The best ink pads for rubber stamping — a guide from Noolibird
The best ink pads for rubber stamping — a guide from Noolibird
One of the questions I get asked most is: which ink pad should I use? It's a good question, and the honest answer is that it depends on what you're making. The right ink pad for a detailed Christmas card is different from the right one for stamping on fabric or building a soft, watercolour-style background.
I've put this guide together after years of stamping — and a lot of trial and error — so you can find the right ink pad for your project without the guesswork. Every pad on this page is one I use myself and stock because I believe in it.
Jump to the section you need:
- VersaFine Clair — fine detail, watercolour-friendly
- VersaColor — a full colour range for blending
- VersaCraft — for fabric, wood and more
- VersaMagic — chalky, earthy, atmospheric
- Metallic ink pads — Golden Glitz, Celestial Copper and more
Quick reference — which ink pad for which surface?
Not sure where to start? This table gives you the short answer. The sections below have the full detail for each ink type.
| Ink pad | Paper & card | Dark card | Fabric | Wood | Watercolour over top | Embossing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VersaFine Clair | ✓ | – | – | – | ✓ | ✓ |
| VersaColor | ✓ | Light shades only | – | – | – | – |
| VersaCraft | ✓ | – | ✓ (heat set required) | ✓ | – | – |
| VersaMagic | ✓ | – | – | ✓ | – | – |
| Metallics | ✓ | ✓ | – | – | – | – |
Pick up VersaFine Clair in a colour you love for clean, detailed prints on card — it's the most forgiving ink pad for beginners. Add the VersaColor 5-colour set when you're ready to start blending and experimenting with colour.
VersaFine Clair — fine detail and watercolour compatibility
VersaFine Clair is the ink pad I reach for most often when I want clean, crisp lines with the finest detail. It's a pigment ink, which means the colour is deep and consistent, and it dries to a beautiful finish that holds up beautifully when you paint over it with watercolours.
That last point matters a great deal for rubber stamping. Many inks bleed or lift when you apply a watercolour wash over the top. VersaFine Clair doesn't. The manufacturer describes it as "perfect for using watercolours to colour stamped images" — and in my experience that's exactly right. Stamp first, paint over the top, and the lines stay sharp and clean.
It's also embossable, which makes it ideal if you want to add a raised, shimmery finish using embossing powder (available from craft suppliers).
The lid design is worth mentioning too — it lifts off cleanly, giving you better access and control when inking a stamp, and the container is airtight so the ink stays fresh.
Best for: detailed stamps where you want crisp lines, watercolour wash projects, embossing, card making, paper craft, journalling.
Shop VersaFine Clair ink pads — 9 colour options | Shop VersaFine Clair — original range | VersaFine Clair Re-Inker
VersaColor — a full colour palette for blending and layering
If VersaFine Clair is for precision, VersaColor is for colour. These are the ink pads I use when I want to build a rich, layered scene — different tones across a single stamp, or one colour bleeding softly into the next.
I stock VersaColor in a range of colour families, and each set is chosen to work together. The blues and greys are wonderful for winter and coastal scenes. The browns and pinks feel warm and botanical — lovely for spring flowers and nature journals. The reds and purples are rich and striking, perfect for bold, graphic stamping. The greens and yellows bring a fresh, outdoor quality that works beautifully with botanical and meadow designs.
The 5-colour set is a good starting point if you're new to VersaColor — it gives you a range to experiment with before committing to individual colours. Reviewers consistently say they're impressed by the blending possibilities, and once you start, it's hard to stop.
Best for: colour blending, layered scenes, nature journalling, card making, any project where you want more than one colour in a single stamp.
Shop VersaColor 5-colour set | Shop VersaColor new colours | Blue, Grey and White | Browns and Pinks | Red and Purple | Greens and Yellows | Small VersaColor pads
VersaCraft — for fabric, wood and beyond paper
VersaCraft is the ink pad you need the moment you want to stamp on anything other than paper. It's designed to work on fabric, wood, leather, unglazed ceramic, papier maché, Japanese papers and shrink plastic — and it genuinely does work on all of them.
The key thing with VersaCraft on fabric is heat setting. You need to fix the ink after stamping so it becomes permanent and washable. Here's my exact method:
- Pre-wash your fabric before you stamp (this removes any sizing that can stop the ink from bonding properly).
- Stamp your image and let it dry fully.
- Place a cloth between your iron and the stamped fabric.
- Iron at the cotton or high setting for at least 15 seconds.
- Once heat set, the image can be washed and will remain. Lower temperature settings may give less permanent results.
For wood and terracotta, use a hair dryer to heat set rather than an iron. On paper, VersaCraft dries on its own — just allow a little extra drying time before handling.
I have photos of stamps used on fabric on the VersaCraft listing — it really does give beautiful, clean results.
Best for: fabric stamping (tote bags, tea towels, clothing), wood (boxes, frames, roundels), leather, unglazed pottery, papier maché, archival scrapbooking.
Shop VersaCraft Ink Pads | Shop Small VersaCraft Pads
VersaMagic — chalky, earthy and atmospheric
VersaMagic is the ink pad that surprises people. The colours have a beautiful chalky, earthy quality that's quite different from the clean, vibrant tones of VersaColor. They're softer, more muted — and that quality makes them perfect for certain projects where you want atmosphere rather than precision.
I particularly love VersaMagic for seashore-themed designs. The Seashore set has tones that feel genuinely coastal — sandy, sea-washed, faded in the best possible way. Pair it with one of the coastal stamps and the result has a real sense of place.
VersaMagic also behaves differently from other ink pads on different surfaces. On a wooden box painted with acrylic paint, for example, it gives a lovely, slightly translucent effect that looks hand-painted rather than stamped. It's worth experimenting on different materials — the results are often surprising.
One practical note: the packaging is a simple plastic case rather than a reusable organiser, so you may want to store the pads somewhere they'll stay flat and well-sealed.
Best for: seashore and coastal themes, backgrounds and washes, wooden surfaces, projects where you want a soft, vintage or chalky finish.
Shop VersaMagic Ink Pads — Jewel Box, Seashore and Southwest sets
Metallic ink pads — Golden Glitz, Celestial Copper and more
For Christmas cards and special occasion stamping, nothing quite does what metallic ink does. That moment when a gold or copper image appears on a dark card is one of the small pleasures of rubber stamping.
My two favourite metallic pads are Golden Glitz and Celestial Copper — they're the ones I use most for my own Christmas designs. Golden Glitz has a warm, rich gold that photographs beautifully and looks stunning on cream or dark card. Celestial Copper is warmer and earthier — it works particularly well with autumnal and celestial designs, as the name suggests.
I also stock the Gold, Silver, Cloud White and Bronze set, which gives you a broader palette of metallic finishes in one purchase. Reviewers consistently note that the ink transfers beautifully from pad to stamp — consistent coverage without having to over-ink.
Best for: Christmas cards, birthday cards, special occasion stamping, dark or black card, gift tags, adding a premium finish to any handmade card.
Shop Golden Glitz and Celestial Copper | Shop Gold, Silver, Cloud White and Bronze
Still not sure which ink pad to choose? Get in touch — I'm always happy to help you find the right one for your project.
— Nula
