Ben Franklin Crafts & Frames

Inking 101

Courtesy of Heroarts.com

Dye Inks are available in a wide range of colors, bright and bold to pastels and rainbows. Combined on the rubber of a stamp, a beautiful range of color combinations is possible. Dye ink pads can be used on porous and glossy papers and are probably the most widely used type of ink pads. Two tones of bright pigment ink create the colorful flower shown on the sample card, which can be stamped several times without reinking.
• Acid-free
• Quick drying on most papers
• Darker colors create an opaque image, while pastel colors can be overlapped and combined for many interesting results.

Pigment Ink create beautiful crisp colors on liner, solid and letter stamps. The sample of the poppy reveals the clear wording on the tag and the softly blended colors in the flower, which used 2 shades of purple ink to create the color variations.
• Acid free and fade resistant
• Vivid colors and crisp impressions
• Excellent for embossing
• Does not dry on glossy or coated surfaces

Chalk Ink is a subtle, powder finish ink that can be blended on the paper before being allowed to dry. After stamping the card with 2 colors of chalk ink the edges of the red center were blended slightly creating a gentle transition from red to yellow.
• Acid free and archival
• Quick drying on most papers
• Creates opaque colors even on darker colored papers
• Details remain crisp

VersaMark™ Ink produces a tonal color on dark paper, allowing you to create backgrounds of words or images that highlight photographs or stamped designs. When used behind a flower image it produces a shadow of the image stamped in pigment ink.
• Acid-free
• Creates a “watermark” or tone on tone impression on dark colored papers
• Excellent for use with chalks, embossing powders and resist techniques
• Versatile ink for many stamping projects

StazOn Ink™ with its fast drying and permanent properties makes it the perfect choice for water based mediums. The message on the card shown at the right is muted in areas as the watercolor paint was allowed to flow freely over the stamped message, yet the edges of the letters remain crisp and clean. The circle stamped in pigment ink was enhanced with a message stamped directly over the design with StazOn™ ink. The clear button displays a readable message stamped in the same type of ink.
• Acid-free
• Quick drying
• Permanent ink producing fine details
• Use StazOn solvent ink cleaner to remove ink from stamp
• Perfect for use on buttons, vellum, glass and metal surfaces