By Cardmaking & Scrapbook Layout Contributor, Peg from the blog Peg’s Crafting Corner.
Q. I’m looking at buying my first paper trimmer, but am confused on the differences between them. Can you please explain the differences?
A. There are 3 basic trimmers: the Rotary trimmer, Fixed Blade trimmer and Guillotine trimmer.
The rotary trimmer has a blade that turns as you move it down your paper to make the cut. With this trimmer, you can also remove the cutting blade and put in a decorative blade that makes a different cut such as a wavy or scalloped one. A rotary trimmer can cut through multiple sheets of paper of lighter weight paper. Many of these have swing out arms that allow you to cut a 12 x 12″ sheet of paper.
A fixed blade trimmer has a blade which moves on a track from the top to the bottom to cut the paper. Some of them come with a wire guide so you can make sure your cut is lined up. These are good for smaller projects like making cards. They are also more portable.
A Guillotine trimmer has a handle that you raise and lower to cut the paper. These allow you to cut multiple sheets of paper at one time and are good to cut heavier weights of paper.
Q. What are the most common card and envelope sizes to use?
A. Cards can be any size you’d like them to be, but you need to keep in mind when making them that the larger and heavier the card the more postage it will need. The 2 most common sizes seen are 4 1/4″ x 5 1/2″ which is referred to as an A2 sized card, and 5 1/8″ x 7″ or an A7 card size. A7 envelopes are 5 1/4″ x 7 1/4″ and A2 envelopes are 4 3/8″ x 5 3/4″. Premade card bases and envelopes are the easiest way to create cards, but can, also, be made by cutting cardstock into the size you need.
3. What are the differences in inks for stamping?
There are 4 ink types: pigment, chalk, archival and dye.
Pigment inks, such as Ranger’s Distress Inks, allow you to stamp on different mediums such as paper and clay. They’re a slower drying ink making it easier to use for embossing. These inks are fade-resistant, acid free and archival safe. Pigment ink looks like what you see when you look at the stamp pad and will look the same on paper. These inks won’t dissolve in water.
Chalk inks, such as Colorbox Fluid Chalk Inks, give a softer look to what you are stamping and are fast drying. They can be used on many mediums and can be heat set to make more permanent.
Archival ink won’t smear when used to stamp an image; then colored in with a marker or water based dye ink. It is more permanent and fade resistant and works on all types of paper, as well as, glass, fabric, plastic, metal, clay and more.
Dye ink is water based and will dissolve which makes them good for coloring in areas because they blend well. These inks dry faster and work on all types of paper. They are a more concentrated ink so the color will be bolder when dried. It is a more general purpose ink which makes it good for basic stamping.
Q. There are so many adhesives, which one should I use?
A. There are a lot of adhesive types on the market and which one you use will depend on your project. The two you will use most will be a dry adhesive such as a tape runner to adhere your papers and embellishments and a wet adhesive (an all purpose glue is recommended) to adhere things like ribbons and flowers. Tape runners come in refillable or can be thrown out when empty. You can also purchase repositionable ones that allow you to take your item off and move it around on your projects.
Q. What is wet and dry embossing?
A. Wet embossing is where an image is stamped with ink and embossing powder is poured on the image and is melted to the paper using a heat tool. The heat tool is the most important thing to your creation along with the correct ink.
Dry embossing is done using tools such as a stylus that is rubbed over the paper and texture plate. An embossing machine and embossing folders is another good example of dry embossing.
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