One of the first questions asked when a person first starts stamping or scrapbooking is: What are all these different inks, and how do I know which one I need? Hopefully this guide will help.

First, buy ink pads whose inking surface is NOT even with the plastic casing. You will want raised ink pads, meaning that the inking surface will be elevated from the plastic case. The reason for this is when you are working with a stamp larger than the inking surface of the ink pad, you will not be able to completely ink up the surface with the plastic casing in the way. If your inking surface is raised, you can move the stamp about freely, or place the stamp face up on your table and "stamp" the inkpad all around the rubber surface of your image to ink it up.

Dye-based or Water-based Inks

Dye-based inks are water-based and actually dye the paper. They soak in and stain the fibers of the paper. These are typically the first ink that a new stamper will use.

The best dye-based inks have a linen or fabric top. This allows the ink to be applied evenly on the stamp, which is especially important for intricate rubber stamps. Sponge pads apply the ink in \'bubbles\' and the coverage is not as even for these water-based pads.

Dye-based inks are harder to use for embossing because they dry so fast, and they tend to bleed and fuzz on very absorbent papers. These inks are usually acid-free, but they will fade, especially when exposed to sunlight (unless treated with a special UV resistant finish. These inks will also run if they come in contact with water. For these reasons, dye-based inks aren\'t used often by scrapbookers.

Waterbased dye inks are easily cleaned from your stamps with water. Some stampers like to use damp paper towels or baby wipes to dab the ink off.

Washable Inks

Washable inks are water-based inks used mainly in markers or stamp pads to be used by children. While they may stain *some* fabrics and surfaces, these inks are manufactured to wash off your children and their clothes easily, and usually are non-toxic. One caveat to the washable inks is that they do not seem to dry well on glossy or slick surfaces.

Pigment Inks

Pigment ink is different from normal dye-based inks. They are a pigment suspended in a thick substance (sometimes a glycerin-type base). Because of this thicker consistency, they come in sponge pads almost exclusively. These inks don\'t stain the paper, but dry on top of the paper. Pigment inks are very bright and vivid and work great on matte papers, or embossed on any paper.

This type of ink is suitable in a variety of stamping situations. If you stamp on regular non-coated paper with pigment ink, it will take a little more time to dry than the previously dye-based, but the color will remain on the surface, appearing more vibrant. On coated or glossy paper, however, pigment ink does NOT dry.

Pigment ink is popular with scrapbookers because it is usually acid-free and is fade resistant. It is also a perfect ink for embossing because of its slow drying time. On coated or glossy papers, embossing is the ONLY way to use pigment inks. In order to completely prevent fading of the vivid colors of pigment inks, emboss with a clear embossing powder.

Embossing Ink Pads

While pigment ink pads can be used for embossing, you will also come across pads labeled "Embossing Pads". These pads are much like the pigment pads, but come in clear or tinted (either faint blush or very pale blue) "ink". They are not used for their own color, but rather just provide that wet base necessary for a medium such as embossing powder to adhere to a surface. The tinted pads are more helpful than the clear pads in seeing where your image has been stamped.

Fabric and/or Craft Inks

These are inks of a pigment ink consistency that may be used for embossing, like pigment ink pads and embossing pads, but they have an added bonus. When heated, these inks become permanent. This is especially useful for fabric and wood stamping. Most stampers use a heat gun or an iron to apply heat (depending on the surface stamped).

One thing to keeep in mind is that these inks aren\'t permanent until heat set. So if you are stamping fabric or clothing and make a mistake, you can launder the item to remove the ink (just don\'t use hot water!).

Permanent or Waterproof Ink

These terms are sometimes used interchangeably, but they are not the same.

Waterproof inks

Waterproof inks are a special dye-based ink that contains a dye that, when dry, will not run when exposed to water. These are perfect for when you want to watercolor an image after stamping, or when you will be using markers to color in the image. With the regular dye-based ink pads, watercolors or markers can smear the stamped image. With a waterproof ink pad, this will not happen. The most popular color of waterproof ink is black. There are some reports of the waterproof inks not drying completely on some coated papers. Be sure to test before using on your coated paper.
These inks require special cleaning to remove from your stamps. They will dye the rubber as well as the paper. No permanent harm will be done to the rubber, but it will discolor it. Solvent ink cleaners are your best method for removing these inks from your stamps.

Permanent inks

Permanent inks are usually solvent based. These inks dry by evaporation, not absorption. They work well on all but oil-based papers. they will not fade with time or light. These inks are considered permanent once dry, and do not require a heat setting. They don\'t run, bleed or fade, and you can types of object - walls, wood, terra cotta, heavy or textured paper, glossy paper, glazed ceramics, glass, and shrink plastic.
Permanent inks will definitely stain your stamps, and can be hard to clean off even with a solvent cleaner. Use the cleaner IMMEDIATELY after stamping for best results.

Storing Ink Pads

Finally, I always recommend storing ink pads upside down. This allows the ink to stay on the surface, so when you are ready to stamp, the pad is nice and moist.

You can store inkpads in a shoebox, in plastic containers, or drawers. For a really organized stamp area, you can used a cassette tape storage unit. These are perfectly sized for almost all ink pads. This will help free up your precious desk space for other stamping supplies!