There are so many types of ink on the market it is enough to really make your head spin. If you are just starting out it can also be very frustrating if you choose the wrong ink and your project gets ruined . I have been stamping for over twenty-seven years and I am here to teach you from my mistakes and remove the mystery of ink. Join me as I show you the different inks for different jobs.
Types of ink
Dye Based Ink -This is the most popular type of ink on the market. It is a water based dye ink that will dry on all types of paper including glossy. When using this ink you want to make sure you are not doing any type of water coloring because the ink will bleed. Although, this is the perfect ink for alcohol markers. The alcohol will not cause the ink to run because the mediums are opposites. Examples would be Stampin’ Up!’s Classic Ink Pads or Tim Holtz Distress Pads.
You can also use this type of ink pad or reinkers to make a water color wash for your projects. Just make sure you use alcohol ink!
Solvent or Alcohol Based Ink – This ink is permanent and works on not only on paper but plastic, glass, metal, leather and window sheets. When using this ink, make sure it is thoroughly dried before starting to color. You don’t want to use any type of alcohol marker with this ink because the mediums are the same. StazOn is a great permanent alcohol based ink.
Pigment Ink – This ink is thick, sticky and slow drying. It is best used for thermal (heat) embossing. You cannot use this type of ink on any type of paper with a glossy coating, it will never dry unless you emboss. It can be used on paper but remember it does take a while to be absorbed into the paper. Colorbox makes a wide range of colors in this type of ink.
Watermark Ink – This ink is the same as pigment ink, although the one difference is it’s clear and it has lot of uses. Not only can you can emboss with it but a really fun use is stamping an image on colored cardstock making a tone on tone watermark for a fun background. You can also stamp on cardstock and using a sponge dauber and rub chalk over the image. The chalk will stick to the ink but not the cardstock. VersaMark is the perfect watermark ink pad.
Dye Based Markers – I am going to include these on the list since you can ink up images with the brush tip. When you are just starting out investing in a lot of ink pads can be costly but dye based markers can do the trick. They contain the same ink as dye based pads so the same rules apply. A fun thing to do with markers is ink up different sections with different colors. Very important to remember is to exhale on the stamp before putting it to paper. This will remoisten the ink so you get a great image! Stampin’ Write Markers are perfect for this. DO NOT use alcohol markers for this technique, the ink will dry too fast and stain the stamps.
Choosing the right ink for the job
A very important thing to always remember when choosing your ink is that opposites attract. What do I mean by this? You need to think of how you are going to color the image. If you are coloring with dye based markers, colored pencils, watercolor pencils, alcohol markers or a watercolor wash you need to make sure you pick the right ink to get the best results. This is where the opposites attract comes in. You want to choose the ink that is the opposite if the coloring medium; think water based vs alcohol is the perfect combination. Below is a list of the most popular coloring mediums and the correct ink to choose.
- Dye Based markers – use alcohol based ink
- Colored Pencils – you can use either dye based or alcohol based ink since the medium is dry
- Watercolor Pencils – use alcohol based ink
- Alcohol Markers – use dye based ink
- Watercolor Wash – use alcohol based ink
- Chalk Pastels – you can use either dye based or alcohol based since the medium is dry
- Thermal Embossing – use a pigment or watermark ink
Inks for Scrapbooking
When you are choosing an ink for scrapbooking you want to choose one that is acid free so it is safe with your photos and memorabilia. Most inks that are acid free are not fade resistant and can lose their color over time. Stampin’ Up!’s Classic stamp pads and Distress Ink are both acid free and safe for scrapbooks.
If you want your images to withstand time you will need to use an archival ink. Archival is a pigment ink and designed to make the ink more color-fast than dye based inks. Ranger makes an archival ink in many colors that are acid free, permanent and fade resistant.