black ink | Make It from Your Heart

With so many different black ink pads at our disposal, deciding which is the best option for a project can get a little confusing. Let’s shed some light into this black situation by examining each one of these inks individually and identify what their strengths and purposes are so you’ll never have to second-guess yourself again.

Before getting started, let’s identify all of the players.

All of the black Exclusive Inks™ stamp and pigment pads come in a sleek patented case. The innovative case features an in-lid stamp pad, keeping the ink at the surface and ready to use, as well as a convenient magnetic closure. The raised pads are approximately 3¾” x 2½”, making them larger than average and more versatile.

Although they are very similar in appearance, and are all technically black, each ink is formulated from scratch to produce unique stamping results. We discussed these inks and how to use them with our very talented Art Studio and came up with the following:

1. BLACK EXCLUSIVE INKS™ STAMP PAD

The Black Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad is a water-based dye ink. Our artists like using it for stamping sentiments and other images that will not be colored over with markers or watercolor. It is ideal for cardmaking, tags, and other everyday uses.

2. ARCHIVAL BLACK EXCLUSIVE INKS™ STAMP PAD

The Archival Black Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad has the deepest black ink out of all our black inks. It is a solvent-based permanent ink. Waterproof, lightfast, fade-proof, and archival. We recommend using this ink for scrapbook pages and for stamping on vellum. Archival Black is ideal for stamping images and sentiments with staying power.

3. INTENSE BLACK EXCLUSIVE INKS™ STAMP PAD

The Intense Black Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad is intense not because of its color but because it is a non-smearing, fast-drying, solvent-based permanent ink. Like its Archival Black counterpart, the Intense Black ink is also waterproof and archival. If you want to add color with watercolor or alcohol markers, however, Intense Black is the way to go.

4. BLACK EXCLUSIVE INKS™ PIGMENT PAD

Next, there’s the Black Exclusive Inks™ Pigment Pad. The major difference between this ink and the others is that it is a pigment-based ink. Pigment inks dry permanently on porous surfaces after heat-setting. It takes a little more work to use a pigment ink, but the results are definitely worth it! We recommend adding clear embossing powder to your stamped images, and heat setting them with a Heat Tool, to create beautiful glossy raised images and sentiments.

5. BLACK STAYZON™ INK PAD

Last, and certainly not least, is the Black StazOn™ Ink Pad. This pad offers a fast-drying solvent-based ink designed specifically for use on plastic, metal, glass, ceramic, laminated paper, coated paper, leather, and other non-porous surfaces. Even though this ink is technically “fast-drying,” it can be wiped off a truly non-porous surface within minutes after it is applied, using a Stamp Shammy and StazOn™ Cleaner. This is great to keep in mind because the majority of non-porous surfaces tend to be slippery and can be difficult to stamp with accuracy. Once the ink completely sets, however, it will yield permanent results. (So, make sure to keep that Stamp Shammy nearby! 😉 )

We want you to be able to take all of this information with you wherever your stamping takes you, so we’ve created the following chart, including photos of our artwork examples, for you to download and print.

Download US/CA version, here.

Download AU/NZ version, here.

We even left enough space in an empty second column for you to stamp a solid heart and outline from the My Acrylix^® Erin’s Hand Stamp Set using the individual inks to have real visual examples. (Clear Super Fine Embossing Powder was added to our Black pigment ink and heat set in order to create the glossy raised images shown.)

With this quick and simple breakdown, we hope you will make all of your future black ink decisions with clarity and confidence! Please let us know in the comments below if you found this blog post helpful today. Happy stamping! <3

Recipes:

4¼” x 5½” Happy Birthday Card (Vertical)
C1782 My Acrylix^® Party Balloons Stamp Set, X7245B Craft On Paper Packet, X6028 Black Cardstock, X6027 White Daisy Cardstock, Z2805 Black Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z2812 Raspberry Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z4221 Mink Twine, Z3274 Clear Sparkles, Z1263 Bitty Sparkles, Z2060 Thin 3-D Foam Tape

12″ x 12″ Memories Saved Page
D1848 My Acrylix^® Craft On—Scrapbooking Stamp Set, X7245B Craft On Paper Packet, X6008 Lemon Cardstock, X5984 Pixie Cardstock, X6027 White Daisy Cardstock, Z3271 Archival Black Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, X7248 Craft On Picutre My Life™ Cards, Z4059 Crafty Loose Sequins, Z4057 Craft On Rubber Shapes, Z4213 Silver Embellishing Thread, Z341 Glue Dots^® Mini Dots, Z2060 Thin 3-D Foam Tape

4¼” x 5½” Thinking of You Card (Vertical)
C1794 My Acrylix Floral Delivery Stamp Set, X7246B Sweet Girl Paper Packet, Z4189 Intense Black Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, X6022 Smoothie Cardstock, X6027 White Daisy Cardstock, Z4243 Watercolor Paper Pad, Z4213 Silver Embellishing Thread, Z3132 Watercolor Paints, Z3224 Small Round Waterbrush, Z341 Glue Dots^® Mini Dots, Z2060 Thin 3-D Foam Tape

12¾” x 8¾” Welcome Home Frame
E1043 My Acrylix^® Solid Classroom Alphabet Stamp Set, X5994 Ballerina Cardstock, X6016 Pixie Cardstock, X6018 Raspberry Cardstock, Z8000 Black Exclusive Inks™ Pigment Pad, Z4057 Craft On Rubber Shapes, Z2088 Clear Super Fine Embossing Powder, Z4220 Anti-static Pouch, Z4252 Heat Tool, Z341 Glue Dots^® Mini Dots, Z3503 Cricut^® Artbooking Digital Collection, Cricut^® You Are Here Collection

Cricut^® Shapes:
Artbooking
1¼” #M4235A

You Are Here
1¼” #M282C66F

5″ x 7″ Bride & Groom Frame
D1849 My Acrylix^® True Love—Scrapbooking Stamp Set, X6003 Fern Cardstock, X5988 Peach Cardstock, X6016 Pixie Cardstock, X5993 Sage Cardstock, Z888 Black StazOn™ Ink Pad, Z4059 Crafty Loose Sequins, Z4064 Stitched Flowers Thin Cuts, Z341 Glue Dots^® Mini Dots, Z2060 Thin 3-D Foam Tape, Die-cutting Machine

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We’ve been having a lot fun with StazOn™ ink in our art studio recently and wanted to let you in on it!

Considering all of the different black ink options available, from the faithful Archival Black to the newer Intense Black, it is no surprise that the StazOn ink pad is often overlooked. Most of us who follow this blog papercraft, scrapbook, or make cards out of paper. StazOn ink, although it works well on semi-porous surfaces, including paper, is better known for its use on non-porous surfaces such as plastic, glass, and porcelain. It stays put on the stamped surface, without pilling, until it completely dries.

We decided to put this trusty ink pad to the test, and sure enough, the results were as expected!

Tip: An inked stamp can be slippery on a non-porous surface, like the acetate circle in the shaker windows above. When you are ready to stamp, we suggest you do so with a steady hand, bringing the stamp straight down. (Avoid breathing if possible! 😉 ) Any slight movement in your hands can cause your image to smudge. Just as carefully, remove the stamp from the surface with a straight lift. Do not roll your stamp away.

Follow-up Tip: If you moved while stamping…it happens…have a damp rag (a wet wipe works!) at the ready to wipe off your surface. This only works on non-porous surfaces. If you are working on a semi-porous surface, like leather or photos, wiping will only spread the ink around creating a bigger smudge. A wet wipe should do the trick. (DO NOT use the My Acrylix® Spritz Cleaner to wet your surface for cleaning.)

Once your image is stamped, the ink will require time to set. We recommend that you plan ahead as you work with StazOn ink. Stamp first and set these pieces aside to dry as you work on the rest of your project.

But what if you want to stamp on something that is porous?

Most inks will seep into a permeable surface and spider out from the original stamped image. The trick, here, is to make your surface non-porous, or less porous. To stamp on a wood surface, like this album cover from our Made with Love mini album workshop, use a clear matte acrylic sealer. Before we stamped on our album cover, we sealed the surface with a clear finish aerosol spray. (If you have access to Mod Podge, it works really well, too!) Make sure to allow the sealant to dry before stamping onto the surface. It shouldn’t take too long, but if in doubt wait a bit longer just to make sure.

What are you stamping with StazOn? Do you have any tips or tricks for using this ink? We’d love to hear from you in the comments below!

Recipes

4¼” x 5½” It’s Your Birthday (dots) Card
C1749 My Acrylix® Something Fierce—Cardmaking Stamp Set, X7242B I Heart Us Paper Packet, X5994 Ballerina Cardstock, X6027 White Daisy Cardstock, Z888 Black StazOn™ Ink Pad, Z4270 I Heart Us Sequins, Z4014 White & Gold Twine, Z4304 Loose Sequins—Silver, Z4309 Thin Cuts—Shaker Window & Confetti, Z4310 Shaker Window Foam & Acetate, Die-cutting Machine

4¼” x 5½” Happy Birthday Card
C1749 My Acrylix® Something Fierce—Cardmaking Stamp Set, X7240B Something Fierce Paper Packet, X7242B I Heart Us Paper Packet, X5994 Ballerina Cardstock, X5998 Canary Cardstock, X6027 White Daisy Cardstock, Z888 Black StazOn™ Ink Pad, Z4270 I Heart Us Sequins, Z4014 White & Gold Twine, Z4304 Loose Sequins—Silver, Z4309 Thin Cuts—Shaker Window & Confetti, Z4310 Shaker Window Foam & Acetate, Die-cutting Machine

4¼” x 5½” It’s Your Birthday (stripes) Card
C1749 My Acrylix® Something Fierce—Cardmaking Stamp Set, X7240B Something Fierce Paper Packet, X7242B I Heart Us Paper Packet, X6016 Pixie Cardstock, X6027 White Daisy Cardstock, Z888 Black StazOn™ Ink Pad , X7242C I Heart Us Complements, Z4270 I Heart Us Sequins, Z4304 Loose Sequins—Silver, Z4309 Thin Cuts—Shaker Window & Confetti, Z4310 Shaker Window Foam & Acetate, Die-cutting Machine

6⅛” × 7¼” Grandmother Mini Album
CC4193 Made with Love Mini Album Workshop Kit, Z888 Black StazOn™ Ink Pad

Make It from Your Heart

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