If you like to use rubber stamps to personalize cards and letters then you will love to emboss using rubber stamps. This technique adds extra elegance to your cards, letters, and artwork.

It’s not difficult to learn how to emboss with rubber stamps. The materials that you need to start are simple and inexpensive to obtain. But the results are astounding. You obviously need rubber stamps, but also an embossing ink stamp pad, embossing powder, an embossing heat gun, and of course something to stamp on.

The first thing you do is stamp your design onto the material you are using with a slow drying pigment ink pad. Make sure that the entire stamp is covered with ink. Don’t rock the stamp when you place it onto your paper since this may blur the lines. You need to press down all over the stamp to ensure that the design is completely transferred and you get the perfect image.

Once the image has been transferred sprinkle embossing powder onto the image and then gently tap off the excess and remove any stray flecks from the paper with a dry paintbrush. This embossing powder comes from ultra fine to tinsel as well as in a variety of colors as does the pigment ink. The powder also comes in different compositions such as metallic powder in gold, silver, or bronze, and glitter powder. This adds a rich color to your artwork and looks really effective. For these metallic powders to really stand out, you can use them with clear ink, or if you use colored ink you can produce effects such as tinted copper.

The final step to produce thermal embossed art is to use your heat tool to direct hot air onto the embossing powder, which will melt and produce the thermal embossed effect in the shape of the image that you stamped. The best way to do this is to use a heat gun as this creates the most even, glossy effect. Around the home you can try to use a toaster or oven but you will have to be careful not to scorch the material you are using. It is therefore worth investing in a proper heat gun, especially if you plan to emboss a lot.

Since there are so many different colors and compositions of ink and embossing powder to use, you are able to personalize each piece of artwork. For example, if you wish to celebrate a friend’s wedding or the christening of a child you might want to use pearlescent powder, which produces a beautiful pastel effect. However, a card for a child’s birthday may need to be bright and colorful so you may wish to use metallic and glitter effect embossing powders to produce a dramatic but fun result.

The more you emboss using rubber stamps the more you will create a unique style with the colors of ink and type of embossing powder that you use. After all, the fun part of crafting is not being afraid to experiment so that you create your own unique artwork!

Right from their launch in late 1980s, inkjet printer has gained its own popularity among small businesses and domestic users. Inkjet printers were initially developed by Canon that prints letter and images on the paper by spraying small streams of quick-drying ink. They are the most economical printers that are available in market, and are manufactured by all leading brands. They use liquid ink for printing that is stored in disposable ink cartridges. If you want to get the most out of your printer, then it is very mandatory to equip them with the best inkjet printer cartridges. These printer ink cartridges are manufacture by leading brands like Epson, Compaq, Dell, HP, Lexmark, Brother and more.
Basically inkjet printer cartridges are classified into three main types they are;
1. Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) ink cartridges:
The Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) ink cartridges are a cartridge that holds the tradename of the manufacturer on it. The Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) ink cartridges are offered by Epson, Canon, Hewlett Packard, Compaq, Dell and more.
2. Compatible ink cartridges:
These generic ink cartridges are manufactured by a company other than the original printer manufacturer. Compatible inkjet cartridges can be used with most of the printers, no matter whatever their brand is. These compatible ink cartridges are readily available in the market and are cheaper than the OEM cartridges.
3. Remanufactured ink cartridges:
As the name implies, the remanufactured inkjet cartridges are refilled once the ink is emptied. Remanufactured inkjet cartridges hold several advantages. They are available at an affordable price, eco-friendly and offer more prints.
The quality of the printout solely depends on the ink and paper you use. Inkjet printer cartridges use two entirely different types.
Dye based inks:
The dye based inks have varied colour combinations, but it takes some time to fix on to the paper, which may result in smearing at times. The dye based inks are ideal for straightforward monochrome printing. This type of ink is not water or light proof that may fade on longer run.
Pigmented inks:
The pigmented inks are resistant against water and light dries quickly than a dye based. Pigmented inks are better choice for colour printing, because they deliver great print quality. So, they are widely preferred rather than dye based inks.

Some safety tips while using ink cartridges:

Buying a printer can be a complicated business, there are more shapes, sizes and types of printers available to the home and small business user than ever before. Printers have also become specialised for their intended purpose.

It is no longer a case of “a printer is a printer”. Printers are now designed to be good in a particular area rather than a “Jack-of-all trades”, which will do everything.

An often overlooked issue, is the very serious consideration of cost of ownership, which is all about of how much it will cost to keep your printer running (see below). So making that decision on which printer to go for can be a seriously arduous task, especially if you are keen to buy a printer that is not only affordable to buy but also cheap to run.

So here is the information that you need to know and consider, but no one tells you! We have not expanded on which printer is the best at any given time because models constantly change and you can find that information in any current glossy PC magazine off the shelf. Instead, here you will find the good, bad and ugly bits from the different types of printers available so you can make an informed decision yourself.

Inkjet Technology

Inkjet printers form images by spraying tiny droplets of liquid ink onto paper. The size and precision of the dots of ink and the type and quality of the ink itself govern how good the print quality is. A quality inkjet printer can produce very near photo-quality images using specialist photo coated paper. In general there are two types of inkjet printers, those with the printhead built into the printer like Epson, Brother etc and those where the printhead is actually on the ink cartridge like HP and Lexmark. There are many arguments for and against both technologies, but in our experience we have found both to be very good, the major difference seems to be that the cost of running a printer using the “printhead” type ink cartridge is usually higher.

Inkjet ink is specially formulated for specific printer models and their purpose, much technology is involved in the development of these inks to improve print quality, longevity, drying speeds and printing speeds etc. Most inkjet ink is produced using dye based ink which can flow easily through the tiny nozzles of the printhead, this type of ink is good for photos and colour shades but not so good for longevity or solid vibrant colour, think of it like a water colour painting. In recent years pigment ink technology has advanced considerably to enable use in inkjet printing. Previously ink pigments were too large and would block up the nozzles. This type of ink is good for solid colours and longevity, think of it like an oil painting.

Manufacturers like Epson, HP and Jet Tec are now increasingly using a fusion of dye based and pigmented inks to create superb quality photo printing with vibrant colours and longevity too.

Inkjet printers use anything between two and eight ink cartridges to do their job. Generally speaking the entry-level machines use two cartridges, good all round machines use four and specialist photo printers use six or more. The two cartridge system works fine though can be a bit wasteful on the colour ink, so go for a four-cartridge system where possible especially if you do colour printing. The six or more cartridge systems produce outstanding photos, but can be costly and a pain to keep changing cartridges (printer does not work if any one cartridge is empty).

Inkjet printers are the best solution for most people and are usually the most cost effective way to print – unless you are printing large volumes.

Portable Inkjet Printers

These printers are small, lightweight and ideal for people on the move. Although the printing of high quality photographs is usually beyond this type of printer, basic colour printing is of good quality and the quality of text print is mostly outstanding considering the size of these tiny portable A4 printers. These printers are not suitable for high volume printing.

Inkjet Printers

The Inkjet Printer is the most commonly used type of printer among home and small business users. With excellent all round printing capabilities, from black & white text print and good colour prints through to very hi-resolution, high quality photographs using Inkjet Photo Printers. Inkjet printers are available from cheap entry level to high-end business use machines and can print from photo size prints to massive A2 and bigger sizes, there are models for occasional use and others for high volume print jobs too. One of the many great things about Inkjet printers is that you can use a wide variety of media to print on, including standard paper, photo paper, card, t-shirt transfers, canvas, projector film etc, achieving different looks and textures for your prints and print for different purposes. Most Inkjet printers are USB connections and not suitable for networks, although models are also available for networks and with parallel connections.

Multi-Function Inkjet Printers

Multi-Function Inkjet Printers have been built to meet the needs of home offices and small businesses. These excellent value machines provide multiple solutions in one compact and easy to use machine i.e. printing, scanning, copying and some also have built in fax machines too. Not only are these machines great for saving space on your desk, but they are also very good for printing too using the same technology as standard inkjet printers. The only thing you should be aware of is that you can only use one function at a time and if anything goes wrong with an “All-in-one” machine, you may lose the all the functions at once!

Laser Printers

Laser printers work in a similar way to photocopiers, except they use a laser instead of a bright light to scan with. They work by creating an electrostatic image of the page onto a charged photoreceptor, which in turn attracts toner in the shape of an electrostatic charge. Toner is the material used to make the image (as ink is in an inkjet printer) and is a very fine powder, so laser printers use toner cartridges instead of ink cartridges.

Laser Printers have traditionally been the best printing solution for heavy office users as they produce a very high quality black text finish and offer relatively low running costs. However, laser printers have advanced a great deal recently and their prices have steadily dropped, as a result there are now compact laser printers, multi-function and colour laser printers all at very affordable prices. Laser printers make sense if you need to do a lot of high quality black or colour prints, not photos. The great thing about a colour laser printer is that they can print a very good quality colour image on standard copier paper, so you do not need to use expensive photo paper for large jobs. Do check the prices of the consumables before you buy the printer as these can be very expensive for colour laser printers.

Laser printers are the best solution for people who are printing in large volumes, that is, in 100′s of pages at a time or 1000′s of pages per month. Colour lasers also take quite a while to warm up, so are not ideal for printing single pages.

Solid Ink Printers

Solid ink printers use solid wax ink sticks in a “phase-change” process, they work by liquefying wax ink sticks into reservoirs and then squirting the ink onto a transfer drum from where it is cold-fused onto the paper in a single pass. Solid ink printers are marketed almost exclusively by Tektronix / Xerox and are aimed at larger businesses and high volume colour printing.

Solid ink printers used to be cheaper to purchase than similarly specified colour lasers and fairly economical to run owing to a low component usage, today it is not necessarily any cheaper than a colour laser printer. Output quality is good but generally not as good as the best colour lasers for text and graphics or the best inkjets for photographs. Print speeds are not as fast as most colour lasers.

Dye-Sublimation Printers

Dye-Sublimation printers use heat and solid colour dyes to produce lab-quality photographic images. Dye-Sub printers contain a roll of transparent film made up of page-sized panels of colour, with cyan, magenta, yellow, and black dye embedded in the film. Print head heating elements vaporize the inks, which adhere to a specially coated paper, as the ink cools it re-solidifies on the paper. Colour intensity is controlled by precise variations in temperature.

Dye-sublimation printers lay down color in continuous tones one color at a time instead of dots of ink like an inkjet, because the colour is absorbed into the paper rather than sitting on the surface, the output is more photo-realistic, more durable and less vulnerable to fading than other ink technologies.

The downside of Dye-Sub printers is that they are generally more expensive to buy and run, usually limited to photo sized prints only and can only print onto one type of specialised paper as well as being quite slow to print.

Dye-Sublimation printers are best for those who want to link up their digital camera to a purpose built printer and print out the finest quality photos at home without fuss.

Dot Matrix Printers

Dot matrix printers are relatively old fashioned technology today with poor quality print, slow and very noisy output. This type of printer is no longer used unless you wish to create invoices using the continuous paper with holes on both sides. The good thing is that they are very cheap to run!

Cost of Ownership

Many printers today are very cheap to buy, but people are sometimes shocked to discover the cost of replacing the consumables (ink or laser cartridges, imaging drums, fuser, oils, specialist papers etc). The cost of replacing the ink can sometimes cost more than the printer itself! This is one of the most commonly overlooked factors when printers are reviewed and yet one of the most important things to consider before handing over your hard earned cash. Tests run in 2003 by Which? magazine famously compared the cost of HP’s ink with vintage 1985 Dom Perignon.

A Sheffield City Council report aimed at helping schools decide on the best-value printers to buy, calculated total cost of ownership over the lifetime of a printer (not sure how long that is!). Adding up all the running costs, ink or toner, paper, maintenance and even electricity, SCC worked out that a colour inkjet costs approx 38p per page to run compared to a colour laser which costs approx 7p per page. Sheffield City Council advised its schools that if they printed more than three colour pages a day (assuming a 40-week academic year) they should buy a laser.

These figures cannot be taken hard and fast due to the many variables involved, but it is generally accepted that the cost per print of a laser printer is cheaper than that of an inkjet, which is in turn cheaper than that of a sub-dye printer. However, you would have to do a fair amount of colour printing to take advantage of the economy offered by a laser printer.

Summary

When buying a printer, firstly carefully consider its use, is it mostly general printing or for photographs, is it for occasional use or high volumes, will it be a stand alone device or connected to a network? Then using the guideline information above you will be able to decide on which type of printer is most suitable for you at the time.

Ink is simply a dye or pigment in liquid that is used to mark a surface. Without ink early mankind would not have been able to produce lasting written texts. It is said that the Chinese developed writing inks first to blacken the surfaces of carvings, and it was a mixture of soot from pine smoke, lamp oil, and gelatin from animal skins and musk. Inks have also been made using the black ‘ink’ that some sea creatures produce to confuse enemies. Various cultures eventually developed their own until now we have inks of various types, uses and colors. Romans used soot, glue and water, while medieval Europe used a complex procedure to boil up bark, dry it and salt it and mix it with wine to make ink.
The inks that are often found on printed paper are pigmented inks, which adhere to the surface of the paper. They therefore cannot be removed by abrasion and because they stay on the surface less ink is required.
Dyes are used in ink to provide much better color control. With dyes the density of the dye can be regulated to get different intensities. They are rarely used in paper printing because they soak in and tend to bleed out as well as being less efficient. This can be beaten using quick drying solvents mixed into the ink or quick drying techniques such as blow drying. Some printers coat the paper with a substance to make the ink adhere to it, or charge the coating so that the ink, with an opposite charge, is attracted to the coating.
Without ink we would still be carving messages into stone, or making simple paintings on cave walls. Ink is the bridge between writing, one of man’s greatest inventions, and speed and efficiency. With ink we get mobility, variety of forms, and it has never become obsolete as it is still used in printing presses, computer printers and pens.
John Gibb is the owner of ink resources
For more information on inks check out http://www.ink-sources3k.info

Ink is artlessly a dye or colorant in aqueous that is acclimated to mark a surface. Without ink aboriginal flesh would not accept been able to aftermath abiding accounting texts. It is said that the Chinese developed autograph inks aboriginal to befoul the surfaces of carvings, and it was a admixture of charcoal from ache smoke, lamp oil, and gelatin from beastly banknote and musk. Inks accept aswell been fabricated using the atramentous ‘ink’ that some sea creatures aftermath to abash enemies. Assorted cultures eventually developed their own until now we accept inks of assorted types, uses and colors. Romans acclimated soot, cement and water, while medieval Europe acclimated a circuitous action to abscess up bark, dry it and alkali it and mix it with wine to accomplish ink.

The inks that are generally begin on printed cardboard are bistered inks, which attach to the apparent of the paper. They accordingly cannot be removed by chafe and because they break on the apparent beneath ink is required.

Dyes are acclimated in ink to accommodate abundant bigger blush control. With dyes the body of the dye can be adapted to get altered intensities. They are rarely acclimated in cardboard press because they absorb in and tend to drain out as able-bodied as getting beneath efficient. This can be baffled using quick dehydration solvents alloyed into the ink or quick dehydration techniques such as draft drying. Some printers covering the cardboard with a actuality to accomplish the ink attach to it, or allegation the blanket so that the ink, with an adverse charge, is admiring to the coating.

Without ink we would still be abstraction letters into stone, or authoritative simple paintings on cavern walls. Ink is the arch amid writing, one of man’s greatest inventions, and acceleration and efficiency. With ink we get mobility, array of forms, and it has never become anachronistic as it is still acclimated in press presses, computer printers and pens.