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I'm curious about your experience with various mini ink pads.
I really like the size and colors of the Colorbox Chalk cat's eye ink pads. The down side is that the ink dries slowly and, worse, the sponge pads have a bad habit of coming off its base.
I think the Ranger Distress ink colors are great but I've read a lot of complaints about dried up pads because the little lids don't stay in place.
The Memento Dew Drops look interesting. They will work with Copic markers and they appear to come in a good variety of colors. Unfortunately, I've read a few complaints about uneven, mottled coloring when used with stamps.
Tell me about your experiences and your favorite mini ink pads. Do you prefer the faster drying dye or slow dry pigment ink for general stamping?
Ok, I have some colourbox Cats Eye pads, had them for at least 5 years, and all of mine are fine. Not had any come off the base. Yes, they are slower drying, but all pigment inks dry slower, to allow for heat embossing.
I haven't got a comment on the Di mini's as I've bought the large pads.
Dew drops, again I've had mine a long, long time. I'd guess, because the pad is small, you do have to be a lot more careful about inking up your stamps evenly, especially if it's a large stamp,which is probably why people are getting uneven colouring. They'd be fine on text stamps, or images with fine lines, but I'd say more awkward on 'solid' silhouette types.
As to which I prefer, I like both. It's horses for courses. The slower drying ones if I want to heat emboss, the faster drying dye inks if I'm just adding colour to images/backgrounds, or stamping a sentiment I don't intend to heat emboss. Although, having said that, if you ink your stamp first with Versamark/any clear embossing ink, then re-ink over it with a dye inkpad, you will be able to heat emboss that.
Mini pads I think are good for 'testing' whether you like a colour or brand, and also allow you to build up a good selection of colours quite cheaply, but when I know I like a particular colour or brand, I prefer full sized pads for general use.
I think all mini's have their place. I even have the cheapy Michaels ones. I don't use any of them as the pad for large stamps though. I mostly use them for stamping sentiments or adding accents around the card edges or a framlet edge. I agree with silverwolfcards that you can build up a good collection of colors with the minis quite inexpensively.
A little tip I would share is to be sure that reinkers are available for whatever pad you choose, or be prepared to throw the pad when it becomes dry. I have been finding that a number of companies are not making reinkers for their pads. I have a bunch of Colorbox chalk and dye ink pads that have no reinkers available. Even though I bought these as mini stamp pads, without the ability to re-ink, they have been a huge waste of money.
A little tip I would share is to be sure that reinkers are available for whatever pad you choose, or be prepared to throw the pad when it becomes dry. I have been finding that a number of companies are not making reinkers for their pads. I have a bunch of Colorbox chalk and dye ink pads that have no reinkers available. Even though I bought these as mini stamp pads, without the ability to re-ink, they have been a huge waste of money.
Try the Frantic Stamper website for Colorbox Chalk refills. I have purchased many refills for mini ink pads I already had and purchased many new mini ink pads and the refills from her. Great service!
__________________ mcw519 m Carolyn w
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A little tip I would share is to be sure that reinkers are available for whatever pad you choose, or be prepared to throw the pad when it becomes dry.
My inability to get reinkers for my retired Close to My Heart ink pads is the reason I'm looking at mini pads for future color use.
I do like my full-size Memento ink pads for most stamping, especially when I use my Copic markers. But I would like the opportunity to print sentiments in a coordinating color and this is where the mini pads would come in.
Also, I like to use the mini pads (in my case the cats eye) to color the edges of my scrapbook pages. It is probably the scraping of the foam against the page that causes the foam to pop off it's base.
I really love the Distress colors but don't want to deal with a bunch of dried up pads if the lids won't stay on. I wonder if it's just a problem for people who toss their minis into a bag or container rather than storing them flat?
My inability to get reinkers for my retired Close to My Heart ink pads is the reason I'm looking at mini pads for future color use.
I do like my full-size Memento ink pads for most stamping, especially when I use my Copic markers. But I would like the opportunity to print sentiments in a coordinating color and this is where the mini pads would come in.
Also, I like to use the mini pads (in my case the cats eye) to color the edges of my scrapbook pages. It is probably the scraping of the foam against the page that causes the foam to pop off it's base.
I really love the Distress colors but don't want to deal with a bunch of dried up pads if the lids won't stay on. I wonder if it's just a problem for people who toss their minis into a bag or container rather than storing them flat?
I don't have any problem with the lids of my Distress mini pads coming off. Unless you're careless when storing them I don't know why there would be a problem.
If there is a type/brand/color of ink that you prefer, you can always make your own spots. I like too many to afford them and/or fit them in the available storage spaces, so I made my own. I did a tutorial for my blog HERE, if you're interested...
If there is a type/brand/color of ink that you prefer, you can always make your own spots. I like too many to afford them and/or fit them in the available storage spaces, so I made my own. I did a tutorial for my blog HERE, if you're interested...
I don't know how it would work with the chalks, but dried ink pads are not usually a problem of too little pigment, but of too little moisture. An inkpad refresher - there are several kinds out there, will usually take care of that. It's saved my bacon any number of times over the past several years. At least for dye and pigment inks.
I've never quite understood the desire to have the mini ink pads. The small chalks always ran out too quickly for me to do much in the way of quantity production. And I use foam pads for inking up the sides of paper to distress them so I prefer the larger ink pads on anything else. Haven't quite figured out what to do with smaller pads.
__________________ The future is uncertain, because love changes everything!
I did a tutorial for my blog HERE, if you're interested...
Wonderful idea, and I have just the thing to use! A friend recently gave me a her Cropper Hopper embellishment case with five or six of the 1" cubes and 25-30 of the 1.5".
Sadly, this product has been discontinued and I cannot find anything else like it.
My daughter is just getting into stamping and has ZERO dollars, so we went looking for an alternative yesterday to make spots for her with my reinkers. We decided that this would work:
We got hers at Michael's with a 50% off coupon, but here's a link to Amazon: Darice Clear Storage We'll have to cut circles instead of squares for the foam, but we will still tape the foam to the lid, and she'll be able to see all of the colors at a glance. And yes, the Cut 'n Dry Foam is thick enough to protrude from the lid, so that's a non-issue. When she wants more, we'll be able to find another one of these easily enough...
__________________ ~ Sue Happy for no reason...
Last edited by gregzgurl; 09-04-2015 at 12:41 PM..
I have had problems with the Distress Mini lids coming off but have solved that problem by keeping them in the TH tin made for them. The plastic tray inside keeps them from moving around so the lids stay on.
Sue ---how many drops of Reinker fluid do you add to allow the sponge to soak up? Or do you add a drop of Re-inker every time you are about to use it ??
__________________ Creativity is intelligence having fun. - Albert Einstein
I never counted - I just sort of "squiggle" some ink on there and smoosh it around with my bone folder, then test it, add more if needed, repeat... I haven't had to re-ink any of them so far, but my stamping time has been non-existent for a bit...
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Quote:
Originally Posted by annie*
A little tip I would share is to be sure that reinkers are available for whatever pad you choose, or be prepared to throw the pad when it becomes dry. I have been finding that a number of companies are not making reinkers for their pads. I have a bunch of Colorbox chalk and dye ink pads that have no reinkers available. Even though I bought these as mini stamp pads, without the ability to re-ink, they have been a huge waste of money.
What about ink refresher for your dry pads? I've had good luck with inksenssials ink refresher. I got a fairly large bottle for $5.00 at a local stamp/scrap store.
Oh I see someone posted this idea already. Well here's a second vote for ink refresher.
__________________ All I want is the chance to prove money won't make me happy!
Last edited by Allistamps123; 09-07-2015 at 03:19 AM..
I don't know how it would work with the chalks, but dried ink pads are not usually a problem of too little pigment, but of too little moisture. An inkpad refresher - there are several kinds out there, will usually take care of that. It's saved my bacon any number of times over the past several years. At least for dye and pigment inks.
I've never quite understood the desire to have the mini ink pads. The small chalks always ran out too quickly for me to do much in the way of quantity production. And I use foam pads for inking up the sides of paper to distress them so I prefer the larger ink pads on anything else. Haven't quite figured out what to do with smaller pads.
Reason to use mini's is to have more colors for a smaller amount of $. When I'm not using my pads, I store groups of pads in Ziplock freezer bags and all the bags in an acrylic case. Markers too. That has kept my inks from drying out in our air heated and air cooled home. Racks look nice, but air got to my inks.
I'd like to know how to re-affix ColorBox foam Chalk ink pads that come off. Glue that works for wet ink to plastic base?
I have had a bottle of Perfect Ink Refresher (I think Ranger changed the name now) for some time and tried it on some Anna Griffin pigment ink pads and Colorbox pigment pads, to no effect. I emailed to the manufacturer of the Refresher and they said it is not meant for pigment ink, as it a different emulsion than dye inks. They said there is no refresher that will really work on pigment. BUMMER!!
Mini ink pad preference?
