Printing Plate Comparisons

     This comparison is purely my findings, it is not a definitive guide, my skill level is very much 'still learning' so please try these for yourselves. It was inspired by watching some very talented people using a Gel Plate, I wondered if I could use what I already had to get a similar effect.

     I have used four different printing plates, there are many other brands available. Three of these will fit in my stamp platform, making them very easy to use and build multiple layers, without re-aligning, if desired. Thickness ranges from 2.5mm to 3.25mm. The Gel Press is too thick for my press at 8.5mm, so this was used on a craft mat, laying the card on top to get an image making multiple layers more difficult, but not impossible.

     All these samples have been stamped on to the same type of card - Limetree 250sgm Silky Smooth. I've also used similar colours to make comparison easier.

    

     Plate - John Next Door Media Plate

     Ink - Izink Dye inks     Mer Du Sud / Nuit / Encre

     Brusho mixed to paint - Ultra Marine / Purple

     Method: ink plate, brayer, daub edges with ink, flick water on plate, flick Brusho paint on plate and stamp.

     Plate - Inkylicious Mini Splatter Circle

     Ink - Izink Dye inks     Mer Du Sud / Nuit / Encre

     Brusho mixed to paint - Ultra Marine / Purple

     Method: ink plate, brayer, flick water on plate, flick Brusho paint on plate and stamp.

     Plate - Crafty Roo Poly Plate

     Ink - Izink Dye inks     Mer Du Sud / Nuit / Encre

     Brusho mixed to paint - Ultra Marine / Purple

     Method: ink plate, brayer, flick water on plate, flick Brusho paint on plate and stamp.

     Plate - Gel Press

      Ink - Izink Dye inks     Mer Du Sud / Nuit / Encre

     Brusho mixed to paint - Ultra Marine / Purple

     Method: ink plate, brayer, flick water on plate, flick Brusho paint on plate, spritz with water and stamp.

     Plate - John Next Door Media Plate

     Ink - Izink Pigment inks     Sky Blue / Aqua / Light Blue / Violet

     Brusho mixed to paint - Ultra Marine / Purple

     Method: ink plate, brayer, daub edges with ink, flick water on plate, flick Brusho paint on plate and stamp.

     Plate - Inkylicious Mini Splatter Circle

     Ink - Izink Pigment inks     Sky Blue / Aqua / Light Blue / Violet

     Brusho mixed to paint - Ultra Marine / Purple

     Method: ink plate, brayer, flick water on plate, flick Brusho paint on plate and stamp.

     Plate - Crafty Roo Poly Plate

     Ink - Izink Pigment inks     Sky Blue / Aqua / Light Blue / Violet

     Brusho mixed to paint - Ultra Marine / Purple

     Method: ink plate, brayer, flick water on plate, flick Brusho paint on plate and stamp.

      Plate - Gel Press

      Ink - Izink Pigment inks     Sky Blue / Aqua / Light Blue / Violet

     Brusho mixed to paint - Ultra Marine / Purple

     Method: ink plate, brayer, flick water on plate, flick Brusho paint on plate and stamp.

     Plate - John Next Door Media Plate

     Ink - Distress Oxide  Tumbled Glass / Broken China / Faded Jeans / Wilted Violet

     Brusho mixed to paint - Ultra Marine / Purple

     Method: ink plate, brayer, flick water on plate, flick Brusho paint on plate and stamp.

     Plate - Inkylicious Mini Splatter Circle

     Ink - Distress Oxide  Tumbled Glass / Broken China / Faded Jeans / Wilted Violet

     Brusho mixed to paint - Ultra Marine / Purple

     Method: ink plate, brayer, spritz with water and tip to mix inks, stamp, flick water on plate, flick Brusho paint on plate and stamp again.

     Plate - Crafty Roo Poly Plate

     Ink - Distress Oxide  Tumbled Glass / Broken China / Faded Jeans / Wilted Violet

     Brusho mixed to paint - Ultra Marine / Purple

     Method: ink plate, brayer, flick water on plate, flick Brusho paint on plate and stamp.

     Plate - Gel Press

      Ink - Distress Oxide  Tumbled Glass / Broken China / Faded Jeans / Wilted Violet

     Brusho mixed to paint - Ultra Marine / Purple

     Method: ink plate, brayer, flick water on plate, flick Brusho paint on plate, spritz with water and stamp.

Conclusions and discoveries

Conclusions - I need LOTS more practice, especially with the Gel Press.

                      If I get this messy with just inks maybe paint would be a bad idea! But I did enjoy it.

Discoveries - Each plate reacts differently with the inks because they are made with a slightly different material. Some with 'bead' on the surface, others don't.

                      Cover your card when flicking Brusho on the plate to keep it clean - unless of course you want the splattered look. It's also a good idea to cover your work area, use copy paper for future backgrounds.

                      Do not clean your plates once used - just wipe with a damp cloth to save colour contamination - they need to be 'dirty' to work well. If your plate stops sticking to your platform just give it a gentle wash to restore the tack.

                      Brusho may stain your plates. Some inks may stain them too but they will still work.

                       Clean your brayer off on spare card for future use - the odd marks you may get are from the edges of the plates or bumps under your card but they add character so don't worry.

      Printing plates can also be used with paint, alcohol inks and probably much more. There is a wealth of talent out there in blogland, You Tube and on Facebook so go and take a look. Don't be afraid to play, just remember no sharp objects - they can damage your plate and be careful with heat and sunlight for the same reason.

      To say it's only card is all very well but card costs money, as do inks. Playing is a great way to find out what you can achieve, so I would suggest working on smaller, say A6 or ATC size, pieces of card. Some of these experiments will turn out to be amazing, great for smaller greeting cards and some will be for recycle but with lessons learnt. For this experiment I have used A6 for the plates and some 6x3 strips of card I have had lurking around for a while for the brayer run off.