Saturday, August 29, 2009

Need Ink?

For the new stamper, trying to decide which ink to purchase can be daunting. With so many brands, types and colours out there, what should one buy? For the new stamper, there really are only 2 things you need to know -- do you want dye pads or pigment pads? Dye ink is a water based pad that is thin and dries almost instantly.
Dye ink is used for stamping on lighter colored papers because the color "dyes" the paper and the ink will only show up correctly on lighter colored paper. Dye ink is most commonly used if not embossing since it is so easy to work with and it dries almost instantly.

Pigment ink is a thick, almost paintlike ink. It dries much more slowly than dye ink and may even need to be heat set with a heat gun. Pigment inks may show on darker coloured papers much better than dye, since pigment ink sits on top of the paper surface, rather than soaking into it. Pigment ink is also the ink you use for embossing. When using pigment ink, your stamped images stays wet long enough for embossing powder to stick to it and then allow you to heat it.
If you need any help with your inkpad choices, just ask one of our helpful staff. We have all the inkpads you will ever need in the store!


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