Supplies Used For Comparing Different Ink Pads |
When I first started collecting Copics I read that they did not work with certain inks, SU! was one of them. But I had never tried it for myself. When I went through the training for Copic Certification we were given a booklet that has lots of helpful information and some information that was less than definitive! A lot of the advice was try it and see. So in that spirit, that is what I set out to do.
Eight Different Black Inks |
It is recommended that some inks be heat set. For others, it is important to make sure they have dried on the paper prior to coloring. Because there is always a difference in juicy-ness of ink pads and the amount of pressure people stamp with, I decided to stamp all of the images and then let them sit overnight. This may seem like an unnecessary step, but it was important to me to try to make sure all of the inks were 'treated' the same. I did not heat set any of them, because of this. But, I knew they would all be dry and ready to color.
One Red Rubber and One Acrylic Stamp For Each Ink On Cryogen White Card Stock |
Tsukineko Black Inks |
There was NO competition for Versafine's stamped image. It made a crisp, clear, image. It is perfect. This is a pigment ink that I normally use for watercoloring and for CAS cards. I love how the detail shows in the image. However, even though the ink sat overnight, the pink did bleed a little at first. After the colored images sat for a bit, both the yellow and pink were bleeders. Use this lovely ink for other types of projects.
Two Black CTMH Inks |
Both inks stamped very well on the Cryogen cardstock. CTMH markets their ink for use with acrylic stamps, since that is what they manufacture. Red rubber typically has thicker "walls" in their images so that results in a little more surface area for the ink. That is why I included both types of stamps here. Even though this isn't scientific, I would like to give each of the inks a fair chance.
Back to the results: The regular black dye bled a little with the yellow markers and did not bleed with the pinks. The opposite was true of the archival. This was becoming exasperating because I wanted a definitive good or bad result! If I were in a bind, I would use the CTMH Archival ink for coloring with darker colors. But it would not be my first choice.
Two Black Ranger Inks |
The Tim Holtz Distress ink stamps thick. It is an acceptable stamping ink, but not impressive for thinner images. However, it plays very nicely with Copic markers. So I would give the TH inks a definite "yes" for use with Copics.
Stampin' Up! Black Ink |
Which brings me to the other big surprise to me. The last ink (which is half pictured on the photo above) is the Stewart Memories dye ink. It is listed as a Good ink on Copic's list. Neither image stamped very cleanly and worse, the ink was very smeary when I colored them.
So after all this lengthy explanation, here is a little chart that I made with my recommendations. I included Copic's recommendations as well. Though the Brilliance ink was not reviewed on this post, I did include it because it was reviewed yesterday.
Click on the chart to see it larger.
Ink Recommendations For Use With Copic Markers |
Thank you for stopping by today!
Beverly
Beverly, thanks so much for posting this! Wouldn't you know that last night I pulled out my new markers (Spectrum Noir, can't afford the copics yet) for the first time, and was not that thrilled with how it made the CTMH ink bleed, so I was going to try some other options today and now I don't have to! I do have to go to the store though..... THANKS!
ReplyDeleteMiriam, I am so glad you found this to be helpful. Thank you for taking the time to let me know. I do appreciate it! Have fun with your new markers! Beverly
DeleteInterestingly enough, the CTMH Stamp pads from 20 years ago work great! Colored with Copics within 10 minutes of stamping and not a smear. I didn't test the black because I don't own that and use Memento black, but I wanted lighter colors for no-line coloring. The old Gray Flannel and Desert Sand were fantastic! I almost purchased a Memento tan and light gray to use, but tested the CTMH inks first. So glad I did!
ReplyDeleteTracy, thank you for sharing what you have found works well for you! I love this community because people are so great about offering tips to others. I love my CTMH inks and even though I have downsized, I couldn't part with them. It is nice to know that you have had good success with no-line coloring using Gray Flannel and Desert Sand. I've been using Distress Inks for that type of stamping lately because they were closer at hand. Thank you for the reminder about CTMH's inks!
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