrid' inks are I believe both supposed to work well on solid stamps.
Almost any dye ink can also be turned into an ink you can emboss by putting Versamark on the stamp, then going over with your coloured ink.
Thanks for your response. So do you find the Versafine or Memento colors sufficient? I am so used to the many colors SU offers but I don't buy their paper anymore so it doesn't matter about matching.
Dye inks - so you tap stamp in Versamark then tap in the dye ink???
I do usually find the range of colours in both inks sufficient. One thing, Versafine only has refills for the Black and Sepia, whereas Memento have them for all the pads, so that may influence your choice. In both cases, you can get fullsize pads, and mini pads. The mini pads give you more pads for your money, so again, that may influence you. If you click on THIS LINK, it will take you to Tsukineko's site- they manufacture a wide range of pads, including the two I mentioned. You can click on any brand name, and see the colour range.
The Versamark and dye ink trick is if you want to add embossing powder, but your dye ink dries too fast on its own. Some inks, like Distress, are very 'wet' pads, and if your cardstock is not too absorbent, will emboss. Distress ink generally gives stamped images a distressed look, hence the name. You will not get a good clear print, so if thats what you want, they won't really work well. It can help to have a look at You Tube videos on different inks and their application, it can help you make up your mind what will work for you. I love You Tube, you can learn anything on there!
I use Memento with my Copic markers and I use the distress inks by Tim Holtz to watercolor. For watercoloring, I just tap the distress ink onto a clear block and then add a bit of water for watercolor. Watercoloring images is my favorite!
I really like Lawn Fawn dye inks. I use those for stamps that I want the sentiment to be stamped in color. I only have pink and teal but i plan to get more colors.
I use Memento with my Copic markers and I use the distress inks by Tim Holtz to watercolor. For watercoloring, I just tap the distress ink onto a clear block and then add a bit of water for watercolor. Watercoloring images is my favorite!
I really like Lawn Fawn dye inks. I use those for stamps that I want the sentiment to be stamped in color. I only have pink and teal but i plan to get more colors.
thanks cheermom...I didn't know Lawn Fawn had ink. I will check them out.
I would suggest you try one pad from many companies to see what YOU like. Distress inks bead up on clear stamps, and don't really stick to rubber, BUT they are fun to play with as water-based colors.
Avery Elle, My Favorite Things and others make pigment, hybrid and dye inks that will stick to everything, and give lovely images, even solid.
I like Memento Tuxedo black for general stamping, and refills are available.
Ranger Archival black for outlines for your watercoloring images.
Gotta have Versamark.
Joann has terrible customer service BUT often have 50% off inks, and brief offers of low or free shipping. Get on their email list.
Go to Jennifermcquireink.com and check out her reviews of inks. Go to her My Favorite Things section to see her suggestions for inks plus charts you can download for the various brands so you can inventory your ink colors.
I started listing inks I love - Versafine, Ranger Archival, Distress, Hero Arts Shadow, Studio Calico, Memento, etc.
But it depends on the application - embossing, fine detail, glorious colors, using for watercoloring, wanting to water color on top of the ink, etc.
I'd suggest grabbing a variety, and seeing what rings your chimes. An instructor at class once stated that dye inks are the same, and while I don't necessarily agree, you'd be safe trying many dye inks. Some come in small cubes (Versafine, Distress, Hero Arts Shadow, etc.) so you could buy some without a large investment.
And when you need a particular type or color, you could put the word out and/or google. When I wanted a nice, white pigment ink, "Hero Arts" was mentioned a lot, for example.
That said...
I love Versafine for detail, and some colors can do three+ generation stamping, like one of their purples and satin red. It's a great hybrid. They also come in cubes and stay juicy forever. <--- not really, but I'm beginning to wonder.
Studio Calico has lovely colors and other products to go with them - acrylics, mists, etc. While many are wonderful, soft, clear colors, I'm also addicted to their Deja Blue, a navy.
I use Distress inks for both stamping (clear stamps) and watercoloring. Their colors are toned down (grayed or browned, what some call muddy, but not in a bad way), not bright or clear, and they're not supposed to be.
Ranger Archival inks are a frequent go-to.
Hero Arts Shadow little cube sets are fun - four cubes of harmonizing colors.
Kaleidacolor is stinkin' fun. It has 5 strips of related colors that can be stamped or brayered on as a background. The 5 narrow strips are pushed together with a lever when using them, and pulled apart for storage. Or you could use one color on a very small stamp.
I have one that goes from aa squash to pumpkin to reddish brown to dark chocolate. (My names.) We used it in a class for a background on glossy paper. Scrumptious! https://www.imaginecrafts.com/learn-kaleidacolor
I know I'm missing some favorites. I also recommend watching Jennifer McGuire's videos. I'd just keep in mind there are so many inks now, that she can't try them all, and some are her sponsors. That is *not* a negative; I'm a huge JM fan. She just can't cover everything.
I got my first Simon Says Stamp ink a couple days ago. I expected a peachy orange, wich is the cover color; it's called Melon. But it actually fits into the gold/orange family of Distress colors. Surprised! I'm going to ask if their colors tend to be more toned down.
Most of all have fun.
Last edited by bjeans; 07-17-2016 at 09:28 AM..
Reason: lever, not level, plus other stuff
How funny, out of all the blogs in the crafting universe, I was on her website yesterday, and asked a question about a type of pick-up tool she likes. She responded really quickly, too!
I have to give my recommendation for Papertrey Ink..ink😉 They have a wide selection of colours that coordinate really well together, which is important to me since I do a lot of multi-step stamping. As well, they have matching cardstock and felt (both really thick and great quality). You can buy their ink pads in full-size ovals or in mini cubes that are only $2 each. And even though they don't retire their colours (yay!) they always look fresh and modern- they've added a lot of new ones over the last several months.
I know that in the far past this company was notorious for ink quality issues and customer relations problems, and that kept me away for a while until I became so disenchanted with the high turnover, resulting low quality, and lack of innovative design in SU products that I just had to look elsewhere. I'm in Canada so my list of options at home is nil, and shipping/customs costs can be ridiculous. But PTI does offer a $20 discount for orders over $200, which is better than most other companies. So I don't order often but when I do it's not hard to get to the $200 mark!
I have only good things to say about their products, including their ink, and they really seem to have gotten past their "growing pains" that they had in earlier days with customer service. I've had nothing but excellent service from them.
Their design team is what really drew me in- many of them design products for the company and they all put so much thought into their stamp sets/dies for maximum versatility. Their designs appeal to my own personal tastes more than any other company out there, and I've never seen another stamp company that focusses as much on usefulness and beauty of design as they do. They don't have to retire their stamp sets very often because they stay current for so long!
Hope that helps!
Need new ink - what should I get?
