Do you have a favorite stamp pad brand?

[Trixie]

I am curious what is your favorite stamp pad brand to use for stamping. I know the distressed pads are great for techniques, but they don't make good crisp images. What do you use for stamping images on cards? I have stamped all my ink pads as a test using the same paper and stamp. I was pretty surprised with the results. I had a hard time getting a good result with some of the pads even after re-inking them. What is your go to pad to use on regular card stock?

Judy

[pamcook]

I use Staz On and rarely use any color except for black or brown. The stamps I use are outline, background, or words. I have an Archival black ink pad that I like a lot. I do have some specialty ink pads - someone will know the name - they're a pearlized silver, gold, and a turquoise. Brilliance maybe?

Not much help, am I?

[mpizzazz]

I like the Versafine ink pads for nice crisp detailed images and the Ranger Archival is ok. I really don't like Staz On because so many times the stamps stick to the paper, don't lift off cleanly and pull the ink off with them. Not sure what that is all about.
For pigment inks, I have used Colorbox Petal Pads, the round ones with 8 different ink colors in them, for years. I just bought some new ones.
For dye inks, I prefer the Distress pads to other brands.

I hope you will share what your tests showed. Very good question, I'll be interested to hear what everyone says.

[Monica]

For crisp images? Archival & Adirondack from Ranger, and the Versafine from Tsukineko. My go-to inks for everything else are Tim's Distress inks and Versamark. Ranger inks have been my favorite inks since the late 90s.

[jmp1022]

I use all of those

[pbp908]

I generally use either Versafine or Staz On for a permanent image that I'll be using other inks or mediums with. I haven't had any problems getting a good image with Distress Inks and will use them if I want something other than black or dark brown.

[nchoney]

I use a variety of things.... I do like the inkpads that Club Scrap sells.... those stamp crisp images ... I also like the Stampin' Up inkpads that I've got... and I use Distress Inks for some things... Those are the dye inkpads that I go to most often.

I have ColorBox pigment inkpads and some of the petal sets, too.... those I use if I want to stamp in color and use clear embossing powder

[pamcook]

I think I do use some Versafine. I know I use it for embossing ink...

This is always a good topic for me - I don't stamp enough to remember the details!

[Debbie J]

The like Stazon, seems to be my go-to ink pad.

[jfugina]

I think I'm with most of you here. For stamping images, I almost exclusively use Staz On in black or brown. Though I do have red and green that I got for holiday card stamping (in theory - I haven't made holiday cards in years). I have experienced what Marianne said about sticking, but it really only is a problem if I'm using a glossy cardstock. But with Staz On, you can further color the image any way you like, and the outline won't run.

I have a boatload of Stampin Up ink that I got for using with a brayer - ala Michelle Zindorf. But I don't use those inks for anything else, and most of them are probably dried out by now.

The only other thing I use ink for is edging. Depending on whether I want a soft or hard edge, I'll either use the Distress inks with a blending tool, or Cat's Eye chalk ink. Chalk ink is my absolute favorite for quickly edging something. But I'd never try using it for stamping an image - it wouldn't be crisp enough. I'll use Distress ink to stamp an image on rare occasion only - only if the paper is matte and only if I desperately want to use a color that isn't black or brown.

[jmp1022]

last couple of days I been using Black India ink

[mpizzazz]

To keep ink pads juicy for years, I have used the Ranger Ink Refresher on them. You can use it on dye or pigment pads and in waterbased markers.

I also flip the inkpad over when the glue holding it in the container starts to let go. I've reglued lots of the old petal pads when they fall off. I usually flip it over then reglue it. There is lots of ink at the bottom which is one reason why I still believe pads should be stored upside down.
Ok, so I know I'm cheap but look at your inkpads and see for yourselves.

[jfugina]

My die inks are all stored upside down. I've been doing that for years. I didn't think it mattered so much with the pigment inks though - those seemed more evenly distributed through the spongy pad. But, I'm all about making my inks last as long as possible. So I'll definitely flip the rest of my inks.

[mpizzazz]

Tim says you don't need to store them upside down but I just know what I have seen on my own inkpads. I do reink the Distress pads and I don't notice it so much on the felt pads. I have noticed it mostly on the petal pads because so many of the old ones have fallen off the plastic petal shape and I can see how juicy they are on the bottom. So I just reglued the pad onto the shape with the drier top surface glued down. I use a waterproof glue.

On regular shaped pads, I've pried the foam off and flipped it over and reglued it.

[nancine]

wow, you all would faint if you saw all my ink pads!

I have 3 VIVID ink pads that were the first ones I purchased, maybe 20 years or more ago. They are still going strong and have never been re-inked.

Distress I love for the variety of techniques you can do with it.

The Distress Pads seem to need re-inking alot, so I've bought re-inkers for those and for my black pads but the others not so much.

I do not like the new packaging for SU inks, the case is too big and hard to open for me. I do like their new formulation and foam type pad though. I use them once a month at my SU club. If they had better cases I'd buy them.

My new favorite ink is from Simon Says Stamp. I got a full sized pad in one of the card kits and loved it. So I bought more when they had a big sale.

I tried the Hero Arts shadow inks and was not impressed. They stamp blotchy, and even though Jennifer McGuire, Shari Carroll and others say after time it dries smooth looking I haven't experienced the results they have.

Many of my Adirondacks were very old and the lid hinge cracked and broke. I prefer the lid that comes off now, easier to tap the ink to the stamp instead of stamp to pad for some of the newer clear and cling stamps. But they are good too.

I do like the Palette Inks that Club Scrap sells, if you find them in the store with the name Palette on the front it's the same thing. Made by Stewart Superior.

Mary Jo McGraw once told me there are only about 3 companies who actually make ink pads - everyone else they just add their label to them.

Colorbox pigment inks are great - haven't bought in awhile and you know that Stampin' Up purchased Colorbox??? So I'm not sure if anything has changed. I do hate how they come off, like Marianne says on the petal points.

For black - I like Ranger Archival and India Ink and the Versafine black is a go to for crisp, clear BLACK sentiment stamping.

And I have some metallic inks - mostly Encore. Gold, Silver, Bronze.
And Versamark for embossing