Applying Ink

Once you have your Technique Tuesday clear stamp on your clear block, you are ready to apply ink to your stamp. Here are some tips for inking up clear stamps:

1. Choose an inkpad that is appropriate for your project. Technique Tuesday clear stamps can be used with many different kinds of inkpads. You can find additional information about choosing the right type of inkpad for your project in the "Choosing an Ink Pad" section of our website.

   Just like rubber stamps, some colors of ink and some types of ink will stain your clear stamps. As long as you have cleaned your clear stamp, the remaining transparent tinge of color will not affect the stamped image that your clear stamp makes. In some ways, a tint of color is a benefit. When our stamps are new, they are so clear that it is hard to tell what the stamp image is. And they are so clear that it is easy to lose them. Once they have been used, the transparent tint of color makes it easier to tell what the stamp image is and to know where the clear stamp is.

   Some stamping enthusiasts use solvents, oils, acids, and other caustic or abrasive materials for some stamp projects. These materials are hard on all types of stamps. We recommend that you never use oils, acids, caustic or abrasive materials on your stamps. Consider finding an ink or dye that is designed to be used with art stamps. If you need to use a solvent based ink, choose one that is designed for use with art stamps and clean your stamps immediately. With proper care and wise ink choices, your stamps will last for many years.

2. Ink up your Technique Tuesday stamp. To get great stamped images, consider the following tips for inking up your clear stamps.

   If you are inking up a very small stamp, it often works best to tap your stamp onto the inkpad. For most other stamp sizes, start by placing your clear block on a flat surface with the stamp side up. Then tap your inkpad down directly onto the surface of your stamp. Use firm and even tapping pressure. Consider tapping first in one direction and then other to get a uniform coating of ink on your stamp. Don’t twist your stamp or drag it across your inkpad. Remember too much ink often is just as bad as not enough ink.

   With our clear stamps and our clear blocks, you can see whether you are getting enough ink on your stamp. If you notice an un-inked area, usually you just need to apply more ink. Occasionally, a clear stamp or a traditional rubber stamp has an area that is so smooth that it doesn’t take ink very well. The solution is to rough up the stamp’s surface area. You can do this by rubbing your stamp on a brown paper bag. This will usually make your stamp grab and hold ink more evenly so that you can get perfect stamped images.

   When you are inking up your stamp, try to avoid getting ink on your clear block. Stamping inks won’t hurt the clear block but the extra ink may end up on your project. If you notice some stray ink on your block, you can use a cotton swab to remove it before stamping on your project.

   You can also use more than one color of ink on your clear stamps. In order to avoid staining your lighter colored inkpads, start with the lighter colors and then add darker inks. For more tips and techniques for adding color to your projects, please visit "Adding Color" section of our website.

3. Once you have inked up your stamp, consider stamping on a scratch piece of paper or testing an even better place to test is on a scrap of your project surface. Ink can look very different on different types of paper, colors of paper, or other project materials.

   Clear stamps are designed to be a little sticky so that they will stay on the clear block. Sometimes, new clear stamps can be a little too sticky and cling to your project surface when you are trying to stamp. With normal use, the extra stickiness will go away. You can remove the excess stickiness by inking up your clear stamp and stamping onto a piece of scratch paper. After a few test stamps, your clear stamp should be ready for normal use. Or you can remove the extra stickiness by cleaning the clear stamps with some mild soap and water.