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Home / Craft Product Reviews / Review of Kaleidacolor Rainbow Dye Ink Pads by ImagineCrafts

Review of Kaleidacolor Rainbow Dye Ink Pads by ImagineCrafts

September 12, 2013

Sometimes you have that perfect stamp and you think, “That really needs more than one color.” Or perhaps you’d like to create a whole background in a variety of colors. Lucky for us, there is  a PERFECT inkpad for that- the Kaleidacolor Rainbow Dye Ink Pads by ImagineCrafts.

Kaleidacolor Rainbow Dye Ink Pad

Here’s how they are described on the website:

There’s a rainbow for every season with Kaleidacolor Stamp Pads. Twenty striking rainbow combinations mean you’ll never run out of ideas. And our patented sliding palette means that your rainbow pads will stay vibrant and clean project after project. Simply slide the palette together to stamp and slide it apart to store. It’s that easy! To create a custom color palette, make your own rainbow using the uninked Kaleidacolor pad and the 62 refill colors.

These pads are unique in their design- the inked sections are actually separate so that the ink doesn’t bleed over while not in use.

Kaleidacolor Rainbow Dye Ink Pads

But then slide the lever out (seen on the left hand side) and they smoosh together to create one even surface.

Kaleidacolor Rainbow Dye Ink Pads

The inkpad itself is raised up and the factory-sealed samples I got were really nice and juicy.

Kaleidacolor Rainbow Dye Ink Pads

You can see the color is saturated all the way to the bottom. And lovely vivid colors, too!

So let’s get to a few swatch tests.

Kaleidacolor Rainbow Dye Ink Pads

Let’s first remember that this is dye-based ink. That means that the color is translucent, so we do expect the background color to show through and affect the result. Hence the RED ink on the BLUE paper makes a black design. And it doesn’t show up on black hardly at all except for a watermark-style image. But the colors are lovely and true on the lighter cardstocks and even the fabric samples. I especially like the crisp image on the Sticky-Back Canvas (you can click the link to learn more about that), which has some texture to it. And great results on the cotton. (I’ll update as to it’s colorfastness after washing.)

Kaleidacolor Rainbow Dye Ink Pads

Next I experimented with it’s interaction with water. The first sample you can see I misted right after stamping. I got a little bleeding, but it was minimal. For the second, I misted the inked stamp- and while it helped the colors to blend a bit more, there was no bleeding on the paper. Result? You can stamp with this ink and let it dry (and maybe hit it with a heat tool just to make sure) and then use your other mists and watercolors over top for a layered effect without smudging.

Kaleidacolor Rainbow Dye Ink Pads

These were the four color palettes I received- and I wanted to show them to you. But keep in mind there are over 20 color combinations in this line! Which is your favorite? I really couldn’t pick- but since it is autumn here in Ohio, the Tomato Vine was especially timely.

Now, some tips! First- They are INKS. They will stain your fingers. So apply a little hand lotion to keep it from staining your hands too badly OR wear gloves if you want to save your manicure.

Kaleidacolor Rainbow Dye Ink Pads

Next- if you want to ink up a larger stamp, that lever gets in the way. So you will want to have one of these handy:

Kaleidacolor Rainbow Dye Ink Pads

The brayer makes it easy to both blend the colors on the roller and apply them to a large stamp OR directly onto your paper. I have this heavy-duty one from Fiskars. And it’s a bit heavy but it is HUGE and great for larger designs.

Now, I forgot to take a picture of the cards I made with these inks- but no worries- they are here on this video I made. You’ll see the inks in action, swatches, my brayering technique, and yes, a bunch of cards I made.

I’d love your questions or comments- which card was your favorite?

Disclosure: Samples provided for review, but all opinions are honest and my own. 

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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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Posted in Craft Product Reviews, Paints, Inks & Dyes, Paper Crafts |

Comments

  1. Fancylooks says

    September 12, 2013 at 09:24

    You always show very interesting material, thank you.

  2. Kim P. says

    September 12, 2013 at 09:28

    Just love the denim blue ink pad with thinking of you card. I will have to look for a few of these ink pads at the local hobby store. Love to see your finished cards and have gotten a lot of ideas. Thanks Jenny!

  3. amy says

    September 12, 2013 at 09:47

    These were huge about 10 years ago, I probably have about a dozen of them and rarely use any more. I think I will need to re-visit them again. By far the best technique is on glossy paper with a brayer. The colors just fade into one another and you get smooth even coverage. I wonder if you tried red rubber, would you get better coverage, as the pictures look like splotchy coverage.

  4. Swtthng says

    September 12, 2013 at 09:49

    Thanks for mentioning markers, ie Copics would work well with this product.

  5. Jenny says

    September 12, 2013 at 10:05

    Amy- the sentiment stamp that I used WAS red rubber- that’s why I tried misting it to get more even coverage. The background stamp is more of a “distressed” style and the coverage was accurate to the stamp. Hope this clears up any confusion!

  6. Renee says

    September 12, 2013 at 10:25

    I love these pads! I just recently used some of mine that I’ve had for over 5 years, and they are still as vibrant as the day I bought them. Talk about lasting forever! Of course they were stored in plastic bins with lids, but I still would have thought they would have dried out by now. Definitely produce beautiful results! I think I’m going to purchase some of the other color varieties.

  7. StampinPenguin says

    September 12, 2013 at 14:49

    I have a Kaleidacolor Rainbow Dye Ink Pad that I bought years ago. I bought it at StampaBarbara that’s how long ago it was! It’s still one of my favorites. I love how the colors separate when I put it away. After many years, the colors still have not muddied.

  8. Smokie says

    September 12, 2013 at 15:21

    I like the look you achieved using the brayer and large stamp. It makes a nice background for so many cards. Thank you for the tip.

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Hi! I’m Jenny, the co-host of Hands On Crafts for Kids on PBS and the Head Dummy behind CraftTestDummies.com where you’ll find craft product reviews, tutorials, and craft industry news.

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Jenny Barnett Rohrs is Head Dummy and Pied Piper behind CTD, which focuses on reviews, tutorials, and craft industry news. Jenny has appeared on HSN, Scrapbook Soup PBS series, and is currently the co-host of Hands On Crafts for Kids on PBS.

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