Three Steps to Good Stamping

Stamping sounds really easy, does not it? You purchase a stamp, put some ink on it, and rap it on the paper, right? Unsuitable!

You might find your images smudge, twist or look a bit blobby with this methodology of stamping. That’s not normally what a stamper wants. Well, I am going to inform you about the little secrets and techniques for creating stamped images that you could be not have seen before. However let’s start a few steps before you start stamping. Let’s look on the quality of the stamp and the type of ink you’ll buy.

Before you purchase your stamp, it is vital to examine the rubber or acrylic and resolve if the image is caretotally chiselled out. A very good stamp will be made of a firmer, high quality rubber or acrylic and the image will be finely and deeply cut. Should you buy a stamp that’s softer and less well defined, that is the type of image you will get from it, regardless of your technique.

Now consider the ink you want to use. There are actually five primary types of inks and every one gives you a distinct effect. There are dye based, pigment based mostly, permanent, material and embossing inks. Which one will produce the result you want? Here is some ideas about how to choose between them:

Dye Based inks are water based mostly so they react to water or paint or different moisture by smudging. What they do is stain the paper, so if you wish to colour your stamped images one way or the other, do not select dye-based mostly inks. In order for you a quick drying ink or crisp images that you do not wish to color or alter in any way, select dye based inks. You will also get a softer colour with dye based inks. You may normally clean this type of ink off your stamps with water, however be careful to not saturate and due to this fact warp any stamps mounted on wooden blocks.

Pigment inks are additionally water based mostly however they’re made in another way to dye primarily based inks. They’ve little particles of color in them so they’re brighter than dye inks and are less likely to smudge. They are best used on matte paper. While you use them on shiny cardstock, they will smudge if touched. In addition they take longer to dry so you’ll be able to put embossing powder on them and heat set that.

Permanent ink is just that – a quick setting, water-proof ink. You possibly can stamp on many surfaces with it – glossy cardstock, glass, acetate, even wood or paint. Once in place and dry the image is there to stay. This type of ink will additionally stain your stamp unless you employ the specially made permanent ink cleaner solution that normally could be found on the shelf on the store next to the everlasting inks.

Material ink is made for stamping on material and also you will probably must ‘set’ it by ironing over it after you have stamped your image. You need to use material ink on other surfaces too (corresponding to on chipboard). It’s a semi-permanent ink so use a stamp cleaner with it to keep away from staining your stamps.

Embossing inks are stickier and take longer to dry so they’re perfect for catching and holding on to embossing powders. Just be careful not to contact an embossed image till it has been heat set or it will smudge. For those who stamp on coloured cardstock with clear embossing ink, your image will be tones darker than the colour of the cardstock. You will need a stamp cleaner for this type of ink, too.

OK. After you have chosen your ink, you might be ready to start stamping. The three secrets and techniques for crisp, clear images are:

Place your stamp face-down on your ink pad, and tap it on the pad. Keep away from pushing the stamp into the ink pad as you will wind up with too much ink on the stamp and this in turn will make your images smudged or imperfect. Now turn the stamp over and check to see if all areas of the image have been evenly inked up. If not, turn the stamp face down again and tap it on the ink pad till it is properly inked up.
Turn your stamp over once more and hold it firmly in your hands by the edges. Lower it onto your paper as straight as you can. Press the stamp within the middle with a finger, then press across the edges of the image to make sure the entire image has had contact with the paper. Be careful not to press so hard that you just tilt or buckle the stamp.
Next, carefully and smoothly lift the stamp straight up from the paper, avoiding tilting or twisting the stamp.
It is best to have a clean, crisp, full image!

More stamping tips:

If in case you have a very large stamp, turn it face up in your table. Faucet the ink onto the stamp, checking to make sure it is all properly inked up. You could find you get a better outcome in case you place your paper on the stamp and carefully smooth it over with your hand earlier than lifting the paper straight up and off the stamp. This way you keep away from any ‘missed’ spots caused by imperfections within the surface of a large stamp.

Do try to clean your stamps earlier than the ink dries on them. Using a stamp cleaner will condition the rubber and keep the quality of the images.

Now you now the three steps to good stamping.Perfection might be achieved for those who observe these steps. It could take some observe earlier than you consistently get perfect results, however the time you might spend doing that’s worth it!