The other day I got a tweet from #TeamCTD reporter Haley from TheZenofMaking expressing that she knew I’d be horrified to discover that she doesn’t have a single stamp pad in her crafting space. GASP! Yes, I am a little horrified…but then I got to thinking- how would anyone even begin to know what basic stamp pads you should have on hand? (Yes, you need more than one!)

So I thought I’d take moment to share which stamp pads you need for your basic crafter’s toolbox and WHY. Now, for the sake of simplicity, I’m only going to talk about black stamp pads- mostly- but you know that most of the kinds/brands I’m talking about come in lots of colors.

Let’s get started, OK?

Archival Ink By Ranger This waterproof, permanent, and acid-free stamp pad is essential to have on hand. It’s great for stamping an image and then using watercolor inks/markers over top. Since it’s waterproof, you can also use spray mists and inks and it won’t smudge your image. You can read a full review by Jennifer Clark here– and really, you must-must-must have one of these on hand.

StazOn Solvent Ink Pad by Tsukineko This pad’s super-power is that the ink is solvent-based- so it’s perfect for non-porous surfaces like leather, vellum, glass, and plastic. In short, it’s for all of the surfaces that you aren’t used to stamping on successfully! It dries quickly, too. Keep on on hand for your home decor needs. I wrote up a full review here so you can see for yourself!

VersaMark Pigment Inkpad This pad is a pigment pad with out the pigment. It’s super sticky and creates a watermark-look on plain paper. But more importantly, it will “grab” pigment powders, chalks, and is the perfect foundation for embossing powders. What’s good about this pad is that is that it’s so versatile! Read my review of the Watermark “Dazzle” pads for more information.

VersaCraft Fabric Pigment Inkpad Hmm. Three pads by Tsukineko? YUP. And the reason that you want to add this stamp pad to your arsenal is because it performs so well on fabric. If you are going to add stamped images to ribbon or fabric for your wearables, quilts, and mixed-media, you want  a stamp pad that won’t run or bleed in the fibers AND stays colorfast through washing. I did a comparison of Fabric Stamp Pads and found the VersaCraft the winner.

Now, I know that there are a lot of great chalk, pigment, and dye-based stamp pads out there…but if I had to recommend only FOUR, these would be it. You can also have a lot of fun with a set of brush-tipped markers in a pinch. I’d love to hear your comments if you found this post helpful!

If you are considering purchasing any of these stamp pads, I’d appreciate it if you used CTD affiliate links:

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About Jenny

Chief Craft Test Dummy, Craft Evangelist, Founder, Editor, bottle-washer, trouble-maker, and creative whirlwind.

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