Know Your Inks

Sandy in the UK e-mailed me a few weeks ago and asked me about ink...what types of inks were available and the basic differences. I compiled some info for her about some of the most common types of inks and she suggested it might be nice to share it here. I hope this is of interest to some of you.

Know Your Ink

Archival Ink

Archival inks are a non-toxic, dye based ink. They are extremely fade resistant; water proof, bleed resistant and ph neutral. These characteristics make them a perfect ink to use when scrap booking or with watercolor techniques.

Chalk Ink

As indicated by the name, this ink has a chalk based rather than dye or pigment base as other inks do. They become permanent once heat set on many surfaces. They as expressed in the name have a soft pastel chalky look when stamped. This ink works very well to ink up a bold rubber stamp evenly and tends to give a smooth clear impression when stamped.

Note: Chalk inks do tend to stain acrylic stamps.

Distress Inks™

Distress Inks These are an amazingly versatile ink developed by Tim Holtz for Ranger Industries. This is a specially formulated water-based dye ink that is acid-free, non-toxic and fade resistant. They do not take on a green or yellow cast when mixed with water as other dye inks do.

Distress ink colors have been chosen for their distinctive vintage flair. These inks are perfect for stamping, achieving the vintage look, photo tinting and countless other techniques. Truly a unique ink, a must have for any stamper!

Dye Ink

Dye inks are the most common types of ink used in rubber stamping. These inks dry very quickly and most are waterproof (be sure to check the label). This is very beneficial in the event that you want to color your stamped image, you can do so without the worry of smearing the ink. It is also suitable for use with watercolor pencils, crayons and paints. They work well for detailed image stamps but they have a tendency to give an uneven impression with flaws when used with a bold image.

Note: Some Dye based inks do bleed and tend to fade over time.

Embossing Inks

This type of ink is usually either clear, black or have a slightly tinted appearance. It is a very thick somewhat sticky ink designed specifically for heat embossing and in some cases may be used to make watermarks on darker colored cardstock.

Hybrid Inks

Stuart Superior's Palette Hybrid Inks, have properties which are similar to both Dye and Pigment inks. They are quick drying and are waterproof like a dye ink but they also have vivid colors and can be used on many different surfaces like a pigment. They are a very good general use ink when working with many surfaces.

Pigment Inks

These inks come in a number of very bright and vivid colors pallets as well as metallic. They are permanent on many more surfaces as opposed to dye inks when they are heat set. Once stamped, pigment inks stay wet much longer which makes them ideal for heat embossing. Generally they must be heat set on glossy surfaces.

Note: Due to their longer drying time, pigment inks will smudge and smear very easily prior to heat setting.

Resist and Watermark Inks

Resist or Watermark Inks such as Versamark when stamped leave a slightly darker impression than the color of the paper being stamped. These inks work especially well on dark shades of cardstock. They are almost invisible on lighter cardstocks. They hold chalks, resist dye inks on glossy cardstock and stay wet longer so that they may also be use as a clear embossing ink.

Solvent Ink

An example of a solvent type ink is Staz-On™ by Tuskineko is permanent on almost any surface. Solvent ink is very good choice for a number of different crafts as it dries very quickly and does not require heat setting. Because it is solvent based, other solvents such as Adirondack Alcohol Inks™ or Sharpies will cause the ink to run and smear.

Note: After using a solvent ink on your stamps you will need to clean the stamps immediately with a solvent ink cleaner as it will stain both rubber and acrylic stamps.