Stamping Inks for Scrapbookers
If you’d like to explore using acrylic and rubber stamps for embellishing your scrapbook pages, it’s important to understand how to select the right ink for your projects. Just by changing the type of ink you use, you can create several different looks with the same acrylic or rubber stamp.
Types of Stamping Inks for Scrapbookers
When buying stamping ink, you can select from the following options:
- Pigment ink is generally the best choice for rubber stamping in your scrapbook album. Although it is slow drying, it is permanent and fade resistant. When combined with clear embossing powder and a heat gun, pigment ink can also be used to great attractive raised designs on your scrapbooking layouts.
- Dye ink is a popular option for beginning stampers because it’s cheap, fast drying, and widely available. However, it’s important to realize that the vibrant colors of some dye inks may fade over time. Bleeding may also be a problem with some types of scrapbook papers that are highly absorbent.
- Solvent ink, such as that sold under the StazOn brand, is a special type of ink designed for stamping on smooth surfaces, such as photographs or metal scrapbook embellishments.
- Fluid chalk ink dries to a chalk-like finish. This subtle look is great for rubber stamping, as well as distressing cardstock and patterned paper to help give it a new look.
- Watermark ink, such as that sold under the Versamark brand, leaves a tone on tone image on your paper. Watermark ink can also be used for embossing or shading images with scrapbook chalk, making it a versatile choice for any scrapbook stamping enthusiast.
When you’re new to rubber stamping, purchasing ink pads can seem like a major expense. It’s typically best to start with black and brown inks, since these colors are the most versatile. Silver, gold, and copper metallic inks are also good choices in that they work well with a variety of layout styles. Once you’ve covered these basics, you can then work on buying inks to match the colors you use most often on your pages. For example, blues and greens are a good investment for scrapbookers who frequently work on boy-themed projects.
How to Apply Ink to a Stamp
Regardless of the type of stamping ink you choose, knowing how to apply ink to a stamp is the key to achieve crisp image impressions. Under inking your stamp will result in images with a loss of detail, while over inking your stamp will leave you with blobs of pigment in the middle of your image.
If you’re working with a small rubber stamp, the best inking procedure is to simply tap the stamp two or three times onto the ink pad. If your stamp is larger than your ink pad, however, it’s better to lay the stamp on a flat surface and then gently tap the ink pad over the surface of the stamp. For extremely large background or border stamps, you can try gently breathing on the stamp before making your impression to help “revive” the ink.
