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Can anyone give me some advice on how to stamp a straight line with a linear clear stamp? That's to say, how to use a bendy acrylic stamp or photopolymer stamp so I get a straight line as a stamped image. For example, I want to use PTI Sew Simple Borders to make straight lines, but the stamped images always have an unintentional curve in them. So frustrating! I have clear acrylic blocks, I have a Stamp-A-Ma-Jig, and I have a Tim Holtz Tonic stamping platform. Thank you in advance for your help!
Can anyone give me some advice on how to stamp a straight line with a linear clear stamp? That's to say, how to use a bendy acrylic stamp or photopolymer stamp so I get a straight line as a stamped image. For example, I want to use PTI Sew Simple Borders to make straight lines, but the stamped images always have an unintentional curve in them. So frustrating! I have clear acrylic blocks, I have a Stamp-A-Ma-Jig, and I have a Tim Holtz Tonic stamping platform. Thank you in advance for your help!
Hi there Carol!!
I have the tim holtz stamping platform also I love it!
there are lines on the inside of the cover were you put your stamps just line them up It is very easy to get straight lines with clear stamps!
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I find it's easier to take your stamp, put it face down, just like if you were stamping it, on a sheet of grid paper (or lined notebook paper would work) to make it straight. You might want to use a couple of toothpicks to adjust it because they will stick to you.
The smooth side of the stamp should be up, so now place your block on your stamp instead of trying to put the stamp on the block.
You might want to use a stamp with gridlines, too. I find using the paper keeps the stamp straighter, but you also run the risk of having your block be crooked, so using the grid lines also help me when I put the block on the stamp.
Put your card or whatever you're stamping in your TH platform. Place the image you want to stamp on your card, then take a ruler and butt the stamp against it. When you pick up the stamp with the lid, it should be perfectly straight.
__________________ Linda E
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I find it's easier to take your stamp, put it face down, just like if you were stamping it, on a sheet of grid paper (or lined notebook paper would work) to make it straight. You might want to use a couple of toothpicks to adjust it because they will stick to you.
The smooth side of the stamp should be up, so now place your block on your stamp instead of trying to put the stamp on the block. ... ...
I either use my grid paper as mentioned above, or, place the linear stamp directly alongside the long edge of a thick ruler to line it up. Then apply the stamp block or close the positioner 'lid' atop the stamp to pick it up.
On my blocks that did not have grid lines, I used used my X-acto knife and a ruler to etch them in, and then I also tried using my grid paper (from St-Up), laid the block over the grids and etched them in. Both ways worked really well! The grid paper lines were narrower, which is great for small font word/phrase stamps.
What everyone else said! I usually find that instead of trying to "make" the stamp straight (because I always either pull it or knock it off) I just drop it down and press the block on to it - it will usually land in whatever position it was manufactured, unless it's very long. I like Bev's ruler tip!
I have trouble with this, too. I have found it helps to stretch the stamp a bit, as I'm getting it onto my block. I hold one end down in the gridline (or my marked line) on my stamp, stretch the stamp a tiny bit, as I start to lay the other end down,and then gently release the tension as I let the stamp grip the block.
not sure if you feel like you have your answer, but in case you're still looking, at about the 3 min mark in this card tutorial, you can see how K Warner gets it to work
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Shelly mentioned Jennifer McGuire using a t-square. It's demo-ed in several videos, and here's one from last month.She's lining up and butting together two narrow sentiment stamps but it's the same for any linear stamp. Fast forward to 9:20 (though the whole video is neat).
All the tips you’ve been given are some of what I use as well. One final “tip”. If after your chosen method to assure your stamp is straight you are still unsure; I suggest using a blank sheet of graph paper to stamp down on first, before stamping on your good paper. You can find packs of graph paper at Walmart fairly cheap.
Doing a test stamp onto the graph paper should enable you to double check your stamp is positioned properly.
Testing - great idea - and you reminded me - I use a transparency grid sheet the same way to line up alphas - but it works for any stamp, including narrow lines. You just lay it on top of your card. I generally use it in a stamping platform since it can be butted into the corner like the card is, but you don't have to do it that way.
You can make your own by printing graph paper onto a transparency sheet, but since I didn't need a pack of transparencies, I bought one from Simon Says Stamp. Btw, you want to stamp on the non-printed stamp or the grid lines can rub off during cleaning. You can feel the difference, and I just wrote B (for back or bottom) on the side that touches the card.
forming straight lines with clear stamps
