Which ink for what?
WHICH INK TO USE?
When faced with the vast number of inks available, it can be confusing and very off putting. It helps to know what each type of ink is suitable for.
Water based dye inks are, as the name suggests, water based and therefore non permanent. They will smudge or smear when they come in contact with water and are therefore not suitable if you want to watercolour the stamped image. They are best used on matte, absorbent surfaces and are perfect for adding colour to backgrounds, although they are fine for stamping and rainbow inks can also be used for a simple, but striking effect in many cases. These inks do not dry immediately on glossy surfaces or on vellum, which we use to our advantage when blending colours OR if we want to emboss them, which you can do if you’re quick enough! They wash off easily with water or a baby wipe and tend to fade over time, unless sprayed with a fixative.
Examples are:- Marvy inks, Adirondacks, Big'n'Juicy, Vivid, Kaleidacolor, Distress inks
Permanent inks are often - but not always - solvent based. They can be used on most surfaces - glass, acetate, vellum, plastic, glossy card, matte card, shrink plastic - some can even be used on fabric, metal and wood. Some take a little while to dry, though you can heat set if the surface will not melt, while others dry almost instantly, which is great if you are doing a lot of work, if you’re watercolouring or if you are working on shrink plastic. Most permanent inks need a special cleaner to clean the stamps, though some will clean with baby wipe if done immediately. They are usually light fast and will not fade.
Examples are:- Stazon, Memories, Stewart Superior Palette inks, Stewart Superior India ink, Versafine (only dries on matte surfaces), Crafters ink (needs to be heat set to make permanent), Brilliance (theoretically pigment inks, but they dry quickly and work on most surfaces), Rangers Archival
Pigment inks are thicker inks, which stay wet a little longer and can therefore be embossed more easily on matte surfaces. Some of these will not dry on glossy surfaces, some will - it’s a matter of learning how each particular brand of ink works and working with one you feel comfortable with. These come in lots of colours and also in metallic shades.
Examples are:- Colorbox pigment inks, Crafters inks, Brilliance inks, Versacolor, Encore Metallics, Anna Griffin pigment inks
Pigment/hybrid inks are a new generation of inks, which are pigment based, but behave like permanent dye inks, in that they dry on a variety surfaces more quickly. They can be embossed, but only if you work very quickly. They are usually water based, despite being permanent, and will dry on vellum, fabric, shrink plastic, etc.
Examples are:- Palette Hybrids, Brilliance, Pearl-ex, Mica Magic
Chalk inks are a more recent development. These are pigment inks which give the appearance of chalks - or pastels - a matte finish which can be very effective and creates some nice shading/blending effects. These inks are permanent when heat set, but will, otherwise, fade over time.
Examples are:- Colorbox Fluid Chalks, Versamagic, Memories Chalk inks
Clear or Tinted inks are for embossing or, in the case of Versamark or Stewart Superior resist inks, for watermark, resist and other effects, such as PearlEx or Chalk popping.
Examples are:- Versamark, Perfect Medium, Hi-Boss, Tim Holtz Embossing ink
Glue pads are a very recent addition and look like inkpads, but are actually glue. Some need to be heat activated, others don't. These are useful for stamping an image and then applying metal leaf, foil or glitter. They work on matte and glossy surfaces, but are far more effective on glossy card, glass or acetate.
Examples are:- Stamp'n'Stick (heat activated), The Essential Glue Pad