Back to Digi-stamping

Until recently I wasn't sure what "Digi stamping"  was.
People seem to either like or loathe it.
I've decided to write this in the hope of it helping others who are unsure about Digi Stamps

I spent time looking around on various sites  to see what I could find out about them  and  looking for images Many are available for purchase but you can find free ones too
I just couldn't seem to get past the "colouring book"  thoughts   then I had the problem of the actual colouring of them  I do enjoy "colouring in" it's very relaxing, but when photographing for projects it looks like they have been done by a child.
The main questions I had were  What are digi stamps?  How are they used? What can you colour them with?
After reading a few things about them I found my answers

What are Digi stamps?
They are black and white digital images that are downloaded onto a computer
They can be manipulated before printing out
The images can be resized, flipped (mirror image)
A digital stamp is just the image there is no actual stamp

How do you use them?
Once you have printed them, digital stamps are used in pretty much the same way as traditional stamps.
They can be colored with various mediums and embellished in whichever way you choose to.
The finished images can be cut out and used in/on  your crafts - handmade cards, gift tags, scrapbooks and other papercraft projects.

What can you colour them with?
When digi stamps have been printed from your computer they can be coloured in the same way as traditional stamped images.
They are printed using normal printer ink not specialist stamping inks. so there may be issues with the ink running if a "wet" colouring method is used.
Various types of pens, pencils and paints are all suitable for colouring


As with a lot of other things there are good points and bad points to using Digi stamps
Good points
A lot of them are free
Digi stamps are instantly available for download and there is no P&P charges for delivery
There is no waiting for stamps to be delivered.
Less storage and the ability to resize or flip the image.rotate and angle them.
You can use almost any coloring medium on them
The designs are either free or available at a low cost


Bad Points
There can be trouble with your ink running when you color your image,
The use of digi stamps is limited to items that can be created by using printed paper or card which will fit through your printer
Some techniques are difficult or impossible to use /do  with digi stamps
A computer and printer are necessary, and a basic knowledge of using digital images.

I'm sure there must be more good and bad points to using them

There is now a section on Free Craft Downloads for Digi Stamps  There are only a few at the moment but more will be added
I personally like some of the Celtic images so will be having a go with a couple of them

There is also a new Digi Stamp section on Free Craft Stuff which has sites listed on there where you can get free digi stamps 

I hope this has been a help and of some use to people 
Do you like Digi stamping?
Do you know of more advantages / disadvantages to using them?


Please feel free to leave comments