Question about SU craft inks
 

Hi,

I recently acquired a few craft spots (small SU craft ink pads). I am CRAZY about the rich color, but I have a question on drying time. If you're not embossing with them, do you still need to heat set them? If not, how long can you expect to wait for them to dry? I was surprised how even this morning some were still wanting to smear. Any advice on using these SU craft inks is appreciated... because I really like them!

Thanks,

Cindy

humidity
 

I have found humidity can be my enemy with the craft ink. I have started in the last week heat setting almost everything I do, due to frustration.

I always heat set mine, cause I don't like waiting for them to dry.....it can take a looooong time with some of the inks! ;)

OK. I bet humidity could be a part for me, too. I never thought of that. Darn! Too bad I didn't start in the winter, huh? I was beginning to wonder if it would EVER dry. Glad I didn't use it on the ones with a lot of the ink showing!

C.

I heat set mine, too, not only because I'm impatient :-) but because sometimes it looks to me like the color is more intense when heat dried as opposed to air dried. Maybe it's just my imagination, though.

I hate what happens when I heat set. The ink is fine, but my paper is never exactly perfect -- maybe I use too much heat. Anyway, I use my craft inks and then just set it aside to dry until the next day.

I LOVE craft ink. I, too, am crazy about the rich color. I started heat setting mine a year ago, b/c I was impatient. I think SU! recommends heat setting the Craft Ink for scrapbooks. Before I had a heat tool, I would wait awhile, then lay a piece of scrap paper over the image and BLOT (not rub) to get up any remaining wet stuff. HTH

I heat set because I'm not patient enough.
As far as the paper doing a "kind of warp" I have learned to run the gun in circles and kinda fast v that way not too much heat is getting to a certain part of the paper. Yes, it might take a minute longer, but you won't get the little bending. HTH


Good idea on the blotting!

When you heat set, how can you tell you've done it long enough? When I am embossing, it is easy to tell.... What am I looking for as signs when I am heat setting?

When you heat set craft ink it takes on a dull kind of matte finish. So it's the opposite of embossing. Instead of waiting for it to get shiny, you wait for it to NOT be shiny.

10 seconds or so usually does it and I second the waving of the heat gun. It definetly helps with the warping.

Thank you SO much for this thread...very helpful!