Tim Holtz Stamp Platform by Tonic Craft Product Review

What is the Tim Holtz Stamp Platform?

The Tim Holtz Stamp Platform is made of very sturdy plastic and metal. The base is very flat with rulers along two sides – these are in both inches and centimetres. The other two sides are flat so you can easily put large pieces of paper inside.The lid has a grid on it – this is moulded on and will not be rubbed off. It comes with two very strong flat magnets. Replacement/extra magnets are available.

The overall feeling is that this is a very strong product that will last through many years of use.

Using The Tim Holtz Stamp Platform

Using the platform is very easy. You just remove the lid and turn it so that the right side is upright – one for clear stamps, one for rubber ones. The options are very clearly marked and turning the lid around is quick and easy. Magnetic hinges make sure it goes back in quickly and accurately.

You then place your paper or card on the base and lay your stamps on top, wherever you want them to be. Close the lid and the stamps transfer to the lid.

Then ink up and close the lid again – simple as that.

And you have your stamped images. If any didn’t stamp quite perfectly you can reink that area and close the lid again – very easy to get perfect stamped images every time.

Uses For the Tim Holtz Stamp Platform

The Tim Holtz stamp platform can help with multiple everyday stamping situations/issues.

1 – When stamping very large stamps it is easy to have part of the image not stamp properly. Even with a clear stamp, it is very difficult to stamp over the top to correct the error. The THSP allows you to restamp in exactly the same location, again and again, until the image is perfect. You can also do this to get a darker impression.

I made use of this feature when stamping the large Julie Nutting doll stamp in my Ring in the New Mixed Media Tutorial.

2 – The THSP is ideal for use with the new layered stamps from companies such as AlteNew. These require each layer to be lined up neatly with the layer below – something that can be quite tricky when stamping with traditional acrylic blocks. With the Tim Holtz Stamp Platform you can line the layer stamp up precisely on the layer below ready to print.

3 – The THSP really comes into its own when stamping multiple projects. If for example, you wanted to make a set of thank you cards, all the same, you can easily position each stamp and then stamp it on all the cards in succession, knowing they will all be in exactly the same location. Very convenient.

4 – The very large surface of the THSP means you can lay out a large group of stamps and stamp them together. This is handy for designing backgrounds and scenes as you can position the stamps and move them around without having to stamp anything first.

5 – If you shake or have poor hand control then the THSP makes it much easier to get the perfect stamp every time. You can take your time positioning your stamps just where you want them then pick them up and stamp them without fear of misalignment or double-stamping. This is also a handy feature for stamping onto acetate and other slippery surfaces.

6 – You can create corners and borders with the THSP. Cut a square (or rectangle) of card and place it in the corner of the THSP. Stamp and rotate the card to add all corners or border edges. You could create all sorts of kaleidoscopic effects this way too.

7 – Many people are using the Tim Holtz stamp platform as a general purpose work surface too. The base is very flat and the included magnets are handy for holding work in place when colouring and doing other crafts.

Handy Hint – stick washi tape tags to your magnets to make them much easier to handle

If you would like to know more about the different types of stamps available, check out my Tin Teddy blog article – The Different Types of Stamps.

Summary

I am very pleased I invested in this product. I had seen a LOT of videos and reviews of the various stamping platforms currently available and felt that this particular one offered the best value for money. Now I own it, I feel I was right. It is very sturdy, easy to use and does its job very well. It was also a very reasonable price compared to some of the other devices out there.

This is a link to the Stamping Platform on CraftStash and Amazon. If you purchase after clicking any of these links, I will receive a small payment for sending a customer their way, at no extra cost to you. Thank you.