The Right Kind of Ink for the Right Kind of Job

This blog post will talk about the different types of ink that we carry and how they are best used. Why is it important to select the correct ink? Choosing the wrong ink may cause your imprint to wash out from moisture or just sit on top of the surface and never dry. If you are imprinting on a surface other than normal non-gloss paper please let us know so that we can recommend  the right product for you. Please note that if you are not using water based ink you will most likely need to have your stamp made out of a special rubber or the ink will cause the normal polymer die to deteriorate much faster.

The most common ink that we sell to our customers is water based which works well if you are imprinting on non glossy paper. Water based ink is used in our Trodat self inking stamps and standard stamp pads. This type of ink does not work on non-porous surfaces as it will not dry and will smudge even if you give it a very long dry time.

If you are imprinting on glossy paper or a non-porous surface like plastic or metal, we recommend that you use hi-seal ink. Hi-seal ink dries faster so it is great for imprinting on photographic paper, glossy loyalty cards and metal parts. It is not appropriate to use on human skin.

UV ink is typically used by people in the special event industry or night clubs to imprint on skin for re-entry purposes. UV Ink glows under black light. It is fast drying and alcohol based so you will need the stamp die made out of a special rubber.

Fabric ink is meant to be used on textiles and will last many washes before fading. It is important to wash your clothes first before imprinting or the ink will not set properly.

If you don’t find an ink that works for you let us know what your application is and we may have other marking solutions for you. Give us a call. We love a challenge!

 

Posted on April 17, 2014 - 4:16pm by Yung.