Digi Stamping

[hedgiemama]

I don't understand what this is. After you download- do you cut pieces out and embellish them? Or do you print them in the colored paper you want and piece them together? I see many freebies... I guess I just don't get it.

Could someone please explain what digi stamping is. And why most of the sties (almost all) show very juvenile illustrations? Like for very small children??

Thank you, I appreciate.

[HeatherHolbrook]

You treat it just like a rubber stamp but instead of inking it you simply print it out on your cardstock. You can then color it, paper piece it, etc. just like "regular" stamps. There are TONS of digi companies (and freebies), do a google search, you'll find a lot more than just kid themes.

[SkyNacho]

Quote:

Originally Posted by hedgiemama

And why most of the sties (almost all) show very juvenile illustrations? Like for very small children??

I suspect that the reason you call them that (or one of the reasons) is because they are often very basic line drawings like you might find in a coloring book.

That's actually really good for copic coloring or paper piecing... sites like CC Designs and Tiddly Inks have digis that are basically the same style as their stamps. CC Designs releases a lot of their stuff in both rubber and digi.

But some of it is also the limitations of the printer. A very detailed stamp, like a great scenery stamp from Northwoods, will not reproduce well on the printer because the ink will bleed just so slightly and make the image blurry. Or maybe the printer, especially if its older, just doesn't have the resolution to make a clear image. Also, the more detailed a stamp is, the more ink it takes, and not everyone wants to spend a lot of money on printer ink when it costs mere pennies to ink up your stamp with some memento.

[hedgiemama]

Thank you!

[BathBelle]

There are many digi sites that are definitely not childish. Try Sweetpea Stamps, Kenny K, Bugaboo, Make it Crafty, to name a few. I wondered the same thing a couple of thing a couple of years and now have over 4,000 stamps! (Plus loads of papers I can use -try Pink Petticoat for images, papers and sentiments)

I generally print the outline and colour in, though many sites have pre coloured images for when you are in a hurry!

I love that you can re-size them, rotate them, flip them etc. I use mine in Studio program which is deigned for Silhouette cutters but I rarely cut, just use it for images.

Ruth

[hedgiemama]

Thanks since I am layed up, I will just download a couple images and give it a go. Getting ink and stamps out is too much right now for me. I'll just find a Halloween or Thanksgiving image and give it a go!

Thanks!

[stelagrafx]

What I like about digis is that you can resize or flip them. You cant do that with stamps. I lay them out in Publisher and print a whole page on cardstock. Digis work best in outline stamps you color or solid images.

[cakhuxel]

There is an ongoing debate about whether digi-stamps are really stamps. They are actually digital images. If you want to color them in, a good way to do that is to heat set the ink before you start to color. They work especially well with color pencils and chalk, not so well with water color and alcohol inks because your printer likely does not have color fast ink.

[ButterflyEars]

The thing to remember about digis is if you are going to ink them up you should really let them dry for a day or so. Otherwise you may find that your printer ink smears with the marker inks.
I love digis, that is mostly all that I use now mainly for cost and no storage problems.

[Bella's Mommy]

I find that if I select draft for the print quality the alcohol inks do not smear. Give that a try.

[mshatzma]

I like to use digital stamps (uncolored) for an image I might only need once or twice, so investing $2 is fine, vs buying a stamp set. First though, If I need a 'generic" image - like a daisy for example, I do try to find a free by googling what i am looking for, then using the "image" tab on google. You have to click around to find an image in the public domain (free/legal), if I can't find, then i hit the digi store sites. I have so many stamps, but sometimes I want a much bigger image, or flipped around, so digi is way to go.

[jeanne3579]

Digi Stamping is a misnomer. It is not stamping at all, but printing. Call it Digi images or Digi Printing, PLEASE, not stamping!

[buggainok]

Quote:

Originally Posted by hedgiemama

Thanks since I am layed up, I will just download a couple images and give it a go. Getting ink and stamps out is too much right now for me. I'll just find a Halloween or Thanksgiving image and give it a go!

Thanks!

Check out Birdie Brown on Etsy (SCS member Torico). She has really great images I think. Here is a link:

Cute & Whimsical Digital Stamps by BirdieBrown on Etsy

[SkyNacho]

Quote:

Originally Posted by buggainok

Check out Birdie Brown on Etsy (SCS member Torico). She has really great images I think. Here is a link:

Cute & Whimsical Digital Stamps by BirdieBrown on Etsy

Thanks for that, Bugga! She designs for There She Goes, and I didn't know she had a digi shop!

[hedgiemama]

Thanks for giving me sites to look at!

[buggainok]

Quote:

Originally Posted by SkyNacho

Thanks for that, Bugga! She designs for There She Goes, and I didn't know she had a digi shop!

I didn't know either, and was delighted to find it. I love her style and have bought stamp sets she designed for There She Goes.

I was looking for Halloween inspiration in the gallery and found a card she posted using her new digi Halloween stamps. There was a link to her blog, and from there to her Etsy shop. I bought the cute cats she designed for Halloween. They are wonderful.

[ladyofcards]

You can color your image with a paint program or Photoshop and then print them in color! Also there are many digi item on Silhouette Cameo that you can color with the Sketch Pens loaded in the Cameo... Then have the Cameo cut it out!

[ladyofcards]

Great tip! I will try it!

[buggainok]

I found this and wanted to share. A set of 10 different designs of cute Halloween digital scrapbooking papers - absolutely free! Here is the link:

Freebies - Halloween - 10 Digital papers - MYGRAFICO - DIGITAL ARTS AND CRAFTS STORE

I was looking at Hobby Lobby for a few sheets for a Halloween project, and their selection was terrible. And then I found these. I printed them on 8-1/2 x 11 coverweight cardstock and they look great.

[Tinkerbell1958]

Sherri Baldy has some cute Halloween digis.
Sherri Baldy Art by SherriBaldy on Etsy

[Barbara Jay]

Quote:

Originally Posted by buggainok

I found this and wanted to share. A set of 10 different designs of cute Halloween digital scrapbooking papers - absolutely free! Here is the link:

Freebies - Halloween - 10 Digital papers - MYGRAFICO - DIGITAL ARTS AND CRAFTS STORE

I was looking at Hobby Lobby for a few sheets for a Halloween project, and their selection was terrible. And then I found these. I printed them on 8-1/2 x 11 cover weight cardstock and they look great.

THANK YOU for the link to the Halloween paper!
I don't usually make Halloween cards, but my Son-in-Law loves to decorate for Halloween so I decided to make a card for him and my daughter. I too have hunted high and low to find some Halloween paper I liked and had no success. I don't like distressed paper. This paper is perfect

[Barbara Jay]

I like using some Digi's. I only make cards for my family and close friends so buying actual stamps to use once or twice can get costly.

I love to color with Copics, but occasionally the ink from my HP ink jet smeared . I didn't want to go through the rigamarole of spraying it with fixative, heat setting or waiting a couple of days for it to dry.

Some one told me that the printing from a Laser printer will not smear with Copics.
I bought The Brother's HL-2240 Laser printer. It only prints black and works perfectly. I watched for sales until I found one for $50 at Office Depot.
I went there with samples of my card stock to be sure it would accept heavier material without jamming.

It has a front to back by-pass slot and even takes Gina K CS.
I only use the Laser printer for Digi's so I have never had to buy a new Toner Cartridge . I got the printer about 8 months ago and I am still using the Toner that came with the printer

The ink in an ink jet printer can get old if you don't use it , but toner is powder so I don't think it can go bad.

[buggainok]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Barbara Jay

THANK YOU for the link to the Halloween paper!
I don't usually make Halloween cards, but my Son-in-Law loves to decorate for Halloween so I decided to make a card for him and my daughter. I too have hunted high and low to find some Halloween paper I liked and had no success. I don't like distressed paper. This paper is perfect

Glad to help, Barbara. I don't usually print much of the digi paper, because it seems to use so much of my ink, and I don't think it's very cost effective. Especially when I can find single sheets on sale at Hobby Lobby or Joanns. This time I made an exception because I couldn't find anything suitable to buy at the stores.

[BathBelle]

I am very mean when it comes to printing paper. I work out exactly what size I need and just print that amount. I use Studio program but you could probably do it in Word. My problem is that there are no decent scrap shops less than an hour and a half's drive so if I want paper I have to print it myself.

[TangoAlphaMike]

I had just the same questions a couple of months ago. What the heck was a digi stamp? Then I did a little reading and found out what they were. There does seem to be a lot of young looking digi stamps out there but hopefully there will be more and more updated and trendy versions of the DS!

I use watercolor with mine. If you use around an 80lbs. watercolor or card stock paper and let it dry for a little bit after printing the images out, it takes the watercolor pretty good. Just touches of watercolor not a whole lot.

[StinkaBellasMommie]

I LOVE digi stamps/printing. I won't ever buy another rubber/acrylic stamp. I tried using a laser printer but the black ink smears and comes off. I use a simple ink jet printer and never have a problem with my Copics bleeding. I usually don't color the digi's immediately though. I have 1000's of digi's that I have collected or bought over the past few years. Most are categorized but not all, and sometimes it gets difficult to find what I need. I really love the digi sentiments. Try Ginger's House--she sends out one per day, sometimes 2. I also love Saturated Canary digi stamps by Krista Smith--she is an awesome artist. The things I love most about digi's:
Space --- they take very little
Organizing -- can be sorted by theme with no space considerations
Cost -- many times free, normally $3 or less
No Mess! They print out perfect, no light spots where there wasn't enough ink or you didn't press down hard enough.
No smearing!
They can be embossed by using a VersaMark pen.. just like rubber.
They can be resized, flipped, computer-colored, and mass printed...
Once you go digi, you don't go back---at least in my case...!

[cakhuxel]

I can appreciate all your valid points. But there is an art to rubber stamping that is missing with easily manipulated digi stamps. I've come to love RubberStampMadness magazine for that very reason. The way those artists organize layer upon layer until they achieve the finished picture, it's just mind boggling. Knowing how to get the perspective right, the shadows, figuring out what image is laid down first, masking off whole or parts of images so they overlap, until you have the correct depth and sense of 3-dimensional space. It's extraordinary. Look at some of these stamped scenes: Rubber Stamp Gallery

[cat_woman]

Quote:

Originally Posted by cakhuxel

I can appreciate all your valid points. But there is an art to rubber stamping that is missing with easily manipulated digi stamps. I've come to love RubberStampMadness magazine for that very reason. The way those artists organize layer upon layer until they achieve the finished picture, it's just mind boggling. Knowing how to get the perspective right, the shadows, figuring out what image is laid down first, masking off whole or parts of images so they overlap, until you have the correct depth and sense of 3-dimensional space. It's extraordinary. Look at some of these stamped scenes: Rubber Stamp Gallery

Those are very nice and can be quite easily replicated in digi. Digi is just a different process, but in the end you can achieve exactly the same results as you would with stamps.

[cakhuxel]

Well, my point was that artwork created with digital images can be "easily replicated." When you use traditional rubber stamps, you have to figure out all the layers and perspective yourself. When you use a digi image, all you do is move the layers in the program. There's no comparison. I'm not saying digital images are not fun to use. But they are simply not "stamping." They are graphic design.

[stiz2003]

I love both digital and rubber. However I use the digitals for the image only which I think most of us do. Then add rubber with it and do coloring and embellishments traditionally. I will admit that I do scan the artwork to make Christmas cards go a bit faster since I am so pokey and on rare occasion I will do a card digitally but all coloring is manual. In fact I think some artists do not allow digital coloring. There are so many advantages to using both digital and rubber.

[stelagrafx]

The debate always goes on when there is a new form of creating, using or coloring images. Wood mount vs unmounted. rubber vs acrylic. copics vs SU markers etc etc. There are good reasons for each case. But to say digitals aren't real stamping can be hurtful to many digital designers who work for hours and hours to get their image right and to many stampers that use digital stamps. I would bet if you took a design that came in rubber and digital and made a card from it, you wouldn't be able to tell the difference. I said I liked digitals because I can flip and resize them but also for storage issues cost. I still use rubber and probably always will.

[BathBelle]

I use Digital stamps but only for the outlines I then colour, cut, layer whatever, exactly the same as if it was a rubber stamp.

[cakhuxel]

There is no intention to be hurtful, just factual. Rubber stamping and graphic design are just two different things. It's only a marketing ploy, to refer to digital images as "digi stamps", because most stompers don't think of themselves as digital designers. They think of themselves as crafters. Go take a look at the incredible digital layouts that these artists are creating (Somerset Digital Studio Autumn 2013 - Stampington). Obviously they are talented and working hard. But they are very different mediums.

[cakhuxel]

And you know, if more "crafters" accepted the difference, there would more success for digital designers to get their images picked up by major companies, like Hero Arts, or stationery companies. That's where the money is.

[fool for stampin']

Quote:

Originally Posted by HeatherHolbrook

You treat it just like a rubber stamp but instead of inking it you simply print it out on your cardstock. You can then color it, paper piece it, etc. just like "regular" stamps. There are TONS of digi companies (and freebies), do a google search, you'll find a lot more than just kid themes.

Ok, so I'm still a bit lost here! When you find an image you like and want to try then what? Do you have access to it more than once? Meaning, can you save it somewhere in your computer and use it repeatedly?

[SkyNacho]

Quote:

Originally Posted by cakhuxel

When you use a digi image, all you do is move the layers in the program.

No... I print out a single line drawing and then I color it, just as if I had stamped it with memento.

Digital scrapping often involves layers, with a background paper layer, layers for the photos, mats, text, shadows, accessories, "embellishments."

But I think most people, at least around here, who talk about digital stamping are referring to printing out a black and white clip-art type image, then treating it the same way they would any stamped image.

[buggainok]

Quote:

Originally Posted by fool for stampin'

Ok, so I'm still a bit lost here! When you find an image you like and want to try then what? Do you have access to it more than once? Meaning, can you save it somewhere in your computer and use it repeatedly?

Yes, if you find a free digi site, or if you find one that you pay for, either way, you can download it and save it to your computer. Then it is yours, and you can print it as many times as you want. As an example, here is a free site with digi Halloween stamps. Just register, and then you can click and download the digi stamp set:

Freebies - Free Halloween Stamps - MYGRAFICO - DIGITAL ARTS AND CRAFTS STORE

If you google free digi stamps, you can find lots of them. Also there are free digi papers available. I don't use the papers much, because it takes a lot of my color ink to print the papers, and I don't feel it's worth the cost. Especially when you can find papers on sale quite a bit at Michaels, Joann, Hobby Lobby, etc.

PS Wanted to add, even the sets that you have to buy are priced very reasonably, usually $4 or $5 which is very cheap compared to rubber or acrylic stamp sets.

[Barbara Jay]

I save them to a file for Digi images.

One of the many advantages of Digis is you can resize them.
I copy them to a word document and then resize them before I print them.

[StinkaBellasMommie]

Once you download it, it is just like a photo--with a file suffix of jpg or png, etc. You copy it and paste it into a WORD doc (for example), and resize it to your needs. You can take a digi stamp and make it 1" or 8", or anything smaller, larger or in between. There are many tutorials online if you are not familiar with how to do this... it is very simple to do. And you can get very creative with them once you are comfortable with the basics. Then use Copics, colored pencils, or whatever you prefer, to color them.
I'm sure there is a skill to using rubberstamps as someone above as stated, but there are also skills to manipulating digi stamps. 'Depends on what tools you prefer. It's like comparing a digital artist to a oil painting artist... both can be very creative in their own sense... Neither is more creative then the other...

[cat_woman]

Quote:

Originally Posted by cakhuxel

Well, my point was that artwork created with digital images can be "easily replicated." When you use traditional rubber stamps, you have to figure out all the layers and perspective yourself. When you use a digi image, all you do is move the layers in the program. There's no comparison. I'm not saying digital images are not fun to use. But they are simply not "stamping." They are graphic design.

You have to do all of this with digital as well. You don't just plunk an image into a document and move it around a bit and it comes out as a finished product - they don't do it by themselves. It takes just as much creative skill, time and effort as it does to use a rubber stamp. I design a lot of images for scrapbooking and stamping and I wouldn't consider my designs "easily replicated". There's a lot of colour manipulation, texturing, brush work, placing design elements - all the stuff you do with paper and ink. I'm sure if you looked at a lot of the cards in the gallery that used digital stamps, you wouldn't even know it was a digital unless someone told you otherwise.