FAQ

General Questions

- What is Altenew’s angel policy?

Crafters are welcome to make and sell up to 100 cards per design per calendar year.

- How long does it take for my order to ship?

Our usual turnaround time is 5-7 business days. However, we do our best to send out orders as soon as we can. For more shipping information, please click here.

- Where can you ship orders?

We can ship everywhere internationally and all 50 states of the USA.

- What is your return policy?

You can find details on our return policy here.

- How long does it take for products to be restocked?

Items usually take 2-3 weeks to be back in stock. We work hard to get them as soon as we can so we can serve our customers right away.

- Will you have more coordinating dies for your stamp sets?

Yes! We hope to release as many coordinating dies as we can for our current stamp sets.

- Will there be refills for the ink pads?

Yes! Please click here to see all the refills for our ink pads.

- How do I become a wholesale customer?

You can find out more information on becoming our wholesale partner by contacting us here.

Crafting Questions

- How do we line up images for the layering stamp sets?

The best way is to follow our layering guidelines. You can get available layering guides here. We are currently working on uploading layering guides for all of our layering stamps. A stamp positioning tool (such as the MISTI) can be helpful when following our layering guides to ensure perfect placement.

- I am not getting good stamping impressions. What could be the reason?

There could be multiple reasons for not getting clear and crisp impressions:
1. Stamps were not "seasoned" first. Sometimes new stamps don't take ink well, in this case, you can first season the stamps. (see below for stamping seasoning)
2. Types of paper used. All paper absorb ink differently. Ours work best with Neenah Solar white card stock and few other types of paper.
3. For a large solid image, it is possible that the stamp wasn't inked properly, or wasn't stamped immediately. With large solid stamps, you want to press the ink pad on the stamp and make sure to tap it many times to get full coverage. Also, you need to stamp it immediately after inking; any time lapse could cause the ink to bead up.
4. It could also be that the inks pads don't have enough ink. Check to see if your ink pads are drying and need to be replaced or re-inked.

How to season stamps:
1. Ink it up using a light colored ink - like yellow, light green, or light blue. Stamp it on scratch paper a few times until you get a clear, csrip, even stamp result.
2. You can use an eraser and rub it on the stamp’s surface. This will remove any shine from the new stamp and give you prepared surface to stamp with.
3. Some crafters also choose to a sanding block. You can lightly sand the stamp surface to remove any shine from your stamps. We recommend doing this very gently to avoid damaging your stamps.

- How do I clean a stamp after each use?

Some people like to use a clean water and a simple dish soap. After cleaning them with a mild soap, you can dry them on a paper towel to get the stickiness back. You can also use a stamp cleaner along with a scrubber. There are many choices in the market that you can shop for, so you may try a few of them to see what you like the best.

- How can I remove a stain on a stamp?

Please note that high quality clear stamp sets are prone to stains when being used, as are most stamps that are manufactured in the USA. This will NOT affect your stamp result.

- Do you have color charts or swatches for all of your inks?

We are currently working on full color charts for our ink collections!

- Are your inks dye based or pigment based?

Currently all of our inks are high quality water based dye inks.

- How do I know which colors to use to layer images from your stamps?

To simplify this process, we have designed our ink pad collections to coordinate with our layering stamps. Using inks from within the same collection will guarantee images with depth and dimension. However, color choices will vary from crafter to crafter as a reflection of their unique creative personalities. We highly recommend playing with various colors to see what combinations you like best. You can also mix and match inks from different color families for fun and unexpected results!

- Does the quality of cardstock affect stamping?

Yes! Cardstock quality can drastically affect your stamping results. We recommend using Neenah cardstocks as they are bright, clean white and they offer various weights. Cardstock that varies anywhere from 80lb to 120lb are good to use for stamping.