Making photograph stamps using stampmaker

Photograph stamps can look very effective and are great for decorating scrapbooks or cards. However, you do need to adjust the exposure times to make them work properly.
Changing the artwork:
Before printing your negative you can use a filter (a computer software tool that makes the picture look grainy or like a newspaper photo), you can so this in Corel or Photoshop or by clicking the ‘Photograph’ button in the imagepac program. It will give you a more certain result but will change the photo from smooth lines to small dots. If you just use greyscale and print the negative out in greyscale then the image will be more detailed but the result will be more variable as it will be the amount of light you let through the negative that will decide how your photo stamp will end up looking. It is best to experiment to find what is possible and what suits your application.
Making the negative:
Print you negative as normal. Check that the dark areas do stop light and that it isn’t let light through everywhere. Ensure the area around the negative in the clamp is fully blacked-off to stop light coming around the sides of it.
Exposing:
Place in the Stampmaker, negative down-imagepac up for longer than normal, 5 -7 seconds (take care not to leave it in 10 seconds as this will solidify the whole pack).
Remove and flip it over and reinsert with negative upwards for 25 secs.
Remove, cut open wash out (they will be very little to no liquid at all), harden under water and ink up.
You can experiment with the filter and the second exposure time. The longer you leave it in for the second exposure the less difference there will be between the dark and the light areas on your negative.