I was out, getting weekly exercise by hiking through the local art and craft stores, when I came across the new Archival Distress Inks from the Tim Holtz collection!
I knew they were coming out from watching the Ranger Ink website. I didn’t know if they would be in the stores any time soon, but I have been watching for them. The are the same formula used in all Ranger Archival inks.
At Hobby Lobby, they had all the stamps, inks and Tim Holtz products on sale for 40% off. They were busy doing a reset in the die cut area, but as I was wandering down the aisle, I saw that all the designer stuff was gone. Then I turned the corner, and found them.
The area appears to be about the same size, but it’s more consolidated, and there are new Oxide Inks along with the Archival Inks. With the sale, these sets, which are normally $12, were $7.20. I bought all three sets, and it’s a good thing I did, because they are now sold out. I also used my 40% off coupon to get a storage box for them.
I love the storage boxes. This way, the ink pads stay closed during transport, yet are easy to grab from the box. The clear cover allows me to see which stamp pads are in a particular container. And the tins keep everything neat in my drawer.
I made a color chart on an index card which I keep in the box with the inks. I can refer to it when choosing just the right color.
I was a little concerned that the colors of these would correspond to colors already available in the regular, Archival line. It turns out that, while some are close, they are not exactly the same. In the example below, you can see the Tim Holtz colors and the colors that are the closest from the other line.
Even the two blacks are a little different. The Tim Holtz is a true black, and the Archival has a slight blue cast.
I really hope that Ranger extends this Tim Holtz like to cover all of the Distress colors in the future.
I’m so happy I found these. I have two favorite stamping inks. This is the first one. The Ranger Archival Ink is a waterproof, acid-free dye ink. It’s fade resistant and permanent on many surfaces. I particularly appreciate that I can combine it with water-based products including markers, watercolors and acrylic paint and it doesn’t bleed!
If needed, you can get reinkers for these, so you can use them with confidence, knowing you will be able to finish even long-term projects.
I use them extensively in my art journaling projects and I’m betting you will like using them in yours, too!
Note: I received no endorsement or compensation for this independent review of this product.
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