this month i’m reviewing ink pads. i usually use black ink to stamp images to watercolour but regardless of ink colour, an ink pad must be useable.
the first ink pad i bought ten years ago remains my favourite: Tsukinenko’s Versafine onyx black.
i like the thumb indent and the hinged lid easily flips to the bottom so it’s one unit; the depth of the lid and bottom are equal, which makes it easier to hold a larger surface that measures just under 3/4″.
the overhanging lid of Tsukinenko’s memento luxe ink pad is easy to remove and the curved design, allowing for finger placement, helps somewhat ease the pressure and grip strength needed to hold the 1/8″ surface.
Tsukinenko’s smaller dew drop ink pads require more pinching and grasping, which becomes painful with frequent use so i don’t use these very often.
the thumb/finger indents on Ranger’s archival ink pads make it easy to open and remove the lid.
but the straight edged design of the bottom requires more grip strength to hold its 1/8″ edge surface.
the lids and bottom surfaces of the smaller cubes that i have are equal; most have a 3/8″ bottom surface to hold so there is less pinching and grasping required than the 1/8″surface of some of the larger pads.
the recessed lids of Ranger’s distress ink pads are very difficult to grasp and remove; i can’t open most of them so i rarely use them now.
in 2010, i let tim holtz know that due to severe rheumatoid arthritis the distress ink pads are difficult to open and any plans to change the design to make them more accessible to people with disabilities would be greatly appreciated.
tim holtz responded: “sorry linda, the design of the pad has been the same for the past 5 years. the 2 part ink pad we’ve found is the easiest to open in fact. hinged lids are the most difficult to handle. the lid has to be somewhat snug in order to keep the ink pad airtight or it would dry up too quickly. perhaps you should open your pads, and store them in air tight zip bags to make it easier to access. hope this tip helps!”
no, zip bags would not help since they are always difficult for me to open.
as i mentioned, the hinged versafine ink pad is my favourite so i’ll just purchase those paper crafting products that are useable by me.
thanks for popping by.
snailzpace.com 
Good, informative review!
Good information, it can make such a difference when buying items when someone has mentioned the issues or merits of a product. Often supppliers forget people with disabilities. For me and my being hearing impaired I find it really hard when I go to watch a video on how to for crafting and there are no captions or they havent been edited and they are so inaccurate you cant rely on them.
Thank you for the review. I agree with you that the Distress ink pads are somehow awkward to manage. Most of the time I will get ink on my fingers which I don’t like and I always check twice when I put the lid back on to make sure that it is sitting properly. From experience : (. Sometimes I use dish gloves to hold things so I don’t drop them, may be I should do the same with these ink pads. LOL
i have found the same as you have Linda. I do struggle with Distress Ink getting them open, and I know that will only get worse as time goes by. I’m shocked by the answer you were given by Tim Holtz, obviously he doesn’t understand how hard zip lock bags are to open for us!!! I really struggle with them. Yes, this industry needs to keep in mind those of us who have disabilities with their hands. Don’t look for major changes any time soon though. But it sure would be nice! Hugs, Brenda
Dear Linda, I came across your site just browsing along. I feel for you with severe RA but glad you still create such gorgeous cards! I have a lot of physical challenges as well. Have to have another surgery on one arm soon and it just is quite hard. I was thinking about how much I love tape to help me with ink pads. For those little mini ink pads, I tape one side so that the top can “flip” open without the lid getting lost or falling. The other side I use Washi tape and form a type of “handle” by folding the sticky sides together after taping the ends to the top lid. I wish I could show you but I don’t do videos. I could take a picture for you though. You might need a friend or relative to tape it for you. But once you create the tape “hinge” on one side of the lid, and the little tape handle on the opposite side of the lid, the mini inks are do-able. More power to you! I’m on Blogger and SCS. Very best wishes and more power to you! Aloha :)