Have you ever wondered what people are talking about when you hear ‘pigment ink’ or ‘dye ink’? What are the differences and what are they used for?
Well todays video is all about that very subject I’ll be showing examples of different inks type such as dye, pigment, hybrid, chalk, archival, ombre and more.

You can watch the vide by clicking on the thumbnail below or click here if you are reading via email. If you would rather read a summary of the inks just keep scrolling.

Types of ink

• Dye ink – These ink pads have a raised felt pad that can be firm to the touch. Your stamping will be splotchy at first but as the ink soaks into the paper it will smooth and lighten. The ink will be touch dry very quickly so not much risk of smudging but it takes a while to fully dry as it ‘dyes’ the paper, smoothes out and lightens.
• Pigment ink – Sponge ink pads that are soft and very wet. The ink will take a long time to try and might require heat setting. These inks can be very inexpensive and are opaque so they can be used on darker card. You can also get specially inks with shimmer. The ink will sit on top of the paper.
• Hybrid ink – Hybrid inks are a mix between dye and pigment ink, they tend to stamp well instantly but take a long time to dry.
• Chalk ink – Chalk inks are most similar to a pigment ink but they have a chalky finish to them. These are great for a softer finish to your stamping.
• Archival ink – Archival ink is waterproof making it great for stamping images you want to watercolour. This ink is also fade resistant and can be used over the top of photos.
• Ombre ink – Ombre ink isn’t a different type of ink but it is a different type of ink pad that contains several colours or shades of an ink.
• Versfine ink – A pigment ink that is oil based. My favourite is the black ink for stamping sentiments as they will be very dark and crisp.
• Embossing ink – A clear sticky ink that takes a long time to dry. It can also be used to create a watermark effect on darker card.
• Glue ink pads – Exactly as the name suggests, an ink pad that contains glue rather than ink. This can be useful for adding glitter or gilding flakes.
• Solvent ink – Solvent inks such as StazOn are designed for nonporous surfaces such as acetate, glass, metal and more.