Rubber Stamping Glossary

Sometimes rubber stampers (even experienced ones) run into a term or phrase that doesn't mean anything to them. This glossary is provided to take some of the mystery out of the words that are commmonly used in rubber stamping magazines and project instructions

A

AIG-Art Institute Glitter-a specfic brand of very fine glitter.
Angel Company-An angel company is one that will let you use their images to make a product that you intend to sell. They waive (or partially waive) their copyright to the image on an individual basis. Each company is a little different, so it pays to double check, but most of them will allow you to use their images for resale as long as the product that you make is hand stamped.

B

Beedz-Small, holeless beads used for ornamentation.
Blitzer-A tool that looks like a small bulb which sprays the ink from a marker onto a piece of paper. This leaves a small pattern of dots on the paper and can be used for backgrounds or special effects.
Bone Folder-a tool used to impress a fine line in a piece of paper or cardstock. This makes folding the paper cleaner and easier. Although called bone folders,, they can also be made out of plastic.
Brayer-A rubber roller which is attached to a handle. They were originally used by printers. They come in a variety of sizes and hardnesses. The brayer most commonly used in rubber stamping is medium hard (like a car tire) although acrylic ones have been coming more popular. Use them to spread the ink from a pad across paper, create multi-colored backgrounds and more.
Brush Marker-A marker that has a tip that resembles a paint brush.

C

Cushion-The piece of foam rubber between the dye and the mount (see dye and mount).

D

Dye-The rubber part of a stamp. It contains the image.
Die cut-A method for punching out any specific shape by using a metal form that is called a die.
Dry embossing-Producing a raised image by pushing the paper up from the back. Also called blind embossing
Dye Ink-Dye based ink pads are water based and essentially leave a stain on the paper. Thus, they will run if they get wet and their colors aren't as vibrant as some other inks. On the plus side, they dry quickly and leave a very crisp image so they are good for highly detailed stamps. They are easy to clean as they leave very little residue on the stamp, although some darker colors leave a stain. Stamp cleaning solution will get a stamp clean regardless of the colors that have been used.Dye based ink pads are water based and essentially leave a stain on the paper. Thus, they will run if they get wet and their colors aren't as vibrant as some other inks. On the plus side, they dry quickly and leave a very crisp image so they are good for highly detailed stamps. They are easy to clean as they leave very little residue on the stamp, although some darker colors leave a stain. Stamp cleaning solution will get a stamp clean regardless of the colors that have been used.

E

Emboss-A technique which creates a raised image on paper. This can be accomplished in a number of ways including the use of powder (see embossing powder) or raising the paper itself (see blind embossing)
EP-An abbreviation for embossing powder
Embossing Ink-A special glycerin based ink used for embossing. It iss either clear or contains a light pastel tint (usually blue or pink)
Embossing Powder-Powder used to create a raised image on paper. It comes in a wide variety of colors and three basic thicknesses (regular, fine and ultra-thick). First the image is stamped on paper using embossing or pigment ink, the powder is sprinkled over the image, then excess powder is tapped off and then the image is heated. This melts the powder and causes the image to raise up off the paper.

F

Fabric Ink-An ink used for stamping on fabric.
Fabrico-A brand of stamp ink used specifically for painting on fabrics.

H

Heat Gun-A tool which throws heat but not air. It is used, primarily, in embossing.

L

Laminator-A machine which coats paper or other materials with a sheet of plastic.

M

Marvy-A spefic brand of water-based marker.
Mask-If you want two images to overlap, one of those two images must be partially stamped. To do this, you use a mask. A mask is a piece of paper. For more info, see "Techniques-Masking"
Mount-The wood or acrylic part of a stamp.

P

PearlEx-A powder or paint that has a pearlescent sheen Pergamano-A particular card crafting style that utilizes vellum, and punches. Normally in pergamano, you apply color to the back side of the vellum. This creates a light, airy effect.
Permanent Ink-Is water and bleed resistant and dries quickly. It's great for stamping on unusual surfaces such as glass, wood, plastic and acetate. Most of the time, you will have to use a stamp cleaning solution to get all the ink off of the stamp.
Pigment Ink-Pigment based inks are also water based but, unlike dye inks, they contain little particles of color. Because of this, they leave an impression that is more vibrant and more resistant to water (once dry) than their dye based counterparts. They also stay wetter longer so they are suitable for embossing. On the negative side, they can't be used on gloss stock - they smear. A stamp inked with pigment ink can usually be cleaned with a wet paper towel but the darker colors may require the use of a stamp cleaning solution.
Positioner-An acrylic or wood tool that is used to place a stamped image in a particular position on your project.

Q

Quilling-A method of paper ornamentation which utilizes thin, curled strips of paper to replicate patterns or flowers.

R

Radiant Pearls-A paint with a pearlescent sheen.

S

Sponging-A method of transfering ink to paper that uses a small sponge (usually a cosmetic sponge) in place of a brush. The ink is applied to the sponge and then the sponge is tapped onto a piece of paper leaving a series of small dots.

T

Tombow-A particular brand of water based marker.
Tria-A specific brand off alcohol based marker. It has three tips instead of one or two.

U

U/M-Unmounted. A stamp (dye) that is not attached to a mount (block of wood)

UTEE-An abbreviation for ultra thick embossing enamel (or powder)

V

Vellum-A thick transparent paper-think very thick tracing paper.

Z

Zig-A particular brand of water-based marker.

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