Using and taking care of your Clear Stamps

To be able to enjoy your stamps to the fullest it is important to take proper care of them. Especially cleaning your stamps well is important. On this page you can find various tips to get the most out of your stamps.

Download here the PDF: Taking care of your stamps
 
Cling stamps and clear stamps
 Marianne Design produces clear stamps as well as cling stamps. Clear stamps are made of silicones and are transparent. This makes it easy to precisely align the stamp on your paper. Cling stamps are rubber stamps that create finer and more detailed images. When properly maintained, these stamps stay beautiful for a very long time.



To stamp smoothly you can best use an acrylic block. These are available in various sizes. Both clear stamps and cling stamps can be stuck onto an acrylic block straight from the packaging. Don’t throw the packaging out! This can be used to store your stamps in after use and cleaning so the stamps stay nicely clean, which ensure that your prints stay clear. To keep your stamps from drying out, you can best store them in a dark location.
 
Using new clear stamps
When you have bought new clear stamps you naturally want to start stamping straight away, but wait! Sometimes new stamps have an oily layer that prevents the ink from catching. If you start stamping now your prints will not be nicely clear. To solve this you should first stamp on a scrap of paper. You will notice that the image will already be beautifully clear after stamping a few times.



Cleaning 
After using your stamps it is very important to properly clean them. You can best do this straight after stamping, because when the ink dries up it is hard to remove. First stamp your stamp dry on a piece of paper and rub it clean with a baby wipe. Make sure the wipe does not contain any alcohol, because this can damage your stamp. Always let your stamps air dry before storing.
 
After a while clear stamps sometimes will not stick onto the acrylic block anymore. If this happens, it helps to thoroughly clean them. You can do this by washing them with a bit of mild dishwashing detergent underneath the warm water tap. Do not scrub them too vigorously, or you might damage your stamps. Cling stamps are better not cleaned in this manner.
 
There are also various stamp cleaners on the market to clean your stamps. These are often used after stamping with hard to erase ink.