Re-inking stamps

If you feel your ink pad is getting dry because you've used up most of the ink, it's time to re-ink.

Re-inkers

Re-inkers are the small bottles that you can buy that contain the same ink as what's in your ink pad. It can be used to add ink to a (partially) used-up ink pad.

How to re-ink

Felt pads

1. Make sure the ink pad is clean (no stray hairs or other ink colors). You can use a paper towel or cloth to clean the pad if needed.
2. Depending on the ink, you might have to shake the bottle. (You should find the specific instructions on the bottle.)
3. Either add dots of ink or move the bottle while squeezing, while barely touching the ink pad itself. (You might scratch the surface if you're too rough.)

The ink will soak into the pad quite quickly.

1. Test to see if the ink pad is saturated enough. If not, simply add more ink.

If you've overfilled the pad, your stamped image will come out blurry and muddy. To prevent this, take away some of the ink. To not throw away any money, you can always look for techniques that use a direct-to-paper approach.

Foam pads

The re-inking process is the same for foam pads as for felt pads. Although you might want to work the ink into the pad a bit with the help of a bone folder, the back of a spoon, a gift card, …