Splitcoaststampers.com - the world's #1 papercrafting community
You're currently viewing Splitcoaststampers as a GUEST. We pride ourselves on being great hosts, but guests have limited access to some of our incredible artwork, our lively forums and other super cool features of the site! You can join our incredible papercrafting community at NO COST. So what are you waiting for?
Unfortunately many ink pad companies do not label the side/end of their inkpads, the way SU does.
So I finally graduated from the shoebox and got a BRAND NEW organizemore ink pad holder (for 60 ink pads) and I'm so excited! But I really want to be able to grab the ink pad color I want, without having to sort through the other 59 pads. I have PTI oval pads, and 24 distress oxides. The oxides aren't too bad but the PTI's are upside down and all look identical. I would like to put a label - that will stick - on the end side of the pad (like SU) - with the name of the ink and a swipe or dot of color, to get an idea of what it looks like. I really DON'T want to get a label maker at this point - too expensive and I have no room at all for one (really). But will cut up address labels stick? Should I swipe the whole label with ink or punch out little CS circles and stick those on as well? Should I do the whole label in CS and then stick it with two sided tape? So many questions!
So - how do you label your ink pads? Or do you even bother? Any ideas you can offer will be greatly appreciated.
Cut up labels stick pretty well if they are good quality. Some of the ones on my distress inks must have been there at least eight years by now. A couple have worn off. Personally I think a label maker is a good option. I have a small Brother P-touch, battery operated and I buy unbranded tape cartridges on Amazon.
I haven't bothered adding colour to my labels, I reckon it would have faded by now anyway. If you use labels, maybe the best thing would be to stamp a small spot of colour on each one. That would be easier than cutting out circles - just check that the ink will dry on your labels first ;-). Have fun with your new organizer!
I guess if I DID go label maker I'd get a smaller cheap-o dymo (and probably not be happy and eventually get a brother?). The labels are kind of plasticky right? So then I'd have the trouble of adding a paper style ink dot to glue or tape on. Which kind of brings me back to mailing labels - that may or may not stick. Hmmm. Thanks for your perspective Sabrina.
If you don't want a label maker, how about using your word processing program to type the names and print them onto white full-sheet adhesive paper? Then you could use scissors or a paper cutter to cut them out. Some paper cutters would do the trick. Others might not. Or you can hand write the names. The labels should hold nicely as long as they're permanent, not removable.
I have the white dots that Jennifer McGuire blogged about to put color dots on some of my ink pads that are in an Organize More rack. She sticks two together. Here's the blog and video in case you're interested. I like them since they move my eye to the right color family if nothing else. I stick dots on the far right of each pad, not on the label. Video: Ink Organization + Storage + DISCOUNT CODES + GIVEAWAY - Jennifer McGuire Ink
ETA I also have a "P" on pads with pigment ink.
Last edited by bjeans; 09-29-2017 at 02:02 PM..
Reason: P = Pigment
You can print them out on regular paper, cut them, and use clear tape to attach them. Almost like laminating them. I did that with some of my older Distress inkpads, before I got a label maker, and they're still going strong after about 10 years.
So I did some experimenting with a hybrid of your ideas. I have thin-ish card stock, a sheet of stickit, a 1/4" circle punch, a stamp for the ink. So - I think I'll type up all the labels and print them onto the cardstock, stamp a little ink circle on the side, stick the cardstock onto the stick it, use my paper trimmer to cut out the labels, and the circle punch to punch out the ink swatch, spend hours trying to get the second half of the stick it paper backing off (haha - but it will be worth it!), and stick the labels onto the stamp pads. I did a couple of samples and they looked fine. And the ink pad rack is hidden behind cupboard doors away from dust and light so the labels shouldn't wear out too quickly. The best part is I don't have to buy anything new - a record for me. Thank you all for helping me formulate a plan. They're going to look much prettier than I thought they would, too. In my experimenting I also cracked open my first Oxide - Candy Apple Red. BEAUTIFUL.
One question - do you need to stamp the little circle, since you can swipe ink onto your CS and punch the circle out of that swipe? Don't you love it when a plan comes together?
Bjeans - yes I can probably skip that stamp step. I did just swipe it on my test labels, but it was a little tricky to control the amount of ink - plus "Jen" did it that way - haha! But I'll see if I need to do that.
Bjeans - yes I can probably skip that stamp step. I did just swipe it on my test labels, but it was a little tricky to control the amount of ink - plus "Jen" did it that way - haha! But I'll see if I need to do that.
Thanks for the updated link Victoria!
Or any stamp with a nice-sized solid area - square, circle, dog, bird! lol Just enough larger than the punch so you don't have to be super careful about positioning. And you may have done that already. : )
I checked in on things before I went to bed last night and sadly my little dot had already fallen off. I think you're right about using a stamp - to give a lighter more even spread of ink as I think I soaked the label and it was too damp to stick. Also the label with the name had curled back ever so slightly at the corners. I don't think the stickit adhesive sheet is strong enough for plastic so I'll have to find something stickier. Thank you..
This is how I label & store my ink pads. Which is funny because I hadn't seen the video below, but I used Jennifer McGuire's video with the dots as inspiration. I wanted more visibility of the color than the dot. I just print up the name of the stamp set on SU whisper white cardstock and then use Tombow mono adhesive. I also don't store my pads horizontally, so I label the other sides than it does in the video. Papretrey by far is the most challenging.
I like how Kristina Werner does it VERY much and the Xyron sticker maker would be very do-able for me. Catherine, I think you have posted your ink pads before as I seem to recall drooling over them for lengthy periods in the past - they're beautiful! And yes - PTI pads are the worst! Still - I like their cardstock and matching inks (for the most part) - and they're what I mostly have. I do like the idea of the xyron - because it's cheap, it seems like it will adhere - and much as I love the tombow runner I see myself running off the edge of skinny little strips. Thanks again all!
bjeans - I just keep mine stored with the shorter side facing out w/ the label & swatch. It looks like KW stores her with the longer side facing out. You aren't missing anything, just the side which has the labels are different!
ksstammper - What ink pad storage unit did you get that you are now using? I'm always looking for something to move my ink pads out of the little shelves to. I love PTI too - all of their products! I know they posted when they changed from the paisley/tear drop stamp pad to the oval shaped pads that they opted for the oval to keep the costs down to the consumers. They were less expensive than the rectangle. Which is nice, however I do wish they were uniform with my others! They Xyron is a really good idea. With the PTI labels - because of the rounded shape - I do have to reapply the Tombow maybe once or twice a year. I wonder if I used my Xyron if that would hold on a curved surface better.
What does everyone do when they get new ink pads - do you immediately swatch them or do so once you open them? I have a bunch of pads that are unlabeled in the pics, because I haven't opened them yet. Normally I open them to swatch them right away. But for some reason, haven't yet.
Also - do you store your ink pads by color groups or with any type of organizational arrangement? Mine are all separated by company but totally random how they are color ordered. All my SU ink pads are separated by shades/hues, but not the other companies. I'm thinking of changing that.
Some rainy day I'm going to redo the labels for the A Muse studio pigment pads. They were the very first ones I labeled and I just used some default font. Now the font doesn't match the others and it drives me bonkers! But not enough to take the time to redo them yet I mentioned in another post that I fractured my knee so that rainy day may be coming soon...
Last edited by Catherine773; 09-30-2017 at 09:46 PM..
I use an Organize More unit for most standard sized inks. I like that they're white, which lets my eye accurately see color, and they can stand or be hung. Nice folks - a small, family business. Jessica McGuire uses their units and has had some custom made, which they'll do. They occasionally have discounts if you get on their mailing list, and sometimes have a special.
Inks are ROYGBIV since I look for a color, not brand, with a few exceptions. IOW I'll test yellows from several companies before choosing one, so like all yellows together. Exceptions are Versamark and Versafines which are in the lower right-hand corner of the unit. Dye and pigment inks are separated but I may combine them.
Distress Oxides don't have a permanent home. They fit into Organize More units with an insert that's provided, but I may do something different.
Mini cubes in regular Distress, Hero Arts, Versafine, Studio Calico, others are in a stacking system in an Alex drawer (part of my table) but can be placed on a shelf or desk. I like that they do not have hinged tops, which take up too much room for me when open. Distress are ROYGBIV. The first photo shows a half box on top of a large box. You can just make out Hero Arts cubes in the lower box underneath the Versafine cubes. They nestle into each other about an inch.
I used to store my inkpads by color, but I found that I didn't look for them in that way. Now I store them by manufacturer or type (pigment, dye, etc.). This is also helpful when I'm using more than one inkpad, so I know that they work well together. I sort them in ROYGBIV order within the main categories. I think you should base your storage and organization on how you use your inkpads and how your brain works. That's an important key to any successful storage system.
Thanks, Bjeans, for the reminder to get those Oxides stored vertically. I hated moving them out of the drawer, but the Interdesign bin I chose holds them all very well (one short in the photo - but room for it), and I can easily move them to the desk to access them vertically.
Love my Distress minis storage! The project organizer from Michaels is shallow enough that only a few sheets of cardstock or chipboard need to be added to keep the lids from slipping off. It holds all of them! The case closes very securely too; so it's good for toting around. I cut, scored, and taped cardstock to make rows for the pads.
If you start buying pads of a new brand, it probably is easier to print out labels for all the colors of the brand, then you have them ready to go when you buy the pads. It also reminds you which ones you still don't have.
The Xyron is convenient but not perfect for applying adhesive; the ends tend to curl up. Use a bone folder to press the labels in place. Double-sided tape like Sookwang might do a better job.
You're welcome - and Oxides should be stored horizontally rather than vertically. : ) Flat, IOW, not on edge.
Regular Distress inks are fine on edge, as long as you have a way to keep the lids on. (When needing a rubber band type thing, I prefer Plastibands, which are flatter than rubber bands, even though they do stretch out. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1 )
Oops, I did mean to store the Oxides in the horizontal position. When I said "vertically" I was looking at my vertical stack of them in the box. When I have them on my desk they will be in the vertical position only briefly. I just can't stand trying to pull a pad out of a stack (and have them all come tumbling down).
Hi Catherine - I bought the Organizemore 60 standard pad storage unit. I got it over the stampnstorage unit because I think it's about $10 cheaper, I already have an organizemore marker holder (which I also love), it didn't need to be painted (I prefer white) and it's nice and light - not heavy (I live in NYC - i.e. Tiny apartment - and my "studio" is the floor of my clothes closet so I drag the ink rack in and out of the closet whenever I use it). Because I am using it partly for distress inks I should have got spacers too (they're like $1 - just pieces of chipboard) but for some reason I was thinking the spacers were only for mini distress inks. Anyway - organizemore has a little tutorial on how you to make the spacers - they're just 5" x 1" chipboard rectangles folded up and pushed to the back of each "cell" otherwise the distress inks go back too far and its kind of tricky to get them out.
I separate my inks by company and then do the RYGetc thing within each company. My stampinup pads are in a 24 portaink, oxides and PTI in the organizemore, I have distress minis and other little cubes in Tim holtz tins, then i have some overflow SU and miscellaneous other inks (versafine, stazon, memento etc) in a drawer in my michaels rainbow tower. I like the colors to be together so - say I want to make a girl baby card, I'll get all my pinks out and all my pink dsps to see which ones I prefer. Or I like to make a "scene" with different stamps, so I'll get browns and greens out for the trees or whatever. I like to separate by company because I find different company inks stamp differently even if they're both dye inks for example. Also I like the "neatness" of the same ink pad types being together. It kind of helps me to remember them better too.
I do have quite a few inks I haven't opened yet so I haven't labeled them - I would really like to have them all look the same, but particularly with PTI I feel they'll get drier quicker if I open them up before using. Also -IF I ever decide to sell stuff I'm not using it will have better resale value if it's unopened.
I have a feeling the pti's are the hardest pads to find a label to stick to - because of the type of plastic. So I'll see how this Xyron thing goes - I'll probably end up getting a Brother labeler because I keep seeing there's so many things I can label with it. I know I'll have to use a paper trimmer to cut the labels, not the knife that Kristina Werner uses, because I'm sure to ruin my ruler or lose a finger or something.
Anyway - that's pretty well my life story - thanks for listening - haha! As always - wonderful to hear how everyone else does things. Thank you
Stefany
PS Gypsyrosestampet - I like your container for the oxides - all grouped together like that and in that nice little niche. When I get the Xyron I'll do the bone folder thing as you suggested - we'll see how it goes.
Someday I will have to address the ink storage question.
For now I just have them in plastic bins by type (dye, pigment, other)
I do have a acorn stamp I use to swatch them on a CS page. In that regard, I have them both by company and by color...so I can how many pinks I have for example.
They are stacked upside down in the bins so I really have no idea what color they are but since they are stacked for now to me it makes no difference. I have to pull them out regardless.
That bothers me less than the weight of the bin. It surprised me how few pads it takes to start getting heavy. So the idea of being able to pull one pad at a time is very attractive to me but I dont have the room.
I like this discussion though-I will look at it in the future. Thank you Victoria for that link! I bookmarked it!
I guess if I DID go label maker I'd get a smaller cheap-o dymo (and probably not be happy and eventually get a brother?). The labels are kind of plasticky right? So then I'd have the trouble of adding a paper style ink dot to glue or tape on. Which kind of brings me back to mailing labels - that may or may not stick. Hmmm. Thanks for your perspective Sabrina.
Stefany
I have a Dymo label maker bought at Costco. Labels are paper & stick very well. I like it. It is small & battery operated.
I use Kristina Werner's system, too. I just type the ink names in a Word document, & print them out on white cardstock. Then use a dot stamp to stamp the ink color onto the label at one end. You could also use the eraser on a pencil, if you haven't worn it down by using it to erase. I would recommend stamping rather than swiping the ink on, because if you swipe, you'll get a greater saturation of ink. Not as accurate a "look" for seeing ink colors for stamping. If I have more than just 1 or 2 labels, I will use my Xyron sticker maker, but otherwise just glue them on with Ranger Multi Medium. I generally use the gloss for that, only because I got a small bottle with a kit of other mediums, and don't use it for anything else! But the matte MM would work just as well. Even on the ones I ran through the Xyron, if they start peeling up, I just squirt a little glue under the label and stick it back down. Works like a charm!
bjeans - I just keep mine stored with the shorter side facing out w/ the label & swatch. It looks like KW stores her with the longer side facing out. You aren't missing anything, just the side which has the labels are different!
ksstammper - What ink pad storage unit did you get that you are now using? I'm always looking for something to move my ink pads out of the little shelves to. I love PTI too - all of their products! I know they posted when they changed from the paisley/tear drop stamp pad to the oval shaped pads that they opted for the oval to keep the costs down to the consumers. They were less expensive than the rectangle. Which is nice, however I do wish they were uniform with my others! They Xyron is a really good idea. With the PTI labels - because of the rounded shape - I do have to reapply the Tombow maybe once or twice a year. I wonder if I used my Xyron if that would hold on a curved surface better.
What does everyone do when they get new ink pads - do you immediately swatch them or do so once you open them? I have a bunch of pads that are unlabeled in the pics, because I haven't opened them yet. Normally I open them to swatch them right away. But for some reason, haven't yet.
Also - do you store your ink pads by color groups or with any type of organizational arrangement? Mine are all separated by company but totally random how they are color ordered. All my SU ink pads are separated by shades/hues, but not the other companies. I'm thinking of changing that.
Some rainy day I'm going to redo the labels for the A Muse studio pigment pads. They were the very first ones I labeled and I just used some default font. Now the font doesn't match the others and it drives me bonkers! But not enough to take the time to redo them yet I mentioned in another post that I fractured my knee so that rainy day may be coming soon...
I separate by type---pigment, dye, solvent---and within those by ROYGBIV Although my order is different as I start with metallics, then neutrals then colors with my ordering YORVIBG. Just need to come up with a mnemonic for that!
BTW, if anyone is thinking about giving or receiving an Organize More unit by Christmas, orders need to be in by November 10, if I recall. If you're on their mailing list you might get a discount now and then, and they rarely send emails. They're a small, family business so can't crank out gazillions at a time. Of course a photo with a card would work until the gift arrived.
I store regular sized ink pads ROYGBIV and don't separate by company, with the exception of Distress and Versafine. I swatch when the pad is opened, not when it arrives.
But regular Distress and some Hero Arts, Versafine, Altenew and Studio Calico are in minis and they're separated by company and then ROYGBIV. There's very little color overlap so that works for me.
Labeling ink pad side
