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Stationery Times

How to Stamp on Glass, Plastic and Metal with StazOn Ink

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Compiled from 7 sources; we haven't tested these products ourselves yet. How we research

Quick answer

Wipe oil off the surface, ink the stamp on a StazOn pad, press it straight down without sliding and let it dry for 3 seconds to 5 minutes. Tsukineko says a print on a non-absorbent surface can come off if scratched, and StazOn Cleaner wipes a failed print off glass or plastic.

On this page8 sections
A StazOn full-size pad, a StazOn Pigment pad, a block stamp, a cleaner bottle and a glass tile with a black leaf print in a row
The two pads compared in this guide with a stamp, the cleaner and a stamped glass tile, drawn by eye in proportion. Original illustration made for this guide. © Stationery Times.

Products compared

  1. Full-size StazOn Jet Black solvent ink pad with the lid lifted, beside a leaf stamped on a glossy swatchNo. 1StazOn Solvent Ink Pad, Jet Black$$Read the guide →
  2. A StazOn Pigment pad, 97 by 57 mm with a 76 by 35 mm face, beside a 72 mm inker bottle, drawn to scaleNo. 2Tsukineko StazOn Pigment Ink Pad$$Read the guide →
ProductBrand originMade inPrice range
StazOn Solvent Ink Pad, Jet Black (SZ-031; full size and Midi)StazOnJapanJapan*Price range: $$$5–20 per item
Tsukineko StazOn Pigment Ink Pad (SZ-PIG-001 to 091) and inker (RZ-PIG-001 to 091)TsukinekoJapanNot stated*Price range: $$$5–20 per item
Notes on these facts
  • StazOn Solvent Ink Pad, Jet Black (SZ-031; full size and Midi): Made by Tsukineko Co., Ltd. (Japan). Made in Japan: Officeworks (Australia) lists Japan as the country of manufacture for a StazOn pad in Pumpkin (No. 92); we found no listing stating it for Jet Black specifically. Tsukineko's product pages don't state a country of manufacture. Its Japanese company history lists factories in Yoshikawa, Saitama (1986 and 1998), and a US subsidiary, TSUKINEKO, INC. of Redmond, Washington, that began production in 1994, so check the packaging. Source. Price: example listing.
  • Tsukineko StazOn Pigment Ink Pad (SZ-PIG-001 to 091) and inker (RZ-PIG-001 to 091): Made by Tsukineko Co., Ltd. (Tokyo). Country of manufacture not stated: Tsukineko's product page lists sizes, part numbers and prices but no country of manufacture. Its company history lists a factory in Yoshikawa, Saitama (built 1986) and a US subsidiary in Redmond, Washington that began production in 1994, so check the label on your copy. Price: example listing. Released: Tsukineko's company history lists StazOn Pigment as announced in 2019.
  • How we test and disclose samples: How we test stationery.
  • Price bands are typical US retail, checked October 2026. Conversions to US dollars are approximate, at October 2026 rates (US$1 = ¥158 = ₩1,330 = NT$32.5 = CN¥6.7 = SEK 9.9 = DKK 6.7 = ₺49.6 = C$1.41 = A$1.43 = CZK 21.7; €1 = US$1.12; £1 = US$1.32; CHF 1 = US$1.21).

Key takeaways

  • Tsukineko lists plastic, metal, glass, ceramics, painted surfaces, shrink plastic, rubber and leather among the surfaces StazOn works on, and says to remove oil from the material before stamping.
  • Tsukineko gives a drying time of 3 seconds on absorbent surfaces up to 5 minutes on non-absorbent ones; it varies with the material, the climate and the ink color.
  • Tsukineko warns that on non-absorbent surfaces the print may come off if scratched, and to be careful on slippery materials.
  • A failed print on glass or plastic wipes off with StazOn Cleaner (SZCL-56, 56 ml; ¥980 (about US$6.20) before tax), then water; the cleaner does not work on paper or fabric.
  • A hardened pad can be revived with StazOn Solvent (SZS-10, 10 ml; ¥380 (about US$2.40) before tax), a few drops at a time; too much thins the ink.

How do you stamp on glass, plastic or metal with StazOn?

Prepare a clean surface, press the inked stamp straight down once, and leave the print alone while it dries. StazOn is Tsukineko’s solvent dye ink for surfaces that don’t absorb ink, and StazOn Pigment is its solvent pigment version.

You need a stamp, a StazOn pad, a clean cloth and, in case of mistakes, StazOn Cleaner. Our guide to cleaning rubber stamps and ink pads covers ordinary water-based pads.

  1. Wipe oil and dust off the surface first. Tsukineko says to remove oil and other substances from the material before use. Wipe glass, metal or plastic with a clean cloth and let it dry.

    A hand wiping a cloth across a glass tile with a red arrow showing the rubbing and small sparkles
    Clean and dry first. Original illustration made for this guide. © Stationery Times.

  2. Press the stamp’s rubber face onto the open pad. Tsukineko’s pages give no inking steps, so this is the ordinary routine: press the face onto the pad until it is evenly coated.

    A hand pressing a rubber stamp face down onto an open black ink pad
    Coat the whole face. Original illustration made for this guide. © Stationery Times.

  3. Press straight down, then lift straight up. Tsukineko cautions you to take care on slippery materials, so avoid rocking or sliding the stamp.

    A hand pressing a stamp straight down onto a glass pane seen edge-on, with a red arrow and a tick
    One press, no slide. Original illustration made for this guide. © Stationery Times.

  4. Leave the print to dry. Tsukineko gives a drying time of 3 seconds on absorbent surfaces up to 5 minutes on non-absorbent ones, and says it varies with the material, the climate and the ink color.

    A glass tile carrying a black leaf print with a clock beside it
    Non-absorbent surfaces take longest. Original illustration made for this guide. © Stationery Times.

  5. Handle the dry print gently. Tsukineko warns that on non-absorbent surfaces the print may come off if scratched, so keep it out of the way of fingernails and cloths.

    A fingertip about to scrape a black leaf print on a glass tile, with a red cross
    Do not scratch it. Original illustration made for this guide. © Stationery Times.

What do you do when a print goes wrong?

Wipe it off with StazOn Cleaner, then with water, and stamp again. Tsukineko’s cleaner page says it removes StazOn ink from non-absorbent surfaces such as glass and plastic, and cannot remove it from absorbent ones like paper or fabric.

  1. Dab some StazOn Cleaner on a cloth. Tsukineko’s cleaner (SZCL-56) is made for the StazOn line. Its page says it removes StazOn ink from glass, plastic and other non-absorbent surfaces, but not from paper or fabric.

    A cleaner bottle beside a folded cloth with drops falling on the cloth
    Wet the cloth, not the glass. Original illustration made for this guide. © Stationery Times.

  2. Wipe the wrong print off. Tsukineko says a failed print on a non-absorbent surface can be removed with the cleaner. If the ink is stubborn, it says to leave the cleaner a little while before wiping.

    A hand wiping a cloth over a smudged black print on a glass tile, with a red arrow
    Wipe, wait if stubborn, wipe again. Original illustration made for this guide. © Stationery Times.

  3. Wipe the spot with water afterwards. Tsukineko says to wipe over with water after using the cleaner, then stamp again on the dry surface.

    A hand holding a damp cloth over a clean glass tile with drops of water
    Water after the cleaner. Original illustration made for this guide. © Stationery Times.

How do you clean the stamp and keep the pad from drying out?

Clean the stamp straight after use and shut the lid. Tsukineko’s cleaner and pad pages ask for the same two things.

  1. Wipe the stamp with cleaner as soon as you finish. Tsukineko says to clean the ink off a stamp with StazOn Cleaner early after use, by applying it to the stamp face and wiping with a cloth. It also says clear (acrylic) stamps can change with some materials, so test first.

    A hand wiping the rubber face of a stamp with a cloth wet with cleaner
    Cleaner first. Original illustration made for this guide. © Stationery Times.

  2. Wipe the stamp with water. Tsukineko says to finish by wiping the stamp with water after the cleaner.

    A damp cloth above a stamp with drops of water falling, then wiping the rubber face
    Then water. Original illustration made for this guide. © Stationery Times.

  3. Close the lid straight away. Tsukineko says to close the lid right after use to stop the pad drying out and, on the full-size pad, to close the inner lid when storing it. It suggests sticking the inner and outer lids together.

    An ink pad with its lid swinging shut and a red arrow pointing down
    Lid on, inner lid shut. Original illustration made for this guide. © Stationery Times.

  4. If the pad has hardened, add solvent a few drops at a time and wait. Tsukineko’s StazOn Solvent (SZS-10, 10 ml) is for pads that have dried and hardened: drip a little at a time, let it blend for a few minutes, and do not overdo it, because too much thins the ink. Top up a thinned pad with a StazOn Inker.

    A small dropper bottle letting a drop of solvent fall onto a hardened ink pad
    A few drops, then wait. Original illustration made for this guide. © Stationery Times.

Which surface needs which Tsukineko ink?

For plastic, metal, glass and ceramics, Tsukineko’s choose-an-ink page lists only its solvent inks. The table is Tsukineko’s own list, with its cautions.

Surface Tsukineko’s inks Its caution
Plastic, metal, glass, ceramics StazOn, StazOn Opaque, StazOn Metallic, StazOn Onamae, StazOn Pigment Prints may come off if scratched
Strongly coated glossy paper, laminated paper StazOn, Opaque, Metallic, Onamae, Pigment StazOn: slippery, take care; only StazOn sets on water-repellent glossy paper
Leather (vegetable-tanned) StazOn, Opaque, Metallic, Onamae, Pigment, and VersaCraft (needs heat) None stated for StazOn
Shrink plastic StazOn, Pigment, Onamae, Opaque, Metallic, and Brilliance and VersaMagic Stamp first, cut, then heat
Painted wood StazOn None stated
Painted and bare wood Pigment, Onamae, Opaque, Metallic None stated
Bare wood Water-based pigment inks such as Brilliance, VersaMagic, Delicata, VersaCraft Standard StazOn bleeds a little

For opaque color on glass, vinyl and metal, Tsukineko recommends StazOn Opaque and StazOn Pigment, and a white print needs one of those, since standard StazOn has no white.

Where do the sources disagree?

On fabric and on clear stamps. Tsukineko’s Japanese StazOn page says cloth bleeds a little, while its English page lists fabric among the applications. On clear stamps, Tsukineko says only to test first; retailers’ advice in our StazOn guide is stricter.

Frequently asked questions

Is StazOn ink permanent on glass?

Tsukineko sells it as a permanent solvent ink, and says its Jet Black is archival. It also warns that on non-absorbent surfaces the print may come off if scratched, and that you can wipe a print off with StazOn Cleaner if it fails.

Can a normal ink pad stamp on glass or plastic?

Tsukineko's choose-an-ink page lists only its solvent inks for plastic, metal, glass and ceramics: StazOn, StazOn Opaque, StazOn Metallic, StazOn Onamae and StazOn Pigment. The water-based inks on that page are listed for paper and bare wood.

Can StazOn stamp on painted wood or bare wood?

Tsukineko lists StazOn for painted wood and says untreated wood bleeds a little. For bare wood it lists its water-based pigment inks, and the solvent pigment inks (Pigment, Opaque, Metallic, Onamae) for both painted and bare wood.

Can StazOn stamp on shrink plastic?

Tsukineko lists shrink plastic among the surfaces. Its page for that surface says to stamp or color the sheet first, cut it with scissors, then heat it so it shrinks and thickens.

What do you do if the stamp slips on a glossy surface?

Tsukineko says to be careful on slippery materials and that a failed print on a non-absorbent surface can be removed with StazOn Cleaner, then you can wipe the spot with water and try again.

Can you stamp on fabric with StazOn?

Tsukineko's Japanese page says cloth bleeds a little with standard StazOn, while its English page lists fabric among the applications. For fabric its choose-an-ink page lists StazOn Onamae, which it describes as washable without ironing, plus StazOn Pigment and Opaque.

Is the StazOn cleaner safe for clear stamps?

Not certainly. Tsukineko says clear (acrylic) stamps may change depending on their material and recommends testing first.

Why has my StazOn pad dried out?

Tsukineko says to close the lid right after use and, on the full-size pad, to close the inner lid too. A dried pad can be revived with StazOn Solvent, and a thinned one topped up with an inker.

Sources (7)

  1. Tsukineko Japan: StazOn / StazOn Midi (uses, drying time 3 seconds to 5 minutes, cautions, sizes, prices; read November 5, 2026, translated from Japanese)
  2. Tsukineko Japan: StazOn / StazOn Midi, English edition (applications and cautions; read November 5, 2026)
  3. Tsukineko Japan: StazOn Cleaner SZCL-56 (how to use, cannot remove ink from paper or cloth, ¥980; read November 5, 2026, translated from Japanese)
  4. Tsukineko Japan: StazOn Solvent SZS-10 (revives hardened pads, a few drops at a time, ¥380; read November 5, 2026, translated from Japanese)
  5. Tsukineko Japan: how to choose a stamp ink by material (plastic, metal, glass, ceramics, leather, shrink plastic, wood, glossy paper; read November 5, 2026, translated from Japanese)
  6. Tsukineko Japan: StazOn Opaque (solvent pigment ink, Cotton White and Ivory Black)
  7. Tsukineko Japan: StazOn Pigment (solvent pigment ink, 12 colors)

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