Clear or not to Clear??? Help
 

Trying to decide whether I want to change to the new clear SU sets. Are there any negatives that anyone knows about with the clear mounted stamps? I saw them at my demo's and they take up less room in storage and were easy to use. I have so many wood mounted sets already. Thank you for your help. Niki

Well...I have a few. They're okay, but I just like wood-mounted better. One thing that I don't like at all is when I'm stamping directly on a card, and the stamp falls off the block and leaves a mark on my card. :D





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The stamp image quality is just as good as the wood mounted, although I prefer wood mount. I buy clear mount now to save space, but if I had the room I like having them on wood, not having to put them on a block. Mine stick fairly well on the blocks. I'd say for quality and space, clear is the way to go. If you have lots of space, then you can choose according to your preference, but the images will be the same quality you've come to expect with SU.

I am a bit of a messy stamper - so for me I am afraid I would lose some of the smaller images. Also I like to mount mine once and have it done not have to find the right block each time. I guess that also makes me a lazy stamper ;) You might try buying one set in clear just to see if you like it. They both stamp nicely, it is really more of a personal preference.

I didn't think I would like them, but I actually prefer them over the wood mounted stamps, it's easier to center and it takes up way less space. But I still love all my wood stamps! :)

I do like the storage aspect of the clear mounted stamps. Right now though I only buy sets with larger images in clear mount. The small clear mount stamps pop right off the block when I am cleaning them and it's hard to keep track of them. I also like wood mount for things that I need to use a stamp-a-majig to keep straight. Then I can make a permanent transfer sheet and not have to re-invent the wheel each time I use that set.

I buy the unmounted instead of the the wood blocks because of price and storage issues. But I honestly would go either way, both work just fine for me. A couple things I'll point out if you go to the clear, however:

1. Very easy to lose the little stamps. I keep them in the rubber that surrounds them when you get them, so when I want a stamp, I just punch it out (hopefully that makes sense) This helps keep your stamps from flying around in the case. Also, if you stamp with friends, it can be even easier to lose little ones.
2. If you go with clear unmounted, you should get a Stamp-a-ma-jig if you don't already have one. I never put my stamps on the block the same way every time, so I need help placing my stamps every time.

I really like the unmounted stamps, but like someone said, make sure it's sticking to that block well before you try to stamp anything.

Thanks everyone for your thoughts. Melody said the stamps fall off the blocks. That's pretty scary in itself. Julie said to be careful when placing the stamps in the same way. Never thought about that either. And losing the small stamps is an issue also. This is a lot to think about. I was trying to save some money with the clears but now I don't know what to do. And I thought this might be easy.

Personally, I prefer the clear mounted sets. Price and storage are two good reasons. My main reason? I'm used to clear acyrlic stamps, so having the wood block in the way drives me crazy :D. The unmounted stamps "stick" better to the blocks if you don't put the little image sticker on the back. If it's something that your really considering, why not buy one block and one stamp set and try it for a while, or would your consultant let you borrow some supplies or come over and play with her stamps one evening?

If you're block is clean, there usually isn't a problem with falling off. I guess you have to weigh both sides. Even though I love the wood mount, my best answer was to save money and space. As long as the quality of the stamp wasn't compromised, those were enough reasons and the stamp really is the same good quality.

I agree with Stacy. I no longer put the image stickers on my SU sets when I get them. It doesn't really make any difference on how I stamp with them since most images get cut out somehow and then layered. I unmounted ALL of my stamps about 6 months ago and most of them have no images on the back. I have the same problem with Hero Arts cling mounts. Some of them won't stick to my mounting boards. These have those same image stickers on them. Now, I just keep the image sheet in the DVD case with the stamps. :cool:

I prefer clear for storage and price and ease of stamp placement...I do NOT use the stickers though, they just don't stick well like that.

I am buying clear mount just for the cost and storage. Wood is still better. I don't even try and use the blocks as all on my clear mounts call off the blocks. The rubber is thick enough that I can just use them without the block.

Lorri

More things to think about. Thanks to everyone - I appreciate the help.
Niki

I have loads of these already and love them. If they are available in clear mount that is what I buy...love them.
blessings.

My demo puts a line of removable tombow adhesive on the back of her clear mount stamps and there's no issue with them falling off the blocks. They also stay put in the cases. I thought this was a clever and easy solution.

I never liked any of the clear stamps that I tried until I tried SU's. Now I have taken all my wood mounted stamps and made them clear, I store them in DVD cases and I am amazed at the space it saves and it works just as good as the wood mounted ones especially since I use the tack it over and over, it sticks to the clear block amazingly

MHO I have 6 SU clear mount sets and about 280 wood mount. I will be buying the clear mount from now on, because they take up much less room and I love the case they come in. I also have several sets of clear stamps and those I do not like as much as they do not ink as well as rubber and once you have used them they turn a nasty color. So for me I prefer rubber stamps whether mounted or unmounted to the clear ones. I will be keeping all of my wood sets on the wood, except for the alpha sets, those I plan to unmount to be able to line up on the clear blocks.

If you are having trouble with clear stamps (not necesarilly SU, but any clear stamps) sticking to the block, try cleaning the block in warm soapy water. Sometimes when you clean your stamps, some residue gets left on the block and makes it harder to get things to stick. I keep a small cloth in my stamp room to wipe of the block after I clean my stamps, and I no longer have any problems with stamps not sticking. :)

I only buy the clear mount stamps now if I have a choice. I almost never put the stickers on them because they stay on the blocks so much better without them. If I do put the sticker on the stamp I will put a very light coating of Tombow over it.

I find the clear mount much easier to store and to look through when I am deciding which stamp I want to use. Having them on a shelf with all the labels showing is so much better for me than the clam shells which don't set on the shelf nearly as well. The labels on the clam shells are very hard for me to see so I usually end up having to pull each box out to see what is in it. Of course the lower price is always a good thing too.

I've added a picture of how I store my stamp sets. Having all the cases the same size makes it much easier to alphabetize them which I like to do.

Hope that I'm asking this in the right place. I thought it was related but if there is somewhere else I should post, please let me know.

I'm considering purchasing my first two sets of clear mount stamps from Gina K. I'm wondering do I need anything other then the acrylic blocks to use them? I saw this stuff called EZ mount Cling Vinyl, is that something that I should be purchasing or is that only needed if you're unmounting wood stamps wanting to use them with acrylic blocks?

One of the sets says that it's "cling cushion, ready to trim and use with acrylic blocks." And the other set says "mounted on cling vinyl, ready to be trimmed and used with acrylic blocks." Just wanted to make sure that I buy everything that I need upfront rather then being frustrated when I can't use them.

Thanks for all of your help!!

If they are already clear mount stamps, all you need is a block. The EZ mount stuff is if you are taking stamps that are wood mounted and making them into clear mount cling stamps.

Thanks so much for the info! I do have one more question, if I buy these and find that I hate the cling mount but love the stamps, is there a way to mount them on wood blocks?

Thanks again...I'll try to stop asking questions now. :D

Same here! I actually prefer the clear mount now that I am used to it and I do not use the stickers either. I have no problem with them sticking to the blocks, plus the other thing I did was buy a couple duplicate blocks so when I am stamping, I don't have to keep removing the stamps till I am done. I think that I have three each of a couple of the blocks I use the most!

I'm sure you can, although I've never done it. You would just need to glue the clear mounts to a block or maybe use the EZMount stuff. Not sure how that works, but I'm sure others would know. Hang around and maybe we'll have better answers than mine....and please keep asking questions. This site is a wonderful source of information! I've learned so much from the many wonderful people who post here!!

You can buy mounting foam (I get mine from ebay, a guy named Jim Stephens). I think you'd probably be better off removing the cling foam, then remounting with the double stick (sticky both sides) foam, since I'm not sure sticking the cling side to the double sticky would make a good solid mount. I buy unmounted rubber stamps and mount them myself, so I'm used to mounting. And I've had to remount some older (or used) stamps that peeled or slipped on their original mounts. Just be sure you buy the mounting foam for mounting to wood blocks.

This is who I buy from:
3 sheets Double sticky MOUNTING CUSHIONS rubber stamp | eBay

Great! Thanks so much for the info, I might have to give it a try. :D

The only issue I have with SU clear mount is the foam is too thick for me. When I unmount wood stamps I put them on EZ mount thin, so I would prefer that. Since the foam is already clingy on the clear mount stamps, I have chosen not to remount them on the thin mount. I hope this new catalog offers both options on all stamps because there are 2 stes in this past catti that I haven't purchased because I didn't want to pay the wood price and have to unmount them right away. BTW, I don't put the image on the foam because the one set I have that way doesn't stick to blocks as securely. JMHO...

I put the stickers on the back of my clear mount stamps and they never fall off, even when I clean them on the Stampin' Scrub. The thing is that they have to cling on the block well first. To do that, place the stamp with the rubber down on your desk and the foam or sticker part facing up. Then place the clear block down onto the stamp and press down. That's it. You'll see the sticker turn white as the air gets pushed out. Then you know your stamp is stuck down well - no chance of it just falling off.

I was a die-hard woodmount girl but love the clearmounts because they save space and best of all I like that the images are shown on the spines of the case so it's easy for me to quickly scan through them to see which image I want to use.

Angela
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I love the clear mounts. It makes it easier to store and also to line up to a perfect stamp image. I don't think I will buy a wood stamp again. I don't have a problem with the clear mounts!

I bought 6 sets this spring in SU clear mount. The first one I bought because I had already bought a few other things and the clear mount was cheaper - kept the cost down on my order. Anyway, I like them and will probably continue to buy them!

Kala, your storage looks so organized and those clear mount sets do make a big difference. Nice. Thanks for posting the pic.

Weird. I don't have any problems at all with my Hero Arts clings sticking, but the SU ones with the stickers are just lousy. Isn't it amazing how different people get different results? I'm sticking with the wood mounts, but then, I prefer wood anyway.

It's great that we have so many choices. :D

To the OP, what I did is buy a couple of sets of the clear mount to try out. Won't buy any more myself, but if your demo won't let you play (or, like me, you can't get to her house to play even if you wanted to!), it's a good idea to just get one set and try for yourself. But definitely don't put the stickers on them. ;)

Just a tip on the clam shell labels -- To make them more noticeable, place a white label behind the stamp name sticker. You'll be amazed at the difference.

I love the clear mount stamps...and the wood mount, too. It really is a personal choice and I go back and forth with my ordering depending on the set type.

I LOVE the clear stamps for price, storage/space. I am super messy and have never lost a stamp. I keep them in a pile until I am finished stamping and then I clean and put them away. I don't clean them on the blocks because they do come off, but I don't have a problem when stamping. I always make sure I have a good contact between the block and stamp before I ink it up. If it doesn't stick, I huff on it and that usually takes care of it.

Ok I am putting my two cents in and this may be a teaser for the new catty, and no I am not a demo, but, a friend is and I have seen the new one.. shhhhh.. anywho.. on page 205 (and yes I still have the catty in hand lol) They have now Clear-Mount Perfectly Placed Guides (for 5.95) in which you stick to your blocks and it shows how to line them up within those lines. I thought WHOA this is really good, cuz I too am bad bout lining up things..

I also noticed that SU is now going to sell cling foam for those that have or want to unmount.. which I thought very competitive on their part as they are listening to what people are doing with all their wood mounts.. and in doing so I noticed the price of the clear mount cases went up a dollar for the 4.

I am all about the unmounting to be honest. my room is not big and until we move (which btw isn't for a few years) I need to save space so I unmounted all of my SU stamps and I havent regretted. I dont intend to sell.. I'm greedy that way :D so I have them bare nekkid rubba

I'm on the fence about clear vs. wood.....I admit I'm not that organized and when I go on a stamping frenzy, I wind up with many stamps that need to be cleaned. It's easy to misplace those little clear mount rubber pieces. As far as sticking, I did not put the stickers on the stamps. Instead, I applied them to the inside of my stamp case, so I always put the stamp back in the same spot and I know if I'm missing something! I have both kinds of stamps, I like the lower price of the clear mount, but I'm not planning on unmounting my wood mount stamps.

This. The sticker really negates the usefulness of the stamp. I also am working to completely unmount all of my stamps and am moving them to binders, so if I use the stickers, they'll fall out of the binders. I'm so over storing wood mounted stamps.

As for clear blocks though, SU's are my favorite. I've tried many, many brands and theirs are the best, especially if you stamp a lot or do bulk. The comfort grip on all sides makes a big difference when you're making 50+ cards a day!

I'll have to try this. I have put labels on the outside of a few of my clam shells but this sounds like it would be easier, faster and cheaper (those Dymo labels can get expensive).

I am very glad we have the choice because I really have a problem with the clear stamps sticking. I just bought a new set from Taylored Expressions and those stamps stick so good onto my blocks that I had to pry them off. SU clear stamps fall off before you get them to the ink. Very disappointing - they have to try and fix that problem. As for storage and price - they are great. I'm sticking with my SU wood.