pigment vs. dye ink pads

What is the differences between pigment vs. dye ink pads? I bought an ink pad recently and inked around the edges of some cardstock and the dye from the paper showed up on the ink pad and I was just wondering if the type had anything to do with it. (btw the one I have is a pigment ink pad)

I've never had that happen -- what kind of paper was it?

Die Cuts With a View cardstock

I've never had that happen either...strange. I don't think the ink type has anything to do with it, though.

The basic difference is that dye ink dries quickly and pigment ink takes a little longer. Pigment ink is good for embossing because of that.

Welcome to the neighborhood!

that's really strange, I've never heard of that happening either and I use pigment ink on DCWV cs all the time!

I found an online article that talked about that once....it said that the pigment colors stay wetter longer like as already mentioned, which means they are good for embossing and for blending. It also said the colors are "more true" meaning the color you see on the pad is what you get when you stamp with it. Dye pads on the other hand dry faster and because they are saturated with color to make them retain ink, the colors actually stamp a bit lighter.

The pigment colors are supposed to be more lightfast as well (fading). I use mostly pigment just cuz I like the metallics.

Just thought I'd share...

Are you worried that your paper is going to "bleed" if it gets moist...like with glue?

I found this in another site and I found it to be very complete. It may help many beginners as myself. I was completely lost about ink pads!

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Basically, there are two types--dye and pigment. Read the label to see what you have. A rule of thumb is that pigment inks come in ink pads with a clear upper lid. Dye inks do not. (That may not hold true for all inks, but so far it has helped me out.) Some techniques may require one or the other.

Dye inks dry quickly so they don't stay wet long enough to add embossing powder and heat emboss. (An exception is Distress Inks.) Since they dry by evaporation, they will dry on both regular and glossy cardstock. Over time their colors will probably fade a bit.

Pigment inks stay wet longer and are good for heat embossing. They will not dry on glossy cardstock unless you heat emboss them because they dry by absorption. (An exception is Brilliance Ink.) Their colors stay good over time.

There are hybrid inks that combine the qualities of both dye and pigment inks.

Solvent inks such as Staz-on are permanent and can be used on slick surfaces--plastic, metal, glass, etc. Do not use them with alcohol inks. The alcohol will dissolve the ink.

Distress inks are dye inks, but they stay wet long enough to blend and to heat emboss if you act quickly. These inks are different from other dye inks. Check out Tim Holtz's video product demos for an explanation of what they can do and how to use them.

Brilliance Pigment Inks, although pigment, defy the rules. You can do things with them that you cannot do with other pigment inks.

VersaMark is a clear watermark & embossing ink. You can stamp with it on medium-color paper, and it will leave a subtle watermark image. It stays very wet so you can use it for heat embossing. There are other embossing inks, but they are not all watermark inks.

Chalk Inks are not all alike. I am only familiar with two of them--VersaMagic and Color Box Fluid Chalk Ink. VersaMagic is a pigment ink. I've seen different claims for CBFC; some call it a dye ink while others call it a pigment ink; some call it a blended ink. What I do know is that VersaMagic is drier and gives a softer, chalkier look. I need to use my reinker more often with it. CBFC ink is wetter and gives a brighter look. I can do a Chalk Resist Technique with CBFC ink, but not with VersaMagic. (That's what really convinced me these were fundamentally different.) I really like both of these inks for different reasons.

There are so many inks on the market right now. Every once in a while, a magazine will come out with a helpful spread sheet. Watch for one of those.

The label should tell you if an ink is archival, fade resistance, waterproof, permanent, permanent when heat set, etc.

I started out with a VersaMark pad and a set of Nick Bantock Dye Inks. That lasted me for quite a while. Now, the ink pads I use the most are VersaMark and VersaFine Onyx Black. The VersaFine ink pads don't have refills; they never seem to dry out. I'm sure they will someday, but I've been using mine for years, and they're still good to go. Magic? I use many more dye inks than pigment inks, but I know I haven't begun to tap all that pigment inks can do.

Before choosing an ink, think about what you're going to do with the stamped image. Are you going to use watercolor paints, color pencils, alcohol inks, etc.? When I watercolor, I stamp with VersaFine and heat emboss it. If you use alcohol inks, you must use something that is compatible with the alcohol. I think that people usually use Memento. There are lots of threads and websites that will tell you which one to use.