Clear stamps are not like rubber stamps. Here are some tips for getting the best use from your Divinity Designs LLC clear stamps.
The first thing you should do is clean and condition your Clear stamps before using. To clean them, you can use a little bit of mild dishwashing soap. If you are using clear stamps with dye inks and your images are not coming out crisp, you may want to condition your stamps before using them.
To condition the stamps, gently rub over them with a pink pencil eraser or use a fine grit sanding block. By doing this, you will be removing the coating that is left on the stamps when they are manufactured. If you do not remove the coating, you may notice that your inks are beading up or that certain parts of an image are not stamping properly.
Let’s talk a little bit about inks and clear stamps!
Dye inks don’t tend to work as well with clear stamps; the ink may tend to bead up. That’s fine, if that’s the look you are going for, but if you want nice crisp images here are a few inks that work wonderfully with clear stamps - Memento, Brilliance, VersaFine, Colorbox Pigment, Colorbox Chalk, VersaMagic, Ranger Archival (note Archival Inks may tend to stain your Clear stamps). Stazon Ink is not the best choice for using with your clear stamps, as the ink is very hard to remove from your stamps, and using Stazon Cleaner can possibly damage your stamps.
You can also try using Pigment Inks, just be careful when pressing your stamp into the Pigment Ink Pad, as this ink is very wet. If you over press into the ink, when you stamp onto your card stock, you will end up with a blob of an image instead of a nice crisp image. Because Pigments Inks stay wet longer, you can also emboss with these inks.
If you find you are getting too much ink on your stamps, place the acrylic block with the stamp face up and tap your ink onto the stamp.
Regardless of which inks you use with your clear stamps, make sure you are using a freshly inked pad, so that you end up with nice crisp images each time you stamp.
The type of card stock and weather in your location can also be a factor when using clear stamps. If you are in a really humid part of the country you may notice that your inks take longer to dry or will bead up, just remember to experiment with your stamps, inks and paper to find out what works best for you.
When stamping with Clear stamps, you will want to use a lighter pressure when you stamp, because there is no cushion between the stamp and the acrylic block. If you press too hard, you will end up with a blob. Be sure you are stamping on a nice hard surface, some people find it better to stand when stamping with clear stamps; again experiment until you find a method that works right for you.
Clear Stamps Care
Some stamp cleaners can be too harsh for cleaning Clear Stamps. Ranger Cleansit is a wonderful stamp cleaner for all types of inks and removes inks quickly from Red Rubber and Photopolymer stamps. Ranger also sells a Clear Stamp Cleaner, which has a gentle cleaning formula especially made for using with polymer stamps.
If your clear stamps appear to be losing their cling, just wipe the back with a little bit of water to revive them.