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heres what the stamp kinds looks like , not exactly but you get the general idea. i cannot seem to get an even stamp. the background doesnt come out solid. what kind of ink? i tried using the brayer and i think that definately did not put down enough ink. any helpful hints.
Stamp sets that haven't been used before can have residue left on them from the maunfacturing process. If you clean your stamps first, rub them on your jeans, or even lightly sand with a fine sanding block, you should get a better image.
Start out with a juicy ink pad. If the pad you're using hasn't been reinked in a while, this can often be the gremlin.
Sometimes, stamping with a chalk ink or a pigment ink will improve the look substantially.
We used to advise each other to use a pencil eraser to remove 'new stamp' residue. I haven't done that in years ... leaning more toward finding the right brand of ink in my stash that works well with the stamp. Here in my stampin' zone, it seems that some clear stamps respond differently to various brands of ink.
Hang in there ... you'll get to the bottom of this with perseverance.
Also, on stamps that have lots of solid surface I have found the quality of paper to be important.
Example, trying to stamp an ornament from the SU set Delightful Decorations. I could NOT get the solid parts to come out SOLID. Re-inked my pad, tried different padding under the paper, tried putting the paper on top of the stamp. Finally switched from SU's Confetti Cream to SU's Very Vanilla...and "poof"...solid image. The ultrasmooth surface of the Very Vanilla ( or Whisper White ) gives a much better solid image than the other neutral papers.
well i lightly sanded it. i tried stazon, distress ink (the worst, it just beaded up on the stamp), color box. the best ink i tried was a cheap cheap craft ink from michaels, the problem is the color i had was a bright teal. not what i was looking for. i used versa mark embossing ink and black embossing powder, eh.
i think this might be where i say, "pick one thing you cant do well and .... dont do that thing" frustrating.
Sometimes I ink my stamp with versamark first then into the color that I want to use. Just be sure that if you are making multiples that you clean the stamp before you put it back into the versamark.
The new Stampin' Up! ink pads have worked well for me on solid stamps without having to use versamark first. But if it is black that you are doing there are still problems with the new black smearing so I would not get the black.
I have trouble with getting a solid image sometimes too and I find that if I keep pressure on the stamp and let it sit on the paper for a couple extra seconds it seems to work out better. I think it gives the ink a little bit of time to get absorbed into the paper. If that doesn't work, then I'll try pigment ink. And if that doesn't work, then I resort to using the fine side of an old nail buffing block or eraser. That usually works...
i am going to try the versa mark before ink trick. it is a large stamp, so you cannot put even pressure over the whole thing at once, but i am trying my darndest to press press press everywhere. the stamp is meant to take up nearly the whole card front. glad i got it for 40% off.
its already cut and folded into the card and there is a small sentiment on it with a rhinestone, my last step was to do this big stamp. so i cant really do that because i dont think i could ever get it centered in the spot i need it. i had these almost finished cards left over from last christmas last year i used a different stamp. i saw this stamp and thought oh this would be perfect for those extras. pretty soon it will be a non issue because i will be out of the extras!
Stamp sets that haven't been used before can have residue left on them from the maunfacturing process. If you clean your stamps first, rub them on your jeans, or even lightly sand with a fine sanding block, you should get a better image.
I "season" my stamps by rubbing a white eraser over the surface. At least my clear ones. I don't usually have much trouble with my rubber ones.
The aforementioned trick by other posters do work well, but if you are still having problems, Stampin' Up! revamped their ink pads to firm foam pads this year. I have switched over almost my entire collection and I'm very happy with the impressions that I'm getting with bold stamps like the one you showed. If you're still unhappy after you've tried all the tricks, you might want to purchase one and see how you like it.
I see you can't put the paper on the stamp. I do that normally... I use Archival Inks for those stamps or Adirondack inks. They both work great for those for me. I use my brayer as well. I sure hope you figure out the problem.
The aforementioned trick by other posters do work well, but if you are still having problems, Stampin' Up! revamped their ink pads to firm foam pads this year. I have switched over almost my entire collection and I'm very happy with the impressions that I'm getting with bold stamps like the one you showed. If you're still unhappy after you've tried all the tricks, you might want to purchase one and see how you like it.
Or find a demo in your neighbourhood that will let you try one.
Like Brenda, I've fallen in love with how the new SU! ink pads work for solid images.
Slightly sanding the rubber so that the ink has "teeth" to hold on to helps...should help a bit. Not so much that it "gouges" the rubber.
Also I find with larger stamps (like background stamps) or stamps with large solid areas that it helps to have a good surface under the paper that you are stamping on - a softer surface like a foam sheet or a magazine (rather than your solid table) helps to apply pressure over the entire picture.
This is kinda what I mean by a foam sheet - not too thick or thin but it will have more "give" than your hard surface table: Creatology -- it allows you to apply a little more pressure over the whole stamp instead of only one area.
Good Luck!
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There are two other "tricks" I've read about, but not tried myself, that you can use to try and get better pressure when using a large stamp.
First you could try placing a flat, sturdy piece of plywood on the floor, put your card front down, put down the inked stamp then STAND ON IT.
Another option is to stamp on a surface that is the right height for you to be able to "sit" on the stamp to apply all over even pressure.
I have not tried these methods myself but others have had success with this if you feel you've tried all other solutions and want to be able to apply more all over even pressure in the hopes of getting a more solid image. Just saying.. ;)
i may try the standing method. i am on blood thinners and without a doubt sitting on a block of wood, would leave a nice bruise where the edges wedged into my rear! i always have these big bruises that i cant explain, it would be interesting to explain a 4 x6 in block shaped bruise on my butt!
i may try the standing method. i am on blood thinners and without a doubt sitting on a block of wood, would leave a nice bruise where the edges wedged into my rear! i always have these big bruises that i cant explain, it would be interesting to explain a 4 x6 in block shaped bruise on my butt!
But what a great way to start a conversation about stamping with your health care workers. Maybe you'll find new stamping friends that way. :-)
Sometimes I ink my stamp with versamark first then into the color that I want to use. Just be sure that if you are making multiples that you clean the stamp before you put it back into the versamark.
The new Stampin' Up! ink pads have worked well for me on solid stamps without having to use versamark first. But if it is black that you are doing there are still problems with the new black smearing so I would not get the black.
I agree SU ink pads are the best fro solid images. I have found just lightly drying with my heat gun keeps the SU Black ink from smearing.
Tim Holtz has a method where he stamps all his "problem" stamps with Archival ink first. Leaves that to dry on the stamp and then inks with his ink of choice. It stains your stamp but does work
i have found that i get best results using versafine ink with these types of ink. it seems to sit on the surface of the stamp better than dye inks that can sometimes bead up a bit and create a patchy effect.
i'd also recommend using a foam pad to stamp onto - don't know why it helps but it does!!!
I agree with Kathleen that Versafine inks work well for solid stamps. Also the very juicy ColorBox inks - but if you're not embossing them, be careful to give them time to dry before doing anything else with your image.
I assume it's a wood mounted stamp you're trying to use. You could unmount it and buy an Impression Obsession Mega Mount ( Impression Obsession Rubber Stamps: Cover-a-Card Stamps & Mega Mount ) which I find works wonderfully for large unmounted stamps. I've unmounted all my large background stamps and use them with the Mega Mount and have much more success.
__________________ Susan
My SCS gallery is here should you care to look! Or please visit my blog, Cardmaker's Garret.
Maybe it's your cardstock. It has to be a good receptive cardstock to get a nice bold image off a stamp. Stampin' Up! has the best. You can see the difference the cardstock makes if you stamp an image on grid paper and then stamp it on the whisper white. Night and day for sure!
What are you stamping on? I have a molded plastic table that I work on. It's great for everything but stamping. I can't get a good solid image. I go to a solid wood table or the countertop when I stamp.
I am going to second the Mega Mount suggestion. I dithered over getting one for my large BG stamps for months because it was $25 bucks. I tried a brayer, I tried putting the stamp face up and putting the paper on the stamp, I tried sitting on it and standing on it, I worked on a lower table, I tried the Fiskars stamp press, I tried all kinds of inks, I tried every single thing suggested here and I still could not get clean images with my large stamps. I finally broke down and bought the Mega Mount. End of problem.
Strictly my own opinion and my own experience, of course. But I think the Mega Mount is the greatest invention since sliced bread. Worth every penny of what it cost me.
__________________ I have come to the conclusion that buying craft supplies and actually using them are two separate hobbies. RachelRose Designs by Robin... GALLERY
Last edited by Rachelrose; 11-14-2012 at 02:03 PM..
I don't think anyone has made this suggestion yet,if they have, I apologize.
If you have another stamp or a clear stamping block that is slightly larger than the stamp you are using, place it on top of the stamp and press hard. I think this may help. It seems to give you better pressure and more leverage for large solid stamps. This trick has worked for me in the past. HTH!
I put the stamp right side up on the table and then lay my cardstock on top. Put a clean sheet of typing paper over your cardstock and use a brayer to roll all over the paper. This works for those large background stamps. I had the SU jeans stamp and couldn't get a decent image until my SIL (a SU demonstrator) told me about this. Works great!
I have a large collection of stamps, most of them wood mounted. Some of my larger stamps just wouldn't give me a perfect impression. I bought a Speedball Press, made to use with lino blocks. Every stamp in my collection, clear and rubber, mounted and unmounted, gives me a perfect impression now. You can see my stamping results on my blog. The Speedball Press has made every stamp in my collection usable again:
Another vote for Versafine (Onyx Black) here. I did a try out of various inks on silhouette-type stamps on my blog recently, and Versafine gave the best solid image. These were just inked up( ink pad to stamp) and stamped as normal (card on desktop, then stamp to card)). As you found, Distress Inks don't do well on this type of stamp, and Memento only fared slightly better. Can't comment on SU as I don't use their products. As some others have said, a good, smooth cardstock is essential, and another way of preparing a new stamp is to go all over the surface with some low-tack tape. It will take off the slightly powdery residue from manufacturing. Some people also swear by having a surface with a little 'give' in it to stamp on-mousemat, newspapers etc- but I have always preferred a solid surface.
stamps with lots of solid color
