Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Clear Stamps vs. Rubber Stamps - Ink Test

Hey all!

As a follow up to the post about Clear Stamps I wanted to share a side by side comparison of just exactly how each stamp works with various types of ink. Below are the results. I'm not going to tell you which stamp is clear and which stamp is rubber until the end. I want you to look at it with an objective eye first.

I will however tell you that BOTH stamps are from well known long established stamp companies and I did nothing different when I stamped each piece. Both were inked and stamped....no special care taken with either.

On to the examples!!

Distress Ink - Broken China

Clear vs. Rubber011

Distress Ink - Dusty Concord

Clear vs. Rubber012

Colorbox Chalk Ink

(oops...didn't get the one stamp too clean before I used this ink!)

Clear vs. Rubber003

Nick Bantock Dye Ink

Clear vs. Rubber004

Brilliance Ink

Clear vs. Rubber002

Ranger Adirondack Dye Ink

Clear vs. Rubber009

Ranger Adirondack Pigment Ink

Clear vs. Rubber008

Archival Ink - Ranger

Clear vs. Rubber010

Stampabilities - Metallic Gold Pigment Ink

Clear vs. Rubber005

Ancient Page

Clear vs. Rubber001

So, there you have it...side by side examples using many different types of ink.

As you know I normally don't comment on results of these types of comparisons.

I like to let you decide for yourself on what you see.

Now that you've seen the examples any guesses on which is which?

Yes - No?

Well...

here

you

go...


Left = Inkadinkado Clear Stamp


Right = Hero Arts Red Rubber Stamp


Opinions? Thoughts? Comments?

Please let us know what you think!

11 comments:

  1. I couldn't tell which was clear and which was rubber... both impressions looked great to me!

    I like to stamp on fabric with fabric ink, but I've heard solvant cleaners should not be used on clear stamps. Is that your understanding, too, Roni?

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  2. Actually, you can use the solvent ink with clear stamps it's the solvent ink cleaner that can damage these types of stamps. They attack the polymer which eventually will break them down and destroy them after time.
    I recommend Rangers Clear Stamp Cleaner. It's formulated specifically for clear stamps...http://www.rangerink.com/products/prod_cleaner_perfectpoly.htm or you could also use a baby wipe that doesn't contain alcohol.

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  3. I find that the types of paper and ink and how I handle the stamp are what make the difference on the images.. not necessarily the stamp itself...

    I love all my stamps no matter the type...

    I need some of that stamp cleaner! I also have a problem with the stazon white staying on my clear blocks.. How do I get that stuff off?? same cleaner?

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  4. Both types did equally well. I found that one of my fav colors, Broken China, didn't do well. I don't use it to stamp, but to add color to paper via the Blender Tool. Thanks for the test.

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  5. I think both stamp equally well. I can tell a big difference with the inks. So it depends on the look that's desired, crisp or fuzzy. This was a great comparison, because prior to this I wasn't happy with my chalk inks, now I clearly see that pigment ink is the one to use when I want a crisp image. Thanks!

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  6. Thank you for taking the time to do that. I couldn't really decide which was rubber and which was clear as there was little or no visible difference in the image quality between the 2 stamps.

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  7. Nailed this one. Glad you confirmed that which i've long suspected. some stamps just like certain types of ink better. Thanks for taking the time to do this for us.

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  8. I'm amazed at how well the clear one worked for you. I confess, I knew which was which - but only because I have that clear set.
    The worst ones seem to be the ones with a larger surface area - like my fave from the Bird set by Inkadinkado. I (literally) tried everything I could think of - cleaning, rubbing on jeans, trying to 'condition' with other inks and rubbing with an eraser. Finally I tried to lightly sand it (eeeek!) but still nothing. Dye ink just beads up and looks silly.
    Oh well, maybe I just got a set with extra release agent in it! :P

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  9. Hmmm... I knew the difference, too. For me, the tell tale sign was the ink blotching up and getting a blurry image on the right side of the left example. That happens to me frequently when I over-ink it (or stamp repeated images) so I have learned to clean my clear stamp off between inkings to avoid that.

    I also notice a difference with clear stamps that don't take regular or distress dye inks. They take solvent or pigment inks just fine, though, so I usually just change the type of ink. It's a bummer when I am doing a project with my zillion colors of Distress ink b/c sometimes I really want worn lipstick, not Stazon timber brown. Does that make sense? I just mean that I have to use a different ink to get a good impression depending on if I am using clear stamps and what kind of paper I am stamping on.

    One really good thing for me is that the Adirondack pigment inks can be stamped and then dry without smudging even when I don't want to take the time to emboss. I find myself reaching for those inks more and more these days. They are super juicy, super clean (give clear stamped images) and super easy to use.

    Great comparison, Roni. Thanks!

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  10. Wow!These are all so gorgeous but gold ink you used very nice I like so much,Thank,s for so nice sharing with us.....
    Plastic Cards Printing

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  11. That is a good comparison. I could tell the left one was a clear stamp, because in most of the impressions it looked a little smudgy, specially with the dye inks. I thought the Rangers archival ink gave it the best impression. The details of the delicate branches and flowers were most visible.
    I have all kinds of stamps, and the only problem I have is with the inkadinkado clear stamps. Nothing seem to work well with them for me. I think I will give the archival ink a try! Thanks for sharing.

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Thanks for your thoughts and comments!