October 20, 2022

Stamps & Stamping Tools

 

Stamps & Stamping Tools



Stamps Stamps and more Stamps

When my son was still young enough to be in his stroller, I wandered into a local art festival, as I often did. I had no idea at that moment, my artsy life would change in an instant. 

I found myself drawn to a booth where a couple was making greeting cards with small images on blocks…wait…what? Fascinated by what I was witnessing, I began asking a million questions. Luckily, the couple was as patient as they were kind. We became fast friends as I discovered, and fell in love with, the art of stamping that day.

Over 20yrs later, I am as passionate about stamping as I was the day I walked into that precious couple’s booth. Only difference is I’ve added to my stamping addiction by illustrating my own stamps. But, am also a fan of several other stamp companies and love to experiment with new techniques, tools, and trends.

There are a few different types of art stamps and each one has their pros and cons. So, I will attempt to break it down for you to make the best decision for your needs.

What is Stamping

Stamping is a craft whereby an image, engraved, or printed, is transferred onto a surface using pigment, or dye, to create creative projects, cards, embellishments, and much more. With the good quality pigments, and the proper pressure, your handmade projects can be stunning.

What kind of stamps should you buy? The easy answer is just buy stamps and images you enjoy working with. I use all of the types of stamps I talk about here because I either enjoy the quality of the stamp or I LOVE the image…or both. So let’s talk about the different types of stamps…

Rubber Stamps

Rubber stamps are engraved, or vulcanized, on a sheet of rubber. Back in the day, rubber art stamps were mounted, along with a foam backing, to blocks of wood. Today, they are also available unmounted, which makes them a great option for using with the many new tools being developed everyday, for the stamping industry. 

Unmounted or Cling Rubber Stamp Pros:

  • Durable – Rubber stamps can last for many, many years if taken care of properly
  • Cushioning – Rubber stamps have a foam backing which allows for more evenly distributed pressure when stamping
  • Crisp, Clean Impressions – Good quality Rubber stamps have a deeper etch than other stamps on the market, so there is less of a chance of getting excess ink on your paper when stamping
  • Easy Storage – Unmounted, or cling mounted, rubber stamps are easily stored on polyester film laminate panels, storage cases, stamp pockets, or sleeves
  • Easily accessible – mounted rubber stamp come with their own fitted block which makes it easy to grab and stamp

Rubber Stamp Cons:

  • Nontransparent – you can’t see through rubber so it could be more challenging to position your stamp in the perfect position
  • Ink shadows – if a rubber stamp is not cut properly, or even if it is, it is easy to pick up unwanted ink along the edges which can leave additional ink marks, or shadows on your paper
  • Storage Challenge – Mounted Rubber Stamps are cumbersome to store. Unless you have dedicated shelving, or drawers, they are bulky.

Clear Stamps

As in almost everything, there are good quality clear stamps, and poor quality clear stamps. Unfortunately, there are imitators out there who try produce inferior products and pass them off as the real thing. 

Don’t be fooled!

A good quality clear stamp is made out of photopolymer which is designed specifically for ink transfer to deliver a clean, crisp image every time. 

A poor quality clear stamp is made out of silicone, acrylic, or other synthetic materials, to look like photopolymer. More often, poor quality stamps are imported, and very inexpensive to make. 

At a glance, you may not be able to tell the difference between a good quality, and a poor quality clear stamp. The differences between them will be in performance, durability, and price. 

Poor quality, imitation clear stamps will be difficult to remove from the clear backing, and they won’t adhere to acrylic stamp blocks well at all. The stamp material can be too hard, like plastic, or even too soft and gooey, producing a very poor image transfer, and short stamping life. Some are not even truly clear, but rather have a slight yellow-like hue. 

Stay away! The cost may be appealing, but ultimately you will be disappointed.

Like anything else I mention throughout these pages, quality products are crucial in producing quality work. With that said, let’s take a look at the pros and cons of quality Clear Stamps:

Pros: 

  • Clean, Crisp Image Transfer 
  • Transparent – the fact that clear stamps are clear, is a game changer for the stamping industry. Transparency allows for precise placement, especially when using a stamp positioning tool, which we will talk about as well.
  • Easy Storage – clear stamps can be easily stored on EZ Mount Sheets (polyester film laminate panels), storage cases, stamp pockets, or sleeves
  • Less expensive – clear stamps are generally less expensive than wood mounted stamps
  • Mounts Easily – good quality clear stamps will mount easily, and removed easily form acrylic blocks, so you really only need a few appropriate sized blocks for all of your clear stamps, or a convenient, user friendly stamping tool

Cons:

  • No Foam – unlike Rubber Stamps, clear stamps don’t use foam, so you may not always get an evenly stamped image 
  • Stain – unfortunately all clear stamps get stained from use. Be sure to clean your stamps after each use, as not to muddy up future projects, or potentially erode your stamp
  • Sticky – clear stamps not only stick to acrylic, but other smooth surfaces as well. Be mindful of where you lay them down or you may accidently toss them away
  • Shallow Depth – a clear stamp doesn’t usually have the depth that a rubber stamp has, which is important to keep in mind when using softer ink pads. With a soft, cushioned ink pad, you can pick up too much ink on your stamp, and transfer the excess ink to your project if not careful.

Digi Stamps or Digital Stamps

I am obviously a little partial to digi stamps considering I created Digi Doodle Studios. But maybe I can help you see why digi stamps are so fabulous!

So what is a Digi Stamp? 

A Digi Stamp is a printable image file created by artists, for crafters. Stampers and crafters use them for creating cards, scrapbook layouts, and other paper crafting projects. 

Digi Stamps are generally higher quality than simple clipart images, so they can be resized easily and printed with without losing clarity. 

Pros:

  • Downloadable – digi stamps are an image which are downloaded from the computer
  • Instantly Accessible – once downloaded, you can instantly print, color, and begin creating 
  • Versatile – sized, cut, flipped, mirrored, printed in different colors
  • Minimal Storage – the only storage a digi file takes up is space in you file folders on your computer. Many often back them up on disk or thumb drive
  • No messy Inks – just print and create…clean fingers
  • Resizable – good quality digi stamps are easily resizable with no loss of clarity
  • Dependable – digi stamps will never wear out. You can be print them over and over again. 
  • Cost Effective – digi stamps cost considerably less than traditional physical stamps
  • Import to Die Cut Machines – you can import your digi stamps to your Cricut, or Silhouette, and easily print and cut them
  • Easy Travel – just load them on your thumb drive and they can go wherever you go
  • Freebies – Company will often give Free images as prizes, and incentives
  • Large Variety – Digi Companies usually have a huge library of images available. They are cost effective, and can be released more often than traditional stamps. 

Cons:

  • Technology Dependent – a printer and computer are necessary to print your stamps. The output of the image will depend greatly on the quality of your printer, ink and paper. Be sure to back up your stamp files in case your computer crashes, or dies.
  • Not a Physical Product – digi stamps are an image file to which you 
  • Surface Challenged – unlike physical stamps, you can’t print on anything thicker than cardstock, so yo have to get creative to apply the image to other surfaces like glass, wood, fabric etc..
  • Limited Usage Policy – when you purchase a digi stamp, you are only buying permission to use the image for specific types of projects. You do not own the image or copyrights to the image. You can’t share it or sell it. Be sure to read the company Terms of Use carefully before purchasing the image.
  • Not Returnable – a digi stamp is an image file, not a physical product. You will not be able to get a refund, so be sure you know what you are buying, and how to use it.

Visit Digi Doodle Studios today for a full line of Digi Stamps, Digi Paper Packs, and Coordinating Sentiments

The difference between all the stamps mentioned above is a matter of preference. I love to use all types of stamps. Hope you will too!

Stamping Tools

The craft industry is ever growing, and new trends are popping up all the time. New trends often mean new tools to help spark creativity, save time, craft with precision, ease and let’s face it, just plain exciting to use.

If you are a stamper, must-have the Most Incredible Stamp Tool Invented. I’m sure you will be happy you made the investment because it is designed to help crafters stamp with precision and confidence. There are a few similar stamping tool products by different companies, but their function is the same.

MISTI Stamping Tool – aka “Most Incredible Stamp Tool Invented” by My Sweet Petunia was the pioneer for this innovative game changer. 

A simple hinged acrylic design with foam pad, grid, and heavy duty magnets allow for precision stamping using both unmounted rubber and clear stamps, for beginners and experienced stampers alike 

  • Sturdy
  • Durable
  • User Friendly – easy to use for beginners, novice, and experienced stampers
  • Precision Stamping
  • Acrylic Hinged Cover 
  • Foam Pad
  • Grid – on cover and grid paper
  • Rulers – along edges
  • Positioning Accessories
  • Ability to Repeat Stamping
  • Easily Create Stamped Backgrounds
  • Perfect Stamping every time

Similar Stamping tools worth a mention:

IMHO

I hope I may have helped you in some way in considering the stamps and stamp tools to use for your fabulous crafty, and artistic, projects.

I’ve only attempted to help you learn a little more about the stamps I use, and why they are my favorite must-haves. 

Tip: Some things are worth the investment. In order to achieve the best results, try to choose quality products, over price, whenever possible. After all, you work hard on your projects, right? 

Happy crafting…

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