There are many ways to get color onto your rubber stamps. The most popular way is with ink pads, and these come in an endless variety of colors, sizes, shapes and ink types.

Pigment Inks -- Thick pigment inks are generally slow drying, so they can often be used for embossing (eliminating the need, in many cases, for special embossing ink). Always check label instructions, however, as some pigment inks have been specially designed to be quick drying.

Pigment inks impart an opaque color and are also available in metallic and chalk finishes. Pigment ink pads are usually made of foam and need not be stored upside-down.

Depending on the brand, pigment inks may or may not be permanent. Some are permanent only when heat set. Check the label instructions on the ink pad. Most pigment inks are suitable for stamping on mat or glossy stock, and many will stamp on wood, clay, plastic or acetate too. Again read the label and proceed accordingly.

Dye Based Inks -- Most dye based inks are non-permanent, dry quickly and produce a translucent image (although as with pigment inks, there are exceptions so always read the instructions). Dye based ink pads are often made of felt, which benefits from being store upside-down.

Rainbow Ink Pads -- Rainbow pads offer a variety of colors on one pad (no photo). We especially like the Color Box brands of inks (shown in the photo upper left), as they allow you to use the different colors either together as one multicolored pad, or separately, as each of the petals in the Color Box flower can easily be removed. Color Box inks come in a wide variety of color palates, and bottle of re-inking ink are available for all of them.

Resist Inks -- Used alone, resist inks, like the Versa-Mark pad in the photo above, produce a soft water mark type image. They can be combined with other elements like embossing powders or chalks to create resist images. (click for details).

Embossing Inks -- Special embossing inks are slow drying inks, usually in clear or pale colors. They dry slowly so there is plenty of time to sprinkle them with embossing powder, which will be heated to create a raised surface (click for detaisl on embossing).

Solvent Inks -- Solvent inks are solvent based and require special cleaners, but they have the added advantage of being able to stamp on a variety of surfaces including most papers, glass, tile, leather, wood, acrylic and most non-porous and semi-porous substances. Always use solvent inks in well ventilated areas.

Markers -- Felt tip pens or brush markers are a great way to stamp without an ink pad. Markers allow you to apply color directly to the rubber stamp. This offers you the creative option of using multiple colors, applying specific colors to certain areas. You can also use markers to blend colors in a single stamp -- just remember to always apply lighter colors first.

Paints -- You can paint directly on your rubber stamps with acrylic paints. In addition to matte colors, you can get special finishes like pearlescent paints and metallics.

• Learn how to care for an re-ink your stamp pads.
• Visit our Rubber Stamping Home Page with lots of rubber stamping tutorials and projects!