"come on mary, get it together"....cracking me up. I thought I was the only one who talked to myself! LOL this is a great video. thanks for sharing this!
Three years later I stumbled upon this video. I'm so happy I chose well: Memento. I do like it and do not think this video was a waste of time. All information can be useful. I'm thankful for ALL your videos. I feel a kindred spirit. 🇨🇦💖
Thank you so much for including Catherine Pooler Midnight ink in your comparison! We try to educate as best as we can for best practices. If you use our cardstock (it's kinda like goldilocks...just right! not too hard and not too soft, so great blending with alcohol inks), you shouldn't have any issues with smearing. If you use another brand, a quick heat set with your heat tool should do the trick and you should get good results. I haven't tried every single type of cardstock, but our ink was formulated specifically to work well on our cardstock. Hope this helps and thanks again, Mary!
Oh I'm so glad you commented Catherine!! Thank you so much for letting me know. That's why I had to put that disclaimer in there because I love your inks and thought for sure there may have been an issue I wasnt aware of. Great to know!! Thanks again!!
Thank you for sharing. Useful information for many crafters. Interesting that you had so many thicker images. I was told by several instructors over the years that thicker lines are a result of too much pressure applied to the photopolymer stamp. It’s softer than rubber and the sides can “spread” if it is pushed down on using heavy pressure. My stamping results are much better since I use the Misti and just restamp a light image without much pressure.
Kristine, I thought that it was because I was pressing so hard but it was the same stamp, and I was pressing as hard as I could with each and every one. It was baffling to me why that was happening but so glad it could be useful to you! YAY Thanks so much for sharing. And yes, a stamping platform is a great way to do this too!
Mary Polanco Huh. Every time we think we have an answer, a new question pops up. Lol. I can’t wait to see what happens now in your next video! Thank you for sharing this info with us. I truly do learn something from each one I watch.
I’ve tried a few different ones. Not as many as you but I always go back to Memento. I don’t know why....well it’s an easy clean off my stamps and I really like that.
Thank you Mary... now I know why I had issues; I was using the ink for Alcohol with my watercolors and visa versa - I need to put labels on my pads to remind me. So, when is the next event? Do not want to miss the fun time!
Not a waste of time. I'm looking for a new black alochol marker ink. I have been using Monento but it's about dried out. Good to know how these all work so I'm informed when I go to purchase.!
I love you Mary. You wasted no ones time. It was an experiment and we all learned from it. I especially loved your tip on the Catherine pooler ink about not pressing too hard and just tapping. That tip can also be said for any red inks as they also stain the stamps. I personally have memento, lawn fawn, and Gina K (I also have just the cube in this one, useful for small images). Thanks again. 🥰
Vanessa,, thank you so so much! Big hugs to you! I am so glad it was useful because in the end, I really did learn a few things by testing them out! Mission accomplished
Thank you for taking the time to do this comparison. It has helped me to see real time how each looks when side by side. Thanks again for helping a newbie.
Oh I'm so happy to hear it was helpful for you! YAY! My pleasure. I learned a lot doing this comparison as well. Thanks for the note, I truly appreciate that!
I have been trying out all kinds of black inks as well but for the purpose of using them for both watercolor and alcohol inks. I used Memento for years before SU sold it but now I am using other inks even in my videos. Scrapbook.com has a really good hybrid ink as well but I'm still trying out others. LOL
Oh thank you so much for the tip on Scrapbook.com ink. I should try that one out. (that's a test for you...you should say..."No, Mary, you do not need another one!". hahah
Awesome video, Mary! I enjoy these comparison videos very much. I like the suggestion I saw below about the watercolor comparison with these inks and I also saw that you are on it - yay! Thanks for your videos!
So I was litterly online searching for a black ink when this video popped up...I litterly laughed out loud..I think a video for an ink great for both alcohol and watercolors would be amazing! Ty♡♡♡♡♡
I agree Sheila, that's a fantastic idea. My next one will be inks for watercoloring and then at the end of that video I will do a segment on which is good for both! YAY!!
Oh Mary I think your videos are the best! You're never a waste of time and you make me giggle! I have Gina's amalgam but I still use Memento. I hope you don't mind me asking but what is that black board that you use when stamping?
HI Cheri, thank you so so much for the love! I'm so glad that you found it useful. If you mean the black one with the grid, that is the Tonic Glass mat. If you mean the foam pad, that was just something I kept from packaging from a long time ago. It was from Stampin Up for something. I'm so sorry I don't remember
This was a great comparison Mary. I also have more black pads than I need. In comparing, I always make sure they have reinkers now. SSS does not and I didn't know that until after the purchase. My ink pad quickly started drying out and now doesn't give the crisp image it once did...so reinkers are a must!! Thank you for the time you put into these videos.
Oh that is a really great point you make! The reinkers are important because you can save a ton of money by having just one of those little bottles. Thanks for sharing this!
I just found your video and had to watch. I just bought the Gina K ink and I think I got a bad ink pad. Mine is not even close to as black as yours appears, even after 3 tries with the stamp platform. Thanks for sharing!
Oh yes you may have gotten a one off. I'm SURE if you talk to them they will send you another. Please do try! Thanks for letting me know it was helpful!
Right off the bat, I can tell you Stazon black and White will work for stamping on photos. It's the best I've found for permanent stamping on things like acetate. Is that what you are referring to, like pictures you get printed?
@@marypolancodesigns yes, photos! :) I was actually thinking photos that are store printed as they are a lot more slippery than home printed. I have avoided StazOn so far, as I have heard they kill your stamps (rubber ones, right?).
@@nsbhater good question, I havent looked into it. I do believe you might need special cleaner for Stazon, hence its ability to stamp on anything . Should do great on photos, cause it works on glass. :)
Interesting that some of the inks leave a thicker line on the image . I too have used memento for years and just got a Gina k and am impressed with the ink. I would agree with others, would like to see the same testing on different card stocks. I have found a big difference depending on card stock . .tfs...good video
Yes awesome suggestion; I will definitely look into it. I would have to narrow down the amount of cardstocks I have though else I be swimming in it. haha
The reason I suggest it as I just an experience where I stamped a super small sentiment in first memento and then Gina k and you couldn't read it. Used another scrap and it was fine. Thanks
As always, this was helpful. Helps me to get a sense of what's currently out there and whether or not I need to get it. (smile) Thank you for taking the time!!
Hey Mary, thank you so much for this video! It is absolutely NOT a waste of time. I really liked that you immediately scribbled over some of the line, the after the stamp dried scribbled over a different section. By leaving some of the stamp untouched, it has allowed us a before and after view. It is great to see products used side-by-side in real time. Now, I realise that in person things may look different to the video, but from what I saw there were some really different results. I usually use Memento with my alcohol markers, but your comparison really demonstrated something I have suspected for a long time: it bleeds and blurs when used with an alcohol marker. I actually liked the look of the results of the Lawn Fawn and Nuvo pads (I prefer a finer stamped line rather than bold). So I'm going to give them a whirl. Thanks again Mary! I look forward to your next comparison video.
Kell I am so glad this was useful. I had such a hard time differenciating between the images (smudging I mean) even as I was doing them in real time. Some looked like they may have smeared, some not...then I don't know. LOL it was a process. However I feel the pink alcohol marker test was most important and that one, ,there was only one that smeared! So it was great to see they held up.
My first question or thought was what is this girl's obsession with black ink pads. Hmmm But actually, I appreciate your video so much because I won't spend the money to see which one is best or even works. So thank you from the bottom of my purse. 💙
What about Staz-On inks? Is there black not compatible with alcohol inks? Thanks for the review and tips. I had my mind set on buying CP inks now I'm torn. What to do, what to do!?! God bless you Mary ❤ XOXO
Wendy, thank you so much for commenting about this. Ok, first, I'm a dope and forgot I had Stazon AND Ranger archival...uggghh!! So sorry about that. Second, Catherine popped in here in the comments section and let us know that her paper works best with the inks OR you can heat set it and should get no smearing at all. I do love her inks, and I love how well they stamp so I wouldn't eliminate it just yet. If you don't get the black, I would still recommend getting the colored ink pads...they are awesome!
What cardstock were you stamping on? I have found that makes a big difference for smearing between the ink pads. Also I have noticed that different alcohol markers do act differently between ink pads.
Hi Carri! Great question and one that I should have answered IN the actual video. DOH! So sorry about that. I was using Neenah Solar White 110lb cardstock. And yes you are right, it could make a huge difference.
Thanks again for the comparison - I 'only' have three of the ones you compared and think that I really do have enough (I have the SSS, Gina K and Memento). That reminds me - I need to get a refill for my Gina K amalgam ink!!
Arlene, love that you included this! It's so great. Especially for folks that might have the ink but not the paper; great fix! Appreciate you letting us know!
Thank you for the review. The Catherine Pooler Midnight ink is an archival ink. You need to let it dry first. If you are not using Catherine Pooler cardstock, you may even need to heat set it. Catherine notes this in her product description in her store. =)
Memento is my favorite for using with alcohol markers. VersaFine is my favorite to use with water based colors. Thanks for the video! I did wonder if you cleaned the stamp between inking with each pad?
Denise thank you so much! Yes I cleaned the stamp with first a shammy and then a microfiber cloth to dry it. I am sorry I didn't share that! I love BOTH those inks for those purposes too!
Glad to see you're back, hope your mom is doing well. I'm curious about Ranger's Archival black ink, and Stazon black ink. Stazon is a solvent ink, so I'm guessing alcohol markers and alcohol inks possibly don't work? I'm going to be playing with alcohol inks later tonight and will try to stamp over an alcohol inks background with Stazon. I'm going to try to decorate my stainless steel metal Pogo double sided sweatless water bottle. Will let you know how it turns out.
Ya know...about 3 weeks ago when I was prepping this video, I had 12 inks I was testing, then when I sat down to do it, I had 10 (10 were in the video). I completely forgot to try the Artchival and the Stazon…>DOH! I was so mad. I'm so sorry. There will be a follow up one eventually.
Great comparisons. Thank you so much for trying these things and sharing the information. I have had luck using black soot distress ink, and pink and main asphalt...more gray, but does good job, but i let mine dry before coloring.🦋
Hi Elizabeth! I haven't focused too much on envelopes except in one video but I buy mine at Amazon in SUPER bulk. But I don't know what your definition of decent is. I feel these are pretty sturdy for the price. I have seen way flimsier! I'll link in the reply comment separate cause sometimes it thinks i'm spam.
Hey Mary!!! I found you through Koren’s videos. I’ve been hoping to start filming soon myself. 🤞 Funny thing- SO MANY of your videos are on my list!! You definitely are filling a needed space. I actually was looking for ink pad comparisons last week. I know that wasn’t your true intention, but this helped me great bit. I just broke away from SU after 12 years and love seeing what’s available. Anyway- great video!! Love all your tips.
Oh how exciting Hannah! I can't wait for you to start doing your videos! It's such a fun process. If you ever need any help or have questions, feel free to reach out to me. My email is in the about section on my page! :)
In all honesty, it wasn’t a waste of time at all. To the contrary ... it just highlites that company’s put their names on a product for market visibility, but there’s really very little difference between them, if any. I'll just stick with my tried and true, Memento Tuxedo Black. I’d love to see a video comparing Black to the various grays, such as those used for Line-Free colouring.
Ingrid, thank you so much for this! It's very encouraging! I absolutely love my tuxedo...will continue to use it. Interesting about the no-line. I have a lot of requests for the best inks to use with watercoloring so I will tackle that one next. lol
1. 2. 3. Never a waste of time. I am glad you did this, now I don't have to worry about it and go buy an arsenal of black in pads!! LOL. I need to watch this again, did you mention the paper you used? How much would that make a difference? As always....great job and thank you! 👏👏👏👏👏😁👍🤗🤗
Hahah..Thank you so much, Pam. I'm being told that cardstock does matter. I was using Neenah 110lb. I wish I could test all the inks on all the paper! but I don't have that kind of time. hahaha Maybe one day. lol
I thought this was an interesting video and clicked on it to see what you found out. However... I'm wondering about your results. I have a couple of inks that I find smear... One is Hero Arts Intense Black. So I tested it after watching this... And sure enough it smeared. I got a clean stamp image... colored with yellow.. and it totally smeared. What do you think is the difference between my results and yours? (This test was without letting it dry. )
Great video. Not at all a bust. Knowing that the inks are all pretty good is important information. I have some of these and don’t need to get something different if I jump on the alcohol marker wagon. That’s important knowledge
Good morning Mary. Your video was very good... I concur w/Jane s,please if you would Mary,do a water color comparison of black ink... Thank you for your video...
Hi Shirley, I definitely cleaned the stamp in between but if I recall I did an immediate test to see which inks were ready right away to color with and then waited a while to see how they worked when dry.
You’re my favourite.... pee my pants funny. Humph humph thank you Ms Polanco, very informative I will save my money and spend it (heck, who am I kidding... OVER spend ) on some other wish item. I’ll be honest I did have black ink envy. Now that I know that they’re all pretty much the same I feel better. Can I have a trophy too please 🤩
Hahah yes you too can have a trophy! I feel you on the black ink envy! I'm so glad this could be useful! And thank you for the sweet compliment; I try to keep it fun and light! YAY
Great point! I am hearing that different cardstocks work differently as you stated. I only tried it on Neenah 110lb because that is what I have a lot of and I usually use that and the 80lb for coloring. There are a lot of variables out there for sure. Catherine Pooler let us know that her paper works best with the ink so I am definitely going to give that a try!
Hi Mary i know this is old but i just got a few cheap alcohol markers & every ink i try smears. I tried the hero arts, ranger archival and memento tuxedo black on neenah paper. They all smear with yellow or pink markers. What am i doing wrong?!
Hmmm i really don't know. If you are using Memento on Neenah cardstock for example, maybe try heat setting or letting it dry. This demo was real time so I'm not sure why it isn't working for you.
Hi there! We are finalizing the last few details so I can't say just quite yet. I can narrow it down to the east coast though. I know...not helpful! lol
Thank you so much for sharing! The best ink I have found is the Gina K amalgam ink. It’s the only one I use! I find it works well for water coloring as well!
I didn't think this was a waste of time at all! I've always wanted to try the Ink On 3 Blackout ink so this was very helpful. Since I've started using alcohol markers I've used the Tuxedo Black because that's what my local craft store carried. But now I think I want to try some new inks! Thank you for the great video! 😊
Thanks for "taking one for the team" Mary - this was a very worthwhile video. MEMENTO Tuxedo Black is also my "go to" ink. Wish you had included VERSAFINE Onyx Black pigment ink. Both are great for watercoloring, but I will have to test them with alcohol inks. Great video!
Thank you so much for that! I really appreciate the feedback. So, I was only doing ones alcohol ink friendly but have had many requests for inks to use with watercoloring. So I have another one to do! and I LOOOOOVE Versafine Clair Nocturne...it's my favorite! I couldn't find the Onyx black easily enough so I switched to Nocturne. Highly recommended!
Not a waste of time! How else would we know that they all would work! Now we don’t have to go buy inks we may not have just to use our alcohol markers. Good to know what I have will work! Another good video 😁.
Very interesting to see the "sorcery" lol. Who would have thought some would print thicker than others? I wonder if those pads are juicier or if the ink is gooier? Great to see that - for the simple stamp you used, the thickness was nice, but if you were doing a fine detail stamp, one that prints thinner would be better.
Great video, just a thought about the archival ink, I always thought that archival wasn't designed to be used with alcohol markers as it is an alcohol ink so would smear, it's more for water based markers and won't run when it gets wet. Thanks for doing this comparison as I had always wondered about the difference, I've started using MFT now and I love it so much, before that I used momento but I find the image is better with the MFT one. Thanks again for doing this x
Vanessa, thank you so much for this feedback! I am going to test out watercolor inks next so I think you may be right. :) I really was impressed with the MFT ink; such great ink! :)
Thank you for this very interesting test. Right now, I use Ink on 3 with my alcohol markers, and to be on the safe side, I always heat dry my images before starting to play with my markers. I am wondering (or maybe I did not listened properly 🥴 !) on which paper you've made your test ? Before having the Ink on 3 ink pad, I used MFT and HA ink pads and I have noticed that the quality of the paper changes also the result (even with the heat drying technique). As it is very difficult for me to get the Neenah paper which is usually recommended for alcohol markers, I'm very concerned by this part of the "equation". Once again, thank you for all the work you're doing to prepare all your videos.
Isabelle, great question, I used Neenah 110lb and I don't think I said that in the video; I will add that to the description for everyone. I appreciate you letting me know. I wish I could try all of the inks with all the cardstock out there but that might be an undertaking. If you have a specific cardstock that you COULD buy and the ink you want me to try on it, I could give it a go. Let me know.
Great review! I have one more for you to test, lol!! Altenew came out with a new black ink called Obsidian. It’s supposed to be phenomenal. I haven’t tried it yet but hearing great things about it, of the ones you tried, I also use Momento.
Suzanne, Part II is being conceptualized in my head already with all these great suggestions. Brutus Monroe reached out to me and is sending me their ink so I will add your suggestion in as well...at least i'll try! Lol Thank you so much for the love!
Oh yes, that would be a hot mess! lol We are doing an in person crafty day where folks can come and craft, get goodies, share in each others company etc. I will announce the full event details very soon. Our last one was so much fun!
@@marypolancodesigns Can you please test and just let me know how the archival ink is? It is all I have for my stamping and I usually let it dry before using the markers, but I have noticed a little, not smearing, but bleeding of the ink when I use the lighter coloured markers.
Yes for sure! I was thinking of doing a part 2 but don't know when i'll get to it. Shoot me an email so I can make sure I do that for you. email is in the "about" section on my RU-vid page
you are NEVER a waste of time. EVER. so one of the inks I tried recently is Scrapbook.com's hybrid - really a nice ink and crisp detail. good for both watercolor and alcohol markers. so that means i don't have to worry that I have the right Tsukeneko pad. MFT extreme black is also just an amazing black ink. it's SO BLACK.
Thank you for doing this comp video. I seem to always to go back to Memento Tux Black for alcohol ink coloring. My heart and mind REALLY wants the GKD Amalgam black ink to work. I just stamped 25 solid images and they look fabulous. When I tried to use dye inks to sponge, it smeared so badly. And that was after waiting an hour in this hot Hawai'i heat. I want it to work! It also smears a lot when I use it with Copics, even after waiting a long time for it to dry. Now I need to find a way to finish my 25 card set without color smearing (that's how badly I want the Amalgam to work here). I've tried GKD paper, Neenah, Bristol, and now today Hammerhill Premium Color Copy Cardstock. Ugh :( ** UPDATE -- I waited another 2 hours and the Amalgam ink is not smearing when I sponge (brush) over it with the GKD dye inks!!! Color me HAPPY! And I'm going to try the Copics on one I messed up on now :D )
I completely understand about the Memento! It is tried and true for sure. I am SO Happy that you got it to work so you didn't waste all that wonderful stamping! lol YAY !
After reading many of the comments, I'm wondering if heat drying would be helpful to you. It is disheartening to do all that stamping just to have a smeared finished product. Best wishes. 💕🇨🇦
@@marypolancodesigns lol its ok! It's trial and error. I'm using TwinLiners and Arteza, but I will try for one of the others. I am new to alcohol markers and ink so 🤪
I probably have a similar number of black ink pads, as it's similar to seeking the Holy Grail. If I find a "perfect" one, it will promptly go out of production. As for stamping using the foam, you're correct that fun foam works fine, as does a magazine. Thanks for the video, & have a lovely day. :o)
Another thing to look for is colouring and than leaving a few minutes. I have LDRS "hybrid" ink and no matter what I do, heat setting, leaving over night etc, it bleeds like the devil when you colour over it. Not right away but as the ink dries :( Definitely not hybrid. Wonderful with watercolours though. I just got the Nuvo Shadow Black Hybrid and I find that it's great for super fine detail lines. Will have to try with a mat to see if I can get thicker lines. I see everyone hyped about the Amalgam ink but I don't think I need to buy another black 😂
Hi! Thanks so much for all of this! I didn't think about the bleeding AFTER the fact. I just took a look and there were no additional differences on the example I used but I will watch for that. Also, if you what you have gets the job done, ,no need for anything else; that's my motto (says the lady with 10 ink pads now) :)
Ooo, you also might make comparisons based on price, or whether they have refills, etc. That might be a good way to help decide on a “winner”, since they all seem to do a great job! 😁
Not a waste of time at all! There isn't a ton of difference. That means that if we have a black ink pad we like, we don't need to buy more. That in itself is wonderful! I used to use black archival exclusively. I now use that, and versafine onyx black. I don't use alcohol markers.
@@marypolancodesigns You are no crazier than the rest of us. I have seen comments on other people's channels referencing you and the dollar store paper for alcohol inks. I personally have inked all 5 sheets, and used more than half of it in projects.
