Creating A Ink Swatch Book

Create A Swatch Book For Your Ink Pads

Creating a swatch book for your stamps is a project that should be on your priority list. Why? Because you will have a reference when you are designing your projects. It will help you see the actual color. It also will help you see how two colors might look together. It is also a way to get organized so that you know what you have and what you need.

It creates a visual inventory of what you have. Not only does it tell you what you have, but defines the colors or types of inks that you may want to add to your collection.

Swatches are simply a sample of the ink. Many of the manufacturers actually make templates for their brands of ink. You just print the templates and fill them in with a sample of the inks you have. These templates are generally the size of a standard three ring binder.

You can create your swatch book by brand, color palette, or ink type. It is up to you !

You can use a standard three hole ring binder or a more portable journal type. The journal type of swatch book could be a watercolor journal. You can actually get a swatch stamp that will help you create a personal journal with your swatches.

The benefit of the journal swatch book  is that you can take it to crops or use it when you are shopping for inks.

You can also create swatch cards which are simply tags made out of card stock with the ink samples. These are on a large metal ring. They have the ink sample with the name of the ink. 

How To Make Ink Swatches With Printable Templates

Supplies

 

White cardstock

Ink Daubers or ink swatch stamps or any small stamps

Ink pads to inventory

Ink templates from the manufacturer

Using an ink swatch template makes the process very simple. You simply print the template, which has the name of the ink and a place to stamp the color in. Print it on white card stock or on any other paper that you commonly use. Printing on multiple types of papers mean that you can see how the ink will work on each one. The templates make it easy to see what you have and what colors you would like to add to your collection.

You simply fill in the inks that you have, slip it in a page protector and you are done.Store your pages in a three ring notebook.

Here are some of the most popular product templates:

Lawn Fawn Templates

Ranger Ink Swatch Templates

Scrapbook.com Ink Templates

Making An Ink Swatch Book

Supplies

Small notebook like a journal

White card stock

Ink daubers, ink swatch stamp or any small stamp

Ink pads to inventory

This is a more portable version of the ink swatch notebook. The advantage of using this type of swatch book is that it is more portable than the larger notebook. Another advantage of this type of ink swatch book is that you can design it any way you wish. You can create your own swatches and glue them into your journal in any order that pleases you.

Ink Swatch Tags Or Cards

Supplies

Premade tags or cards

Book rings or key rings

Pocket page protectors

White card stock

Ink Daubers,ink swatch stamp or any small stamp

Ink pads to inventory

This is probably the most well known system of them all. In this system each color has it's own individual card or tag. There are several variations, You can adopt whichever one works best for you.

The first variation uses one tag per color. You can use pre-made tags or make the tags yourself. Each tag should have a hole on the top. Stamp the image on the tag. Allow to dry. Either use a label maker to create the name of the ink, or carefully write the name on the tag. Attach the tags on a large book ring or key ring. Depending on the number of ink pads that you have, you may want to create one ring for each manufacturer. The advantage of this system is that you can always add any new colors, or take away any discontinued colors. These swatch cards are very portable. You could easily put them in your purse. Handy when you are shopping.

In another variation, you create 2" by 2" cards for your colors. This could be done easily on an electronic cutting machine. Once they are stamped, they can be placed in sheet protectors or coin protectors and then placed in a loose leaf binder. Easy to use. You can also add or delete colors as needed.

You can also make your swatches trading card size or use premade trading cards. Trading card size would be 3 inch by 4 inch size. Once they are stamped, labeled and dry, place them into trading card size page protectors. Store them in a binder.

More Ideas For Organizing Your Ink Swatches

Here are just a few more tips for making your ink swatches:

• Use die cuts to make swatches. You can make the them easily with a 2" by 2" square die cut. Or you can make the sized tag that you need.
• Don't forget to make swatches for your layering stamps. When you have the right combination, you will save a great deal of time.
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