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I purged all my old dye ink pads, some of them more than 20 years old. It was time.
A friend gifted me a Catherine Pooler ink pad and I love it. Takes some getting used to the foam but I like it enough that I plan to go that direction. However, I don't want to limit myself to just Catherine Pooler if there are other brands that use foam pads with their dye inks.
Here is a video from Rebecca Keppel with new dye inks that are foam:
She mentions Concord and Ninth, The Stamp Market, and Catherine Pooler. She is comparing the three.
The Stamps of Life is foam. My Favorite Things say they are foam. I know they used to be as I have one gifted to me from many years ago and the new ones say foam. Stampin Up has been foam for a long time. I do like the newest ink pads as they do a better job, I think.
__________________ Lisa Featured Stamper #671 Love sending BRAK cards. Dirty Dozen Alumni.CC927 Favorite Virtual Stamp Night April 19 - 20 Come Join in the Fun Here
She mentions Concord and Ninth, The Stamp Market, and Catherine Pooler. She is comparing the three.
The Stamps of Life is foam. My Favorite Things say they are foam. I know they used to be as I have one gifted to me from many years ago and the new ones say foam. Stampin Up has been foam for a long time. I do like the newest ink pads as they do a better job, I think.
Wow. I didn't know there were so many foam lines available. A friend recently gave me a Catherine Pooler ink pad and I really like it, though it does take a little getting used to. I want to replace my 20-year-old ink pads but am not interested in a monogamous relationship with any particular brand. This video helps. Thanks!
Catherine Pooler dye pads, wondering what takes getting use to? Thank you.
I'm guessing if you have never used a foam pad at all, it takes getting used to. It is really easy to over ink your stamps with a foam pad if you have never used them.
I'm guessing if you have never used a foam pad at all, it takes getting used to. It is really easy to over ink your stamps with a foam pad if you have never used them.
You are absolutely correct. I've been using the older style ink pads (felt/linen style dye ink pads) for over 20 years. Heard rave reviews of the new style foam ink pads offered by a variety of different stamp companies, so I bought a set. Absolutely hated them and couldn't sell them fast enough. Now, please note that I am not slamming any of these companies who make/sell these style of ink pads, it's that we just couldn't get along! It didn't matter how hard I tried, what stamps I used (red rubber or photopolymer), paper/cardstock, acrylic block or stamping platform, EVERYTHING I tried was an epic fail. I do believe that there is a learning curve with them and if you're starting out with them and are successful, go with it. I'm back to using what works for me!
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I strongly suggest you don't use Catherine Pooler Midnight ink on your clear stamps, I haven't found ANYTHING to remove it and it you press too hard, you'll not be able to tell what they are.
I strongly suggest you don't use Catherine Pooler Midnight ink on your clear stamps, I haven't found ANYTHING to remove it and it you press too hard, you'll not be able to tell what they are.
Midnight is her archival ink, which will stain your stamps. With any archival ink that is foam based, pressing too hard will make it difficult to read.
The Stamps of Life has Forever Black which is archival and will stain your stamps, also foam based.
My Favorite Things has Extreme Black Hybrid Ink Pad. They say use Ultra Clean to remove the ink from the stamps. Not sure if this one is foam.
I think with any foam new-to-you ink pads there is a learning curve to know how far to press the stamp, how to remove the ink, when to re-ink, and be very careful with the archival inks.
__________________ Lisa Featured Stamper #671 Love sending BRAK cards. Dirty Dozen Alumni.CC927 Favorite Virtual Stamp Night April 19 - 20 Come Join in the Fun Here
Midnight is her archival ink, which will stain your stamps. With any archival ink that is foam based, pressing too hard will make it difficult to read.
The Stamps of Life has Forever Black which is archival and will stain your stamps, also foam based.
My Favorite Things has Extreme Black Hybrid Ink Pad. They say use Ultra Clean to remove the ink from the stamps. Not sure if this one is foam.
I think with any foam new-to-you ink pads there is a learning curve to know how far to press the stamp, how to remove the ink, when to re-ink, and be very careful with the archival inks.
I use Inkon3 Inkoff stamp cleaner, it removes my archival inks and other inks with no problem. CP Midnight is the only ink I've ever had a problem removing, so I just don't use it anymore. Yes, just a light tap with the foam pad inks. I started with SU inks, but when they changed the clamshell design I couldn't get them open due to arthritis so I switched to CP and C&9th. I also have Gina K, and TH distress oxides and distress minis.
The following 2 users liked this post by dancingpurplecat:
A couple things that can make adjusting to foam pads a little tricky is:
1) tapping your stamp instead of twisting … in felt you can twist as you’re inking up your stamp, but when I’ve tried that on foam I’ve accidentally torn it - you have to tap tap tap
2) foam is juicy and therefore it’s darker and messier. Some companies say the color is the same but that hasn’t been my experience
3) foam dries out faster so you must have the reinkers
I have Stampin' Up! foam pads and the older linen style. I much prefer the older linen style because of the problems E.Mel listed above - torn foam, color distortion when reinking, more frequent reinking, foam pad being too juicy and therefore messier to stamp with, etc. I struggle to get nicely stamped images with foam pads.
__________________ Nicole
The following 4 users liked this post by cnsteele:
Just something to keep in mind when talking about "foam" ink pads.
Pigment inks have always been on foam. But it is a very different kind of foam from the new kinds that are being used with dye inks. Pigment ink foam stamp pads are softer, very subject to tearing, and it's really easy to get ink in all the grooves and deep areas of your stamps, as well as being harder to clean.
I believe Stampin Up was the first to change over to what is called a "Firm Foam" type of dye ink pad. That was in 2012. I have noticed (but haven't tried) some other companies are using this firmer foam in their ink pads in the last several years. Concord & 9th and Catherine Pooler are two I know of. Stamp Market has some of their pads labeled as firm foam.
Ancient Page firm foam pads, made by Clearsnap, were on the market many, many years ago, even before SU firm foam pads. There are still a few available here and there online. Here is one source I found: https://www.cistamps.com/ancient-page-ink/
Ancient Page firm foam pads, made by Clearsnap, were on the market many, many years ago, even before SU firm foam pads. There are still a few available here and there online. Here is one source I found: https://www.cistamps.com/ancient-page-ink/
According to the webpage the ancient page dye ink pads are on felt pads.
Diane, maybe that has changed. I have seven Ancient Page ink pads from years ago, all of which are dense foam, similar to the Versamark, but with colored ink. I consider that to be firm foam.
Last edited by ozarkstamper; 03-21-2023 at 07:43 AM..
Marvy Matchables were another popular ink on a firm foam pad years ago. I love the two inch square size of the pads. I have several of these, also. They were popular before the MISTI existed. They would sell like hotcakes if they were on the market now, but they are no longer available.
Last edited by ozarkstamper; 03-21-2023 at 07:48 AM..
Simon Says Stamp is another company that currently has firm foam ink pads. I own one. I have used it. I know it to be firm foam. It is the same size, same container style as the full size felt pads from GinaK, Lawn Fawn, Hero Arts, and Taylored Expressions.
Colorbox Chalk Ink pad, by Clearsnap, and VersaMagic Chalk Ink pad, by Tsukeniko, are also firm foam, two of my favorite in my repertoire of ink pads, from many years ago.
I believe it to be correct that Stampin’ Up came out with firm foam pads after Mr. Gardner purchased the Clearsnap company.
Last edited by ozarkstamper; 03-21-2023 at 08:06 AM..
One more— I think The Stamps of Life firm foam pads were made by ClearSnap years ago. ClearSnap is no longer in business, so not sure what company is now used, maybe Stewart? Those of you who have ink pads from this company might know, and may chime in.
Elements Inks by Lavinia Stamps are nice foam ink pads that are good for stamping, smooshing, sponging, and stenciling. They are available in the U.S. at Topflight Stamps.
I have quite a few of the Catherine Pooler ink pads, full size and mini, and havn't found them to stain my clear stamps. That said, some colors, especially red shades seem to stain more than other colors in any dye ink brand. A little staining doesn't particularly bother me. I really love the Catherine Pooler colors ~they're beautiful! I also prefer the two-part pad case design over the current SU pads which are hard for me to open with my arthritic hands. I'm slowly moving beyond my huge collection of SU pads for that reason.
__________________ Claudia Splitcoast Fan Club Member
I also prefer the two-part pad case design over the current SU pads which are hard for me to open with my arthritic hands.
The SU two-part pad case can also be hard to close if the SU lid and inkpad base come apart for some reason. It's only happened to me twice, probably when I was in a hurry and got the little bumps out of their tracks, but they're very tricky to get back together again.
The SU two-part pad case can also be hard to close if the SU lid and inkpad base come apart for some reason. It's only happened to me twice, probably when I was in a hurry and got the little bumps out of their tracks, but they're very tricky to get back together again.
Yes, the SU pads can definitely be tricky to get back together if they mistakenly come apart. When I said two-part pads I was referring to the type pad in which the lid comes off the base. There's probably a better term for those?
__________________ Claudia Splitcoast Fan Club Member
Which brands have FOAM dye ink pads?
