Description
A staple in any craft room is probably black ink. I actually use several brands, but I’m going to post the ones I like best.
Versafine Black Onyx. I consider this a must-have. It gives you a crisp clear impression. It’s great for sentiments and most of my stamping needs. This is a pigment ink. Although it’s “fast-drying”, pigment inks sit on top of the paper (as opposed to seeping into the paper). As a result, there’s more potential for smudges if you aren’t careful to give it time to dry. This is my go-to. I use it for pretty much all my sentiment stamping and I can even hand-stamp without a stamp positioning tool and get a good impression in one go.
Gina K Obsidian Amalgam Ink. I’ve recently started using this for when I color with alcohol markers. An alternative is the Memento dye ink, which is what I used to use. You don’t want an ink that will react to the alcohol and start feathering/bleeding. This is what I’ve been using recently when I know I’m going to do alcohol marker coloring.
Memento Tuxedo Black. This is another alcohol-marker friendly ink. I used to use this before I got the Gina K obsidian. I haven’t had any issues with it in my coloring. I just wanted to try the Gina K because I heard a lot about it. You can never really have too many black inks, right?
I also have StazOn in Jet Black. I don’t do it often, but I like to have the option of stamping on acetate. Because it’s a non-porous surface, you need an ink that will adhere and not just rub off. StazOn does that perfectly.
Though not a black ink, I also consider the Hero Hues Unicorn White (pigment ink) another staple. If you need to stamp on colored card stock, it’s decently opaque. Though if you need to stamp a sentiment, embossing in white will yield a better, more crisp lettering.