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Hi DeeAnn, my money is on the new Versafine Clair pads. They have a much bigger colour range than the original Versafines, but they are a fabulous stamping ink. Really give a thick solid coverage, even on silhouette type stamps, and work brilliantly on clear stamps. Plus you can use them to heat emboss, even though they dry easily.
Distress Oxides are also a great new pad,especially good because you can use them on dark/black card and still see the colour- that was what sold me on them.
Have you seen Tims new 'Lift Ink' pad? If not, go have a look at the video, it looks great.
Still love my Mementos, another good all rounder.
Ditto what Shaz said. The weirdest thing about Clairs is that you can stamp, wait a long time - 5+ minutes - and still heat emboss with them.Except they don�t make pastels (booo), so I turn to the wonderful dye ink colors, often in cubes. Not new but not obsolete in the slightest. Hero Arts is still a fave, and my old Studio Calico soft colors.
Clairs + Oxides + Versamark = Desert Island Heaven.
But wait, there�s more! Gina K�s black amalgam ink is great when using watercolors, alcohol inks, gamsol with colored pencils. Full size or cube + re-inker.
I just purchased all the Gina K cubes when she had a sale over Memorial Day. I love her colors and I like that her inks coordinate with her cardstock. I have discovered that when using a hinged stamp positioner, it is easier to ink most stamps with a cube instead of a full-size pad.
I love Distress Oxides because even though Tim Holtz demonstrates them as a technique ink (and the techniques are fun!), they stamp beautifully. Regular distress inks are not really good for crisp images, but the Distress Oxides work really well.
I have VersaMark and some Distress Oxides. Versatile Claire and Gina K. designs Amalgam ink(s) are very high on my wish list.
When possible, I like cubes or mini pads (Ranger Archival) because I find them easier to use with a stamp positioner (I have one by Hampton Arts and the larger one by Tonic/Tim Holtz).
That said, I have no intention of unmounting my large collection if wood-mounted stamps so I will keep (and add) full-size inkpads.
I have my eye on getting the new versafine clair inks. But lately have been buying inks in cubes. I was getting ink of the lid of my Misti sometimes when using a large ink pad. So with the smaller cubes, this does not happen.
It seems like an updated version of ... A product whose name escapes me. Someone will know it.
Liquid Applique
__________________ Linda E
Caution: You are entering an artistic zone. This is not clutter - this is creating. These are not pajamas - it's my work uniform.
Because I love multi-step stamping, I love Altenew Crisp inks. You can buy them individually in full pads or cubes, or you can buy in sets of four with four coordinating colors from light to dark. Reinkers are available for each color. Right now they have 84 colors available.
__________________ Linda E
Caution: You are entering an artistic zone. This is not clutter - this is creating. These are not pajamas - it's my work uniform.
This helps so much. Thank you for the input. I am really grateful. I do have Tim's platform. I read his platform was made for full size ink pads. I hope I read that right since that is one of the reasons I bought it, lol.
Versafine Clair- Is it oil based like the old Versafine? I really do love Versafine. I always get consistent results.
Distress Oxides- I have stamped with my DI Oxides. I did like the results. I noticed on photopolymer I get blotchy results Are there hints and tips to make these stamp better? I do really love the DI Oxides. I would buy all the colors if I could get them to stamp.
Gina K Black Amalgam- I am interested in this one. I don't like my Memento Black ink pad. Sorry, Memento purists. It is a great ink pad. I am an illustrator so I work in Copics a lot. I am use to working with deep black outlines. Memento has a grayish tint when stamping. It really annoys me, lol. Is Gina's deep and black?
Altenew Crisp- I am interested in the Altenew. That is the kind of color lot I am looking for. I do need them to be archival and fade resistant.
I do appreciate all the input. I am very nitpicky when I buy higher end art supplies.
Well the hottest and trendiest might be the next set of Distress Oxide Ink colors coming out in July. You will be at the pinnacle of hot and trendy if you snag those. I think Gina K is one of the newest of the dye inks that’s getting good reviews.
Hi Dee Ann, As far as I can tell, the Clairs are the same type as before. These are even better than the original, and I never thought I'd say that about any inkpad! The Nocturne, which is the new Black, is without doubt the blackest black I've ever stamped with, and I have a LOT of black inkpads.
I too have Tim's Platform, and don't have any problems using full size inkpads with it, but even if I do miss the stamp occasionally, a little hand sanitiser cleans it off easily.
And as for older inkpads- I still love and use my Adirondacks! So much so, when I heard they were being discontinued, I got reinkers for all of them.
DeeAnn, my stamps are mostly photopolymer and all take Distress Oxide well. Do you tap the ink on more than once across the surface? And your stamps are high quality photopolymer, not acrylic? While it’s possible to make almost any stamp take ink, lower quality acrylic and very early manufactured photopolymer may be tougher. Of course if you use a platform you can double or triple stamp.
About Tim’s platforms, are you referring to getting ink on the lid when applying it to the stamp with a full-sized pad? That can happen with any platform if the pad is tilted at all. The lids are just flat pieces of plastic. I have two Misti’s and both of Tim’s platforms, and mostly use Tim’s smaller one, often with full sized pads. The ink is very easy to wipe off. I have a huge, expired bottle of Purell so use that. (He uses hand sanitizer.) With a couple of exceptions - solvents, finger nail polish remover, etc. - you can use many cleaners on his platforms; they’ve purposely been made tough.
I like that Altenew cubes come in light to dark sets. I’ve been a little disappointed in a couple early sets that have been a little dry, and I can’t read the color names on a few cubes because they used a dark, small, slanty handwriting on a dark background. They may have changed that but I haven’t purchased more.
Studio Calico Color Theory inks used to be more popular - Jennifer McGuire used them way back when, but now they’re more off the radar. It’s complicated? : ) I’ve enjoyed their soft colors, pigment and dye, and love the darker Deja Blue. They have other products in the Color Theory line.
Oh - a last ink I keep forgetting to give a shout-out to! Impression Obsession came out with a series off light to dark inks. The owner visited an LSS a while back and I bought some. I loved that she came right out and said they were the same formulation of many other dye inks - she just felt there was a color gap. They’re full sized: Impression Obsession Rubber Stamps: *NEW* Ink Pads & Refills
I definitely recommend Gina K’s Amalgam Black. It works great for Copics and watercolors. And I love my Altenew cube inks as well as the Memento dew drops. Lots of great color options! Before going all in on a particular brand, you might want to mix and match a bit and see what works best for your style and stamps.
We used Amplify in an LSS class a few years ago. It was fun - but watch out if you apply too much! I bought two “tubes” and never used it. Note to self: learn to tell the difference between class fun versus a product I’d really use on my own.
My personal favorite is the Hero Arts formulation. They don't sell re-inkers, but Gina K, Simon Says Stamp and Wplus9 inks are all supposed to be the same formulation. Gina K and Wplus9 sell re-inkers.
I'm honestly not sure if Lawn Fawn and Ranger are the same formulation.
I have Hero Arts and Wplus9, and I love them both.
__________________ Elizabeth in Hoboken, proud parent of a feisty and mischievous parrot who likes to chew craft supplies
bjeans- I haven't had any trouble with my full size ink pads with my TH platform. I was warned to stay away from full size inkpads and go to cubes when using the platforms. I think cubes are lovely but I still prefer full size pads. I am looking at trendy because that will be industry standard for our inks in the long run. If cubes are phasing out full size I would rather be prepared now than have a big expense later.
My stamps are everything from rubber, high quality photopolymer and acrylic. I think I might be overinking my clear stamps. Do I need to use a light hand with the DI Oxides?
I understand about Studio Calico being complicated, lol.
Thank you everyone for the great input. I decided on Versafine Clair. Shaz sold me. I will be adding more Distress Oxide's.
Shaz- Years ago when I decided to buy one set of dye inks the Adirondack's were at the top of my list. I went with Stampin Up because of the huge color lot. The Adirondack's were just gorgeous. I was always a little sad I didn't get a set before they were discontinued. I love my old SU felt pads. I think they are starting to get to their end of life cycle.
SU Girls- I am thinking of purchasing some of the new Stampin Up inks. I know they are not in my category of fade resistant. I do love the color lots. I still have the old 2010 reinkers. If I buy a few of the new ink pads will I need to replace all my reinkers?
Replacing the reinkers will not be a problem. I don't want to buy double reinkers if I don't need too.
Hoboken Paper- That's one of my concerns about buying new ink is the companies with same formulations.
bjeans- I haven't had any trouble with my full size ink pads with my TH platform. I was warned to stay away from full size inkpads and go to cubes when using the platforms. I think cubes are lovely but I still prefer full size pads. I am looking at trendy because that will be industry standard for our inks in the long run. If cubes are phasing out full size I would rather be prepared now than have a big expense later.
My stamps are everything from rubber, high quality photopolymer and acrylic. I think I might be overinking my clear stamps. Do I need to use a light hand with the DI Oxides?
[snip]
We can�t see how you ink your stamps, but I tend to be a heavy inker. If you�re not getting enough coverage, you might want to tap (not swipe) on more ink. If you�re getting blotches, pull back a bit? With your platform you can re-stamp, of course.
I see a trend of adding cubes but not eliminating full sized pads. Many companies don�t have cubes. But make pretend full sized pads disappeared tomorrow. Nothing would have to change for you - you could still use your full sized pads, re-inking (if re-inkers available) as need be. That is, unless you didn�t want a mix of cubes and full sized?
I have both. Full sized are in one location by the desk (Organize More units) and cubes in another (stackable tray/boxes from the Container Store in Alex drawers at my desk, but could happily live on a desk or shelf. So everything is grabbable, just to the right and to the left.
You�re making me want more ink. I don�t need more.
I have no recommendations for brand/type of ink, just wanted to throw one idea out there: While I take your point, DeeAnn, on wanting to go with something that will be around for a long time when making a large investment, I still maintain that what YOU love and will use should be the determining factor, not the "industry standard" or what somebody else thinks is the bee's knees or anything else. My ink collection is all over the map and includes pads as old as 15 years and as new as a few months - they are what I still love after all these years and what I'm exploring to fall in love with now. I will definitely be sad when my older pads fail me - there's nothing remotely close to them out there now, which is why they are still in my arsenal. Just another thing to think about...
I’m not sure what old tech means. Maybe my Memento pads are old tech but they sure give great results after all these years. I’m with Sue. Get what you like. I really think more about the colors now when I add inks and the brands are all over the place. My newest stamp positioner doesn’t have raised lid bumpers on the open sides so I don’t worry about messing up with my big ink pads anymore. A stamp positioner of any brand allows you to go again if the coverage is not perfect.
Please forgive me if this is a highjack of this great question and list of ideas... I've been searching for a color comparison of all the inks from the different companies... Eg. Stampin Up (which I have a bunch of) vs. Distress (which I'm thinking of getting more of) vs. Memento vs. Adirondack. I did find this good resource, but it is far from complete... Distress Ink and Stampin Up Color Comparison by pSaMuse at Splitcoaststampers<o:p></o>
Again, thanks for this awesome question and all the awesome responses! I've learned about a lot of great new inks today!
I have collected a lot of ink over the years and I have a lot of dead ringer duplicates. Starting from scratch maybe it would have been thrifty to pick a favorite dye or hybrid ink brand (possibly hot and and trendy) and get all the favorite colors plus a few specialty ink blacks and some shading technique inks. The charts that I have found so far online don’t help much. What looks like a match on screen or is described as a match is inaccurate when I swatch. I don’t use Stampin Up ink so I haven’t searched for comparison charts for that brand.
I have no recommendations for brand/type of ink, just wanted to throw one idea out there: While I take your point, DeeAnn, on wanting to go with something that will be around for a long time when making a large investment, I still maintain that what YOU love and will use should be the determining factor, not the "industry standard" or what somebody else thinks is the bee's knees or anything else. My ink collection is all over the map and includes pads as old as 15 years and as new as a few months - they are what I still love after all these years and what I'm exploring to fall in love with now. I will definitely be sad when my older pads fail me - there's nothing remotely close to them out there now, which is why they are still in my arsenal. Just another thing to think about...
I have to agree with Sue. I too found what I love and continue to use them. I have discovered I do like the colores that Catherine Pooler has. They are vibrant and I too am a "heavy" inker, but don't find myself doing that with these inks. I don't have a lot of colors, as I am tried and true Stewart Superior Palette ink pads. I am so sad that I cannot find them anywhere. :( But as I look at inks and have been able to work with others, I think that I shall go with Catherine Pooler's ink next.
The other thing I look at when I am I looking at ink is how tight is the cover. I have seen some ink pads that people use rubberbinders to keep them together. Not what I like to see. I am one of those clumsy thumbsy type of people and I really need the cover to stay on the ink pad when I am not using.
Just my two cents. Lots of great information in this thread. I am glad to be back here.
I was sad to see Ranger discontinue the Adirondack line; they had so many lovely colors. I still have several pads with the reinkers. But then very glad when they started releasing new vibrant colors of alcohol ink. Their alcohol inks were limited to the Adirondack colors at one point.
Missy, I also have some of the Stewart Palette inks; I think Stewart makes the Altenew ink pads, which are very similar in formulation to the previous Palette inks.
__________________ Linda E
Caution: You are entering an artistic zone. This is not clutter - this is creating. These are not pajamas - it's my work uniform.
Last edited by uncbballfan; 07-01-2018 at 01:40 PM..
Reason: add'l info
I have to agree with Sue. I too found what I love and continue to use them. I have discovered I do like the colores that Catherine Pooler has. They are vibrant and I too am a "heavy" inker, but don't find myself doing that with these inks. I don't have a lot of colors, as I am tried and true Stewart Superior Palette ink pads. I am so sad that I cannot find them anywhere. :( But as I look at inks and have been able to work with others, I think that I shall go with Catherine Pooler's ink next.
The other thing I look at when I am I looking at ink is how tight is the cover. I have seen some ink pads that people use rubberbinders to keep them together. Not what I like to see. I am one of those clumsy thumbsy type of people and I really need the cover to stay on the ink pad when I am not using.
Just my two cents. Lots of great information in this thread. I am glad to be back here.
Is it possible that some of the inks that were rubber banded actually close tightly but people are being extra careful since they�re taking them outside of their homes? I band (with Plasti-Bands) all of my ink pads when going to a class since they may get knocked around messes will find me.
Since Stewart makes inks for many companies, could the formula be the same for those companies as for their old inks? Maybe not, but Impression Obsession, MFT, Hero Arts and SSS are some they make ink for, if I�m not mistaken. Even the cases are the identical size/shape in many, well, cases.
So true about the tight/loose lids. I have some of those cubes with loose lids that I have to keep secured with pony tail bands. I also have another brand that has cube lids that are sometimes way too tight. How hard is it to make lids that fit right? My Hero Arts cubes and my Momento dewdrops have great fitting lids. Seems like a no brainer.
I have a few Adirondack colors i really liked too. I have never seen a duplicate of a butterscotch color I like a lot. Also their reinkers were huge.
I love Hero Arts colors and inks, including their cubes, but one cube set has very loose lids. I don’t care much since they’re plasti-banded when out, and live in a lidless, stackable box in a drawer at home (Alex). Since the boxes don’t have hinged lids they don’t take up much space, so sometimes I put a box onto my work surface, which also keeps me from knocking my universe over.
You can see them peeking out in the lower, larger box. Versafine cubes in a half box are sitting on top of them.
So true about the tight/loose lids. I have some of those cubes with loose lids that I have to keep secured with pony tail bands. I also have another brand that has cube lids that are sometimes way too tight. How hard is it to make lids that fit right? My Hero Arts cubes and my Momento dewdrops have great fitting lids. Seems like a no brainer.
I have a few Adirondack colors i really liked too. I have never seen a duplicate of a butterscotch color I like a lot. Also their reinkers were huge.
I'm with you, Mary .... Adirondack butterscotch is my favorite yellow and I'd love to find a duplicate color since Adirondack inks have been discontinued (I don't have a reinker for this pad).
__________________ Rita
God demonstrated His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us ... being now justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. Romans 5:8 & 9
SU Girls- I am thinking of purchasing some of the new Stampin Up inks. I know they are not in my category of fade resistant. I do love the color lots. I still have the old 2010 reinkers. If I buy a few of the new ink pads will I need to replace all my reinkers?
When Stampin' Up! switched from the linen pads to the firm foam pads, there were five ink colors for which the old re-inker was not to be used on the new ink pad. Those are: Marina Mist, Tempting Turquoise, Basic Gray, Basic Black, and Perfect Plum. Those colors, with the exception of Basic Gray are all now retired. Basic Gray had previously been released as an Archival Ink but it is now back as a Classic ink. Hope that helps.
I'm with you, Mary .... Adirondack butterscotch is my favorite yellow and I'd love to find a duplicate color since Adirondack inks have been discontinued (I don't have a reinker for this pad).
If you decide not to order it from the site suggestions, PM me. I d be glad to give you half my reinker. I have some small leak proof type bottles to transfer into. That reinker is so big I don�t think I�ll ever use even half of it up.
Rita and Mary, I tested some of the ink pads I have. "Caramel" by Hero Arts is the closest ink I have to Butterscotch, although it's just a bit darker. This is a fairly new hybrid ink by HA, and actually has a re-inker. There are 16 inks in this series, and 14 of them have re-inkers. Which leads me to: Lu-ceee! You got some splaining to do! I mean, 16 new colors (and they're all gorgeous BTW), and 14 re-inkers???
They come in cubes and full-size pads.
__________________ Linda E
Caution: You are entering an artistic zone. This is not clutter - this is creating. These are not pajamas - it's my work uniform.
Just wanted to share a link to a Seattle retailer who has the Adirondack Dye Ink pads in stock. www.dolceimpressions.com
Beth (bjeans) was kind enough to find this link for me since I was lamenting that I couldn't find a source for the Adirondack Butterscotch dye ink that I love so much. Thanks to Beth, I was able to place an order for the pad.
If I hadn't been able to locate the Butterscotch, I would have definitely been interested in the Hero Arts Caramel that Linda (uncbballfan) posted about. Sending my thanks to all of you friendly and helpful SCS gals!!
__________________ Rita
God demonstrated His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us ... being now justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. Romans 5:8 & 9
What a post! Full of info. I have old pads, new ones and still maintain that ya got to try the ones best for you and whatever u are using it for. Versafine is my go to black ink, but I am loving Ranger Archival too. But Altenew ink cubes have captured my heart with use on polymer as well as rubber stamps. I also love the Oxides because of their versatility.
I also look at comparison videos on YouTube, especially Jennifer McGuire's Favorite things videos. So stamp away guys and have fun.
We can�t see how you ink your stamps, but I tend to be a heavy inker. If you�re not getting enough coverage, you might want to tap (not swipe) on more ink.
I am a tapper. I do tend to have a light hand. I never swiped. Hmmmm, I don't think the DI Oxide's like me, lol.
When Stampin' Up! switched from the linen pads to the firm foam pads, there were five ink colors for which the old re-inker was not to be used on the new ink pad. Those are: Marina Mist, Tempting Turquoise, Basic Gray, Basic Black, and Perfect Plum. Those colors, with the exception of Basic Gray are all now retired. Basic Gray had previously been released as an Archival Ink but it is now back as a Classic ink. Hope that helps.
That helps me so much. Thank you. That is a relief too. I only have Tempting Turquoise and Perfect Plum reinkers out of all of those. I rather replace two than sixty. Thank you again.
I have no recommendations for brand/type of ink, just wanted to throw one idea out there: While I take your point, DeeAnn, on wanting to go with something that will be around for a long time when making a large investment, I still maintain that what YOU love and will use should be the determining factor, not the "industry standard" or what somebody else thinks is the bee's knees or anything else. My ink collection is all over the map and includes pads as old as 15 years and as new as a few months - they are what I still love after all these years and what I'm exploring to fall in love with now. I will definitely be sad when my older pads fail me - there's nothing remotely close to them out there now, which is why they are still in my arsenal. Just another thing to think about...
Girl's I just read my last two replies. I sound grumpy. I am sorry. I am not grumpy. It has been a crazy, fun, chaotic, happy week but I am a little heat exhausted, truly. Sorry, if I am writing like I am grumpy. I am not.
Thank you Sue. I do really appreciate it. I really do need a new set of colored inks. I do use all the colors. I know that is pretty unique in our industry. That's why I am doing so much research and getting opinions. I want to narrow it down. I would use my SU Classic's till they fall apart. That's the problem, they are falling apart. I bought them used.
I really don't want to go the route I have all sorts of inks from different brands. I do know that only three companies make these inks. When I first got back into stamping a decade ago. A lady at Hobby Lobby told me not to buy inks wily nily but settle for the inks that fit my needs. I bought all sorts of inks to find those needs. All I did was get confused. That is my dyslexia. I am in envy of all you girls that can do all these varieties of inks but I just get so confused. What is even more frustrating about this is that stamp inks are the only art medium I get confused about.
I feel stamping has changed so much in the last five years with the new presses, layering stamps, etc... I think this is one of the very rare times in our industry that ink is formulated differently for the growing expertise of stamper's. I am looking at all the options so I am not stuck buying hundreds of dollars of ink then realize I can't do anything with it. That is my big concern.
A dear girlfriend of mine, who is into journaling like me, noticed I use my brush markers 90% of the time to ink my stamps. She stamps a lot like me. It is about the stamps with me and her. Don't fall over girls, but she will never buy a Distress Ink. She adores Tim, lol She uses a lot of marker's too so she can get different looks. Journaling I mean writing journals, not art journals.
I was thinking about you Sue. I thought, maybe, this might be a better option for me is brush markers and your lovely tutorial for cubes. I can do the cubes for the few stamps I have that don't take brush marker's well. I did use to make my own stamp pads. Once I moved I stopped for some inane reason?
Girls please weigh in on this idea. I would love to hear your opinion. Especially any brush marker girls.
Who is making the best reinkers now?
Thank you everyone for commenting. I do really appreciate it and taking every comment seriously. I am sorry I haven't checked in. Doing lots of things to my home and heavy, heavy gardening. My area only got one week of Spring this year. It went down in the history books. The gardener's in our area are really having to work hard this season.
I would weigh in but my pads are old too. My go to inks used to be Marvy for watercolor and Sugarloaf for permanent ink; both brands are long gone and those pads are dying on me :( I even have green and brown PSX pads that are ironically still going strong but those two colors are not enough.
See what I mean about old, I'm keeping an eye on your thread for recommendations too.
Girl's I just read my last two replies. I sound grumpy. I am sorry. I am not grumpy. It has been a crazy, fun, chaotic, happy week but I am a little heat exhausted, truly. Sorry, if I am writing like I am grumpy. I am not.
Thank you Sue. I do really appreciate it. I really do need a new set of colored inks. I do use all the colors. I know that is pretty unique in our industry. That's why I am doing so much research and getting opinions. I want to narrow it down. I would use my SU Classic's till they fall apart. That's the problem, they are falling apart. I bought them used.
I really don't want to go the route I have all sorts of inks from different brands. I do know that only three companies make these inks. When I first got back into stamping a decade ago. A lady at Hobby Lobby told me not to buy inks wily nily but settle for the inks that fit my needs. I bought all sorts of inks to find those needs. All I did was get confused. That is my dyslexia. I am in envy of all you girls that can do all these varieties of inks but I just get so confused. What is even more frustrating about this is that stamp inks are the only art medium I get confused about.
I feel stamping has changed so much in the last five years with the new presses, layering stamps, etc... I think this is one of the very rare times in our industry that ink is formulated differently for the growing expertise of stamper's. I am looking at all the options so I am not stuck buying hundreds of dollars of ink then realize I can't do anything with it. That is my big concern.
A dear girlfriend of mine, who is into journaling like me, noticed I use my brush markers 90% of the time to ink my stamps. She stamps a lot like me. It is about the stamps with me and her. Don't fall over girls, but she will never buy a Distress Ink. She adores Tim, lol She uses a lot of marker's too so she can get different looks. Journaling I mean writing journals, not art journals.
I was thinking about you Sue. I thought, maybe, this might be a better option for me is brush markers and your lovely tutorial for cubes. I can do the cubes for the few stamps I have that don't take brush marker's well. I did use to make my own stamp pads. Once I moved I stopped for some inane reason?
Girls please weigh in on this idea. I would love to hear your opinion. Especially any brush marker girls.
Who is making the best reinkers now?
Thank you everyone for commenting. I do really appreciate it and taking every comment seriously. I am sorry I haven't checked in. Doing lots of things to my home and heavy, heavy gardening. My area only got one week of Spring this year. It went down in the history books. The gardener's in our area are really having to work hard this season.
First off, I have to tell you that I am VERY envious that you are able to ink up a stamp with any type of marker! I've tried multiple times, but I'm just not able to produce anything that I like this way...
If you use markers most of the time, it totally makes sense to make your own cubes rather than investing in a whole line of ink pads. You could even make them on an as-needed basis, so you only ended up with the colors that you will actually use. The down side of that idea is that you will probably have to order online and wait for the inks to show up before moving on. Maybe order some favorite colors and go from there...?
Hot Trendy Ink Pads
My DH told me my ink pads are old tech and I need to update to new tech. 
