Stamping ink
Stamping ink comes in a few different forms, both in terms of the ink itself, the base of the ink, and the type of ink pad. Aside from stamping, most ink can also be used for techniques. Below are the most common properties of the different inks listed, but keep in mind that there are variations and combinations of ink types too.
Dye vs. pigment
Dye ink
Dye ink is comparable to ink in a fountain pen. It's see-through (not opaque), which means it won't be visible on black paper, there is no such thing as white dye ink (that would just be water), and if you were to stamp in a yellow dye ink on (light) blue paper, the result would be a green image, since the ink soaks into the paper. When you stamp with dye ink, you don't fully saturate the paper with ink. This means that every time you stamp in the same spot (with a stamp positioner, for example), your image will get a bit darker.
Pigment ink
Pigment ink resembles the paint you would put on your wall. It's opaque (not see-through), which means you can stamp on dark or black paper. If you were to stamp in a yellow pigment ink on (light) blue paper, the result would be a yellow image, since the pigment ink lies on top of the paper. When you stamp with a pigment ink, the result will be the true color of the ink pad.
Bases
Inks can be made with different bases: water, oil, or solvent.
Hybrid
Some inks are called "hybrid", "fusion", or "amalgam", which means they combine either multiple bases or multiple types of inks.
Special ink
- Black ink: an overview of the most common black inks, and their compatibility with surfaces and coloring mediums
- White ink: different kinds of white inks
- Transparent ink: what you can use transparent watermark ink for
