Stamping on glossy

[howdyheidi]

Stamping on glossy cardstock makes me feel like a brand new stamper. I have smeared so many images!

The only thing that helps is to flip the stamp and put paper to stamp. 

Am I going to get a feel for it like I did with stamping on regular paper or are there tips I need to learn.

TIA!

[yellowcherrios]

I heard on one of the videos from the AI challenge, the lady said she does like you do---paper to stamp---and she used her hand to smooth the paper over the stamp rather than using a brayer....she said the brayer will cause sliding I think it was....

I too have slipping problems with glossy.

Sometimes I think by stamping (stamp to paper) with the glossy CS on my thick foam mouse pad, that that helps with some sliding...but I still get some sometimes so I haven't decided if the foam cushion underneath is really helping or not.

I'm interested in what other ideas others have!

[yellowcherrios]

I also find that some inks make the stamp REALLY stick to glossy CS and with those inks, sometimes the ink does not get completely left on the glossy CS...oh the stamp gets stamped, but not all the ink gets stamped, thus you get more of a grey rather than black stamping. 

With those instances, sometimes just stamping it real quick gets more ink onto the glossy CS---rather than pressing the stamp down like I do on regular CS.....but I haven't learned when I need to do this and when not too.

[Far North]

I thought I had recently written about stamping on glossy cardstock....but I sure can't find it so please forgive if this all sounds too familiar. 

Most stampers do find stamping on glossy a little tricky and definitely different from regular cardstock.  Personally I don't like putting the paper on top of the stamp because I  often bump  the edge of it and smear the ink before beginning to stamp.  As well I am slow deliberate stamper so it takes me too long to eyeball the paper over the stamp and by the time I am done rubbing the stamp the ink is too dry for a good image. And then there becomes the whole issue of how do I pull the paper straight off the stamp that it is sticking to.  All of that is to say...we have some individual difference so some this is a learning process of what works best for you.

I find when a stamp sticks to paper it is generally due to a ink issue...either the ink pad needs re-inking or it has dried too much during the stamping process.
Solvent inks like Stazon dry much quicker on both inkpads and on stamps.  If the stamp pad is really juicy some stampers leave the stamp on the paper for approx 3 seconds before lifting it straight up.  But if the stamp is left too long for the amount of ink on the stamp that could be one reason for gray tones appearing.  Stazon ink evaporates quickly and that is why they come with the clear plastic inner line.  They are annoying to take on and off and so you will find some suggestions on the Internet to stick them to the lid with a glue dot. This however causes the lid to not seat against the base properly and makes the cover far less efficient. Since I do not use my Stazon pads regularly I often find it necessary to reink my Stazon inkpads when I do pull them out.

I find it most helpful to stand when stamping on glossy.  Standing gives me a better range of motion to lower the stamp straight down on the paper and most importantly to lift the stamp straight up in the air when finished.  If it feels like the stamp is sticking standing makes it easier for me to hold the paper firmly with one hand while stamping with the other. 

It indeed takes a little time and practice but certainly worth the effort.  Speak up if you continue to have issues for there is certainly lots of other experience here who may be able to offer other suggestions.

...Jan

[yellowcherrios]

Thanks Jan!  I'll try your suggestions.

Heidi, when you stamp the glossy CS by putting paper to stamp, do you use your hand like the lady I saw in that one video to smooth the CS to the stamp to stamp it?  or do you use a brayer or something else?

I get so nervous stamping paper to stamp.     Of course, I'm sure practicing it would help my nerves.   

[stampwilly]

It takes a few tries to stamp on glossy. I have gotten used to it. I stamp directly on the card stock and stand, and never rock or slide the stamp. Just put put even pressure on it with my hand. Sometimes the Staz On will stick and leave a bare spot. I keep my black sharpie handy to fill in the area. It works well.

Stampwilly

[howdyheidi]

Thank you for the tips. I am going to try standing since many of you mentioned that.  And I will try to slow down more also.

Melissa, when I lay the paper onto the stamp, I do use my hands to smooth it. I have never used a brayer for that as I am always afraid it will move it around the wrong way.  It is much easier to put the paper on top of the stamp when it is a large stamp or background stamp. 

[Looser]

Stamping on glossy cardstock makes me feel like a brand new stamper. I have smeared so many images!

Am I going to get a feel for it like I did with stamping on regular paper or are there tips I need to learn...

LOL, Heidi! As you see from the posts, it a bit of both--getting a feel and (bless our stamping buddies) getting some tips to help us with our personal 'learning curve'.

Willy's "Stand to stamp" (if possible) is a huge help for getting good images. The same is (often) true if we're stenciling. Being directly above our work surface can make these techniques so much easier.

For those unable to stand? Not a big problem. Just try to set up your project so it's below your waist. A tray table is a possibility.

With glossy (flat) surfaces, my stamping motto is "up & down". That's easiest when we are above the work.

[djc]

Thank you for all the tips.  I too have had problems stamping on glossy cardstock, and I didn't realize that the ink was the problem.  My stamp often sticks to the cardstock, and the ink would just suction right off the glossy surface when I removed the stamp.  I don't give up though because it's the best surface for stamping photo-type images.

Thanks,
Daria 

[howdyheidi]

I just wanted to update and I am having a better time now with practice.  I have had the paper stick to the stamp, but have not had ill effects from it.  It is hard to know how long to place it down, not too little and not too much!  I think I have the most luck with my water based markers used for the ink?

[lovepug2]

These are great tips! I have only stamped once on glossy cardstock and it was with acrylic paint and my image had pretty thick lines.

Does the type of ink matter? I would think pigment inks would smear more than dye?

[Looser]

These are great tips! I have only stamped once on glossy cardstock and it was with acrylic paint and my image had pretty thick lines.

Does the type of ink matter? I would think pigment inks would smear more than dye?

Depending on the 'glossy' I've rarely had success getting dye inks to bond to the material. I've used pigments, but always found them a PITA on most surfaces--including glossy ones. My fave glossy ink is Solvent (StazOn). Yes! They can 'stick', but I've learned to deal with that by peeling the paper from the stamp rather than trying to lift the stamp off the paper. As with all things 'stampy' there's a learning curve that is different for each stamper.

[Far North]

While sometimes there are specific reasons to choose Stazon ink to stamp on glossy, I find some other inks work beautifully.  Of course you will need to do your own testing for the combo of paper and inks.  I use Ranger glossy paper and find the following dye inks all produce clean crisp images and air dry within a few minutes.: Memento, Memories, Adirondack and Wendy Vecchi's Archival ink.

Nick Bantock's dye ink and Distress inks are both water based and results are not consistently inked and require extended air drying time. Stamping with Ranger Archival ink and distress markers often result in some uneven images.  I have achieved good images with Tombow markers.

Note: I have only tested the dye inks which I  frequently use for stamping...so not mentioning other brands only means I have not used them on glossy.  Hope this encourages you to test your own favorite inks...and of course please share your results!

...Jan

[yellowcherrios]

I haven't used pigment (that I can think of/remember) on glossy or photo paper.  I have always used Mementos or Archival ink---mainly Mementos though. 

After watching stampscapes's lesson on his website, he used dye inks and glossy CS---thus I tried Mementos on photo paper and glossy CS and have had good success, mainly.....there are times some of the ink gets sucked back up with the stamps as I pull the paper and stamp apart.....so it's kinda like how Heidi said on how long to wait in stamping. But I have always gottne really nice and detailed/crisp images using dye inks with either glossy CS or photo paper.

I just watch a little of a video on Stampscapes's website and he really presses the stamp into the glossy CS for quite a while!  and even left it while he talked about another thing to the side and went back to pressing and pressing it!  I'll have to experiment and see if I stamp it for a long time (maybe around 20 seconds or so) does it change the image/stamping etc....  (He was using glossy CS and Marvy Matchable Ink Pads, just fyi....)

[Far North]

Oh yes Melissa, my fingers hurt when watching the stampscape videos! Tim Holtz is the one other person I see press so hard you can see the blood flow through his veins.  I couldn't be a stamper if that was necessary.  I re-ink my inkpads whenever they are not getting complete coverage when inked or seeing any hint of not giving a complete coverage on an image. I find also helps me avoid the sticking to paper issue.  I have only heard of the timing issue with Stazon ink because of the solvent in it.