Four Ways to Use Digital Stamps:
1. To incorporate into a mixed media project:: start by printing out your black and white images. If you’re using an inkjet printer, heat set them first with your heat tool. Then brush on clear acrylic medium and let dry. Tint images with Portfolio Water Soluble Oil Pastels, cut out and glue onto a textured, painted background.
2. To make this digital card: open your hat image in Photoshop or Photoshop Elements. With the Brush Tool, apply each color on a separate layer in Multiply Blending Mode. Then merge layers, edit with the Ellipse Tool and choose a complimentary background. (The Learn Digital Scrapbooking DVD packaged with Photoshop Elements 8 has some great designs.)
3. To turn a vintage stamp into a piece of art: print your image on a sheet of scrapbook paper and color with Copic Markers. If you’re using an inkjet printer, heat-set the image with your heat gun before coloring. You can also print images on transparency film and then layer over a decorative sheet of paper. Great for altered books.
4. To create this card: print your hat image on a sheet of scrapbook paper with a muted design. Then use colored pencils for a soft, vintage look.
Printing Tips
- It’s easy to resize digital stamps in Microsoft Word before printing them. For complete instructions, see below.
- For best results, use the paper and ink specially formulated for your printer.
- Remember: if you’re using an inkjet, you will need to heat-set your images with your heat gun before applying any kind of wet media like markers, watercolors or acrylics.
- You can also take your images to a copy shop and have them printed. Printing images on color copy paper will give you a richer looking black.
How to use Microsoft Word to resize your stamps
Open a new document in Microsoft Word.
On the toolbar at the top of your page, choose: Insert>Picture>From File.
Click on From File.
When you click on From File, the Insert Picture window pops up.
Using the Look in menu at the top of the window, navigate to the digital stamp file you want.
The file will show you all the stamps (along with their thumbnails).
When you have the image you want to print, click the Insert button and Microsoft Word
will automatically place it in your document. (See below)
If you want to resize your stamp, click inside the image area. A box will appear.
Drag the corner to make your stamp larger or smaller. Don’t forget to save the image
if you want to use it at the same size again.