Today I’m sharing my favorite ink pads with you.  Each product is listed and linked below for your convenience, however I will explain why each product is a favorite and what it is used below. If you have any questions about anything listed on this page, please feel free to contact me or leave a comment on this post and I will reply.

My Favorite Ink Pads

Black Ink Pads

Gina K Designs Onyx Black Ink Pad is my favorite all around dye Ink Pad.  I did a black ink pad comparison demonstration and blog post and video here if you’d like to see how it stands up to other brands.  Gina K black onyx ink dries fast, stamps crisp, solid and clean.

Ranger Archival Ink is what I prefer for watercoloring.  It is a permanent, waterproof, black ink and it stamps wonderfully.  You can see how it stamps compared to other brands by looking at my black ink pad comparison blog post and video here.

Versfine Onyx Black Ink is what I use for heat embossing black images/sentiments.  It’s a fast drying pigment ink that stays wet long enough for you to heat emboss with clear embossing powder. I will talk more about this in the “embossing” section of my favorites of 2016, but I felt like it deserved a mention with all the other black inks.  See how this ink stamped compared to other brands of black inks here.

StazOn is great for non porous surfaces such as transparencies, glass, plastic, ceramic, leather, etc.  Has a STRONG odor and will stain your stamps but won’t affect the stamped images.

Memento is my black ink of choice for coloring with copic markers. It is a copic friendly ink.

My Favorite Dye Ink Pads

In no particular order, these are my favorite dye ink pads.  I like a crisp SOLID image when I stamp and dye inks by nature can sometimes stamp splotchy but even out after a few minutes once the ink had has time to absorb into the paper. So when you first stamp, don’t’ be alarmed if it looks splotchy. Wait a minute and then you’ll see that it’s evened out.

Lawn Fawn Ink Pads – If I had to choose a favorite dye ink pad this would probably be the brands I’d choose because of their color choices.  I love all of my favorites equally but Lawn Fawn has the best color range in my opinion.  They stamp somewhat splotchy but even out very quickly.  These and the next three dye inks I am going to share with you are all very similar.  Here is a video review I created showing how they stamp:

Gina K Designs Ink Pads – Another of my favorites, they are very similar to Lawn Fawn and WPlus9 ink pads, but they have a lovely color selection as well and their inks match their cardstocks!  (my all time favorite cardstock!)

Wplus9 Inks are very similar to Lawn Fawn and Gina K Designs, they just have different color choices.  Here is a video review I made showing how they stamp.

 

Altenew Ink Pads – These are somewhat new to the market and stamp solid EVERY time I use them. They are made especially to use with layering stamps, as their colors come in three to four colors that will combine for beautiful layering.  I’ll discuss layering stamps more in the Stamps section of My Favorites of 2016.

Here is a video review I did on YouTube showing how well these inks stamp:

 

My Favorite Pigment Inks

My all time favorite pigment ink is Memento Luxe. Don’t confuse this with Memento Dye Inks because they are completely different.    Memento Luxe is nice and juicy and stamps perfectly every time. They are pigment inks which means they sit on top of your paper and don’t absorb the way dye inks do so this makes them perfect for heat embossing with clear embossing powder.  I do not have a ton of embossing powders in different colors because I just use these Memento Luxe Pigment Ink Pads with clear embossing powder. (saves money and storage space!).  I’ll also list these int the embossing section of my favorites but they also needed to be included in my favorite inks because I use them for regular stamping as well!

My Favorite White Ink Pads

Memento Luxe Wedding Dress – I just recently posted a blog post and video comparing white ink pads. You can see how they all stacked up against each other here.  My personal favorite is Memento Luxe Wedding Dress. It is the brightest white out of all of the ones I own and have tried.  Brightness is the main factor for me when using white ink on dark or kraft cardstock.

StazOn Cotton White – This ink is specially formulated to work on non porous surface such as acetate/transparencies, wood, etc. I rarely use this but if I want to stamp on a clear shaker card, this is the only ink that will work on it without smearing off!  It stamps very well but you have to re-ink it basically every time you use it because it dries out so fast. That’s why it comes with a re-inker.

My Favorite Specialty Ink Pads

Delicata Ink Pads – If you are looking for a great gold or silver ink pad, Delicata has you covered. These are the best gold and silver ink pads I’ve ever used.  They stamp beautifully!

Versamark – This is the number one ink pad for heat embossing or watermarking.  It’s a very sticky ink that takes a very long time to dry which makes it perfect for using with embossing powders.  I will go over this in the  Embossing Section of My Favorites of 2016 but wanted to mention it here in inks as well.

Essential Glue Pad – This “glue” pad is great to use with pearlescent powders, chalks, metallic foils, ultra-fine glitter and more.  It’s essentially a “glue” ink pad.  I wasn’t sure whether to include this in my Favorite Adhesives or Favorite Inks, so I’m including it in both (lol)

Tim Holtz Distress Inks – I love these inks because they are perfect for blending techniques and distressing. They are water reactive and there is som much you can do with them.  These are a must have for any card maker!

Ranger Mini Ink Blending Tool – The mini ink blending tool is used to apply ink and other mediums to paper crafting projects.  This tool is small and gets into the corners of stencils and the like.  It’s very useful and the foams are replaceable so you only need one even if you have multiple ink pads.