Perhaps you happened upon our website and noticed that we offer both clear and cling (rubber) stamps. I know that most people who have stamped a few times have developed a preference for one or the other. Although both give clean impressions, there are some different advantages of each. When choosing whether a stamp set is clear or cling, Carrie and the designers think about these advantages.
Why Clear?
When a stamp set is clear one of the main reasons is for ease of use and placement. Because the stamp is clear, you can easily see exactly where you are stamping. This is especially helpful when you are using stamps that are designed to work with each other. For instance Playing with Your Coffee (image below) the marshmallows are designed to be added to either the coffee cup or mug. Since you can see through the marshmallows you can align them exactly where you want them in your cup or mug. There is no second guessing or need for an additional tool to stamp the marshmallows where you want them.
Another unique property of the clear stamps are their flexibility. If you will notice on the Banner stamp set (image below), the sentiments are slightly curved, but should you wish a sentiment to be straight across, you can curve the actual clear stamp to that position. Likewise if a sentiment is straight you can curve it. Another advantage of clear stamps is personalization, for instance in the image below if you really want the happy and birthday separate with a careful clipping you can have two separate stamps rather than one.
Why Cling?
Longtime stamp enthusiasts are often also lovers of red rubber for their durability, clarity of stamped images and detail. Rubber works well with a multitude of coloring mediums like inks, markers, paint and even bleach to name a few. This makes them ideal for mixed medium projects. Additionally the rubber gives us the ability to make some images larger. For instance the San Antonio Missions stamp sets come in both clear and cling, but they are not the same size. The cling missions are larger.
Which do you prefer: clear or cling? We would love to hear what you think.
Take flight,
Shay.
I like both, and there is room for both in my stamp collection. I love clear because, as you say, they are so easily alterable. The cling of course will last much longer because they are more durable. Thanks for offering us the choice!
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