Waffle Flower Ink Swatch 2.0 and 1-page Approach for Swatching Inks & Cardstocks
Hi everyone! Nina here with Waffle Flower.
Today, I’m excited to share a simplified swatching solution that’s evolved over five years of using our Color Combos system (intro video). Whether you’re just getting started with inks and cardstocks or have a large collection already, this 1-page swatching approach is a great way to stay organized and most importantly, inspired.
You won’t need any specialty tools or products to follow along. I’m just sharing what’s been working for me, and our Ink Swatch 2.0 dies and stencils are here to make things easier if you choose to use them.
I’m working on a video to walk you through the process, coming in September as part of a fun video hop with some of our talented crafty friends. Please comment on this post if you have any questions; I will try to answer them in my video. Stay tuned!
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What’s covered in this post:
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Why Swatch Your Inks
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Why Swatch Your Cardstocks
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What is the Waffle Flower 1-page Approach?
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Ink Swatch 2.0 - The Five Swatch Sizes
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Free Charts & Storage Ideas
Please note that all links will go live at 10am Arizona time on August 5th with our new release.
Why Swatch Your Inks?
Swatching your inks is one of the first things I recommend doing when you get a new ink pad.
Most of the time, the label color isn’t an accurate match for what the ink really looks like—especially once it’s on paper. In fact, the color can change based on the paper you use or even shift slightly over time.
Here’s what I like to do:
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Swatch on the paper you’ll actually use.
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If you use 3 types of paper, swatch on all 3.
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Stick your swatch on the lid or side of the ink pad for easy reference.
Swatching also helps you understand how your inks perform. A stamped image can look very different from an ink-blended one—even with the same ink! It’s also a great way to get a feel for your inkpad: how much blending it takes, and what kind of results you can expect. I like to test the opacity of my pigment inks by writing on the swatch before blending, or write on it after blending to see how a dye ink interacts with my pen.
Why Swatch Your Cardstocks?
Swatching cardstock is more about convenience. My cardstock is stored farther from my desk, so having a small set of swatches nearby helps me plan my colors without digging through full sheets.
If you buy cardstock from multiple companies, swatching also helps identify duplicates and avoid buying the same color again—unless it’s on sale, of course!
Just like ink, even cardstock from the same brand can vary slightly by production batch, so I recommend making a fresh swatch with every restock for the most accurate match.
You may have noticed we named our new dies “Ink Swatch” this time—because when it comes to cardstock swatches, I prefer using a paper punch. While a good punch costs more, it saves a lot of time.
There are generally two types: flat punches (easy to store) and lever-style punches (a bit bulky but gentler on the hands). I personally prefer the lever style on the right—it has a back cover to catch the cutouts, so they don’t fly everywhere.
Many popular brands offer 48 colors in their cardstock collection, which is why you’ll find a free 48-color Numbered Chart available in the 1x1 swatch size. More on this later in the post!
What is the Waffle Flower 1-page Approach?
If you’re just starting to collect inks and cardstocks, we still recommend our original Color Combos System. It’s a flexible, expandable solution that uses tags or disc-bound pages. It's great for tracking your collection as it grows.
What I’m sharing today is not a replacement but an extension of that system, which evolved from years of using it myself. The most important piece is the Ink Swatch Label Die (or the Slim Label Die) for swatching inkpads, which is already part of the original Color Combos Die.
As my own collection grew, I found myself no longer flipping through tags to choose colors. As fun as they were to make, looking at one color at a time didn’t really inspire me. What I needed was to see everything together, all at once.
Most of our card projects use a combination of colors. And seeing colors side-by-side helps spark ideas and discover fresh combos.
Back when I was a blogger, about 15 years ago, I shared lots of free printable charts. Honestly, those are still what I reach for today. I’ve updated all of them to share with you now using the 1-page approach.
Even though I call it the “1-page approach,” it doesn’t have to be a printed chart. You can use the swatches I’m about to share in whatever format that fits your space and workflow:
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Option 1: Label your inkpads. Store them on a table/shelf, storage unit, or even standing on their sides in a drawer—anywhere you can see all your swatched labels at once.
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Option 2: Use our free charts. Stencil directly (if you can print on your favorite paper), or trim your paper to size and stick them in place over the printed chart. We do have new dies and stencils in our August 2025 release to help with the process. I will share a few storage ideas later in this post.
Please note that all links will go live at 10am Arizona time on August 5th with our new release.
Ink Swatch 2.0 - The Five Swatch Sizes
I’d like to start introducing our updated swatching system, which I call Ink Swatch 2.0, by sharing the swatch sizes I chose to include and why.
I’ve included two label sizes that fit many popular ink pads, but if your favorite brand has a different size, no worries—you can simply trim the strips by hand to match the height and width of your inkpad base (or lid, if that’s what you prefer).
- Ink Swatch Label (die) - Distress Inks and Distress Oxide Inkpads
Three new sizes:
- Ink Swatch Slim Label (die) - Rectangle Inkpads with a lower profile
Cutting multiple labels at once helps save time and keeps your swatching consistent. It’s especially helpful if you’re working with a large ink collection or swatching in batches. The dies are also designed to pair well with our printable charts so you can prep everything in one go.
- The left side lets you blend edge to edge to use the full swatch size. The stencil keeps your brush from catching on the Grip Mat, giving you a smooth blending experience.
- The right side masks the edges to give your swatch a clean border. This is especially helpful for pastel colors—it shows how they contrast with the paper underneath.
You can also use these stencils directly on our free printable charts. If you use Distress Inks or Distress Oxides, there’s a bonus use for the 1x0.5 size—they fit perfectly on the official charts from Ranger. (Download for free at Ranger's website) - hover over the product image to choose the chart to download
Let’s take a closer look at which chart or storage option might work best for you!
Please note that all links will go live at 10am Arizona time on August 5th with our new release.
Free Charts & Storage Ideas
I designed a set of charts to work with each of the Ink Swatch 2.0 sizes.
1. Free printables for Ink Swatch Label Die & Stencil (Download)
- Numbers (1-192)
- Color Chart (48 per page)
- Color Chart with Numbers (48 per page)
- Storage Map (12 per column, 6 columns across two pages)
2. Free printables for Ink Swatch Slim Label Die & Stencil (Download)
- Numbers 1-144
- Color Chart (60 per page)
- Color Chart with Numbers (60 per page)
- Storage Map (15 per column, 8 columns across two pages)
3. Free printables for Ink Swatch 1x0.5 Die & Stencil (Download)
- Numbers 1-192
- Color Chart (72 per page)
- Color Chart with Numbers (72 per page)
- Storage Map (12 per column, 6 columns on 1 page)
4. Free printables for Ink Swatch 1x1 Die & Stencil (Download)
- Numbers (1-192)
- Color Chart (36 per page)
- Color Chart with Numbers (36 per page)
- Color Chart (48 per page for cardstocks)
- Color Chart with Numbers (48 per page)
You’ve probably noticed that all my swatches are numbered. Most of the time, I don’t need to know the ink color names while crafting. I use a checklist to keep track, and numbering the swatches helps keep things clean and neat—plus, I get to see more of the actual colors! I do write the names on the side labels of the ink pads, though, so they’re easy to reference in videos.
If you have a large collection, using numbers instead of names can save you tons of time during swatching. Even better—with our Ink Swatch 2.0 Dies and pre-numbered sheets, you can cut out multiples at once to save even more!
Quick Tip: Align the die openings to the bottom left of the numbers for a clean and consistent look across your swatches.
If your printer doesn’t work well with heavy cardstock, we’ve got you covered. Waffle Flower also offers the number sheets pre-printed on Hammermill 100lb Cover Cardstock—a great paper for ink blending and easy to buy in bulk.
- Printed Numbers for Ink Swatch Label Die (2 sets of 1-96)
- Printed Numbers for Ink Swatch Slim Label Die (2 sets of 1-72)
- Printed Numbers for Ink Swatch 1x0.5 Die (2 sets of 1-96)
- Printed Numbers for Ink Swatch 1x1 Die (2 sets of 1-96)
The Printed Numbers go up to 96 because swatches start to look a bit crowded with 3-digit numbers. Most big ink collections top out around 186 colors, but I recommend breaking them down by color family—like R1–R36 for reds—for a cleaner, easier-to-read look.
Quick Tip: The printed number sheets come pre-trimmed in half so you can run them through your diecut machine right away. For the free printable version, just cut the sheet in half lengthwise first. It’s a balance between saving time or saving money—having 2 dies cuts your prep time in half, and 6 dies can get you a whole batch done in no time.
There are no charts for the 2x2 swatch because the best way to store them is in a binder with coin-pocket sheet protectors. This swatch size was designed as a base for creating color combos and isn’t part of the new Ink Swatch system. We made it available as a stand-alone die—rather than the original 6-in-1 from the Color Combos Die—to make it more affordable.
An Expandable System
This Checklist and Numbering system is very easy to expand as your collection grows. Simply add new inks to the list and give it a number - this is why I do not plan on sharing my checklists, because it is unique for each person. For me, I sorted my Distress Inks and Distress Oxide Inks in an alphabetic order because I collected all 72 colors (Picket Fence is the 73rd color on my list because it is only in the Distress Inks collection and I do not plan on having it).
I expanded my system to include both the cardstock brands I use. Together, the two brands have over 100 colors, so I picked 48 from each to keep on their own spreads in a binder. I only check the color names when I need to restock.
When it comes to how I actually use the swatches, I chose some of my favorite colors and sorted them in the order of my ink collection to see them side by side.
I organized cardstock from both brands in a similar order to my ink swatches. The number in the bottom-left corner of each swatch shows which shelf it’s stored on (see photo below). The number on the right matches the checklist, and the letter above it tells me which brand it’s from.
Storage Map
You may have noticed that I sort my inkpads by color family on my storage unit. It really helps me see all the shades at a glance.
But honestly, I rarely take out just one inkpad and put it right back when I’m done. I often have 10–20 pads scattered around after a project. I don’t want to re-sort them every time, and that’s where the Storage Map comes in handy!
I use a 72-color ink storage unit, and on my Storage Map, the columns are labeled A to F and the rows 1 to 12. This simple grid makes it easy to find where each color goes—and just as easy to put them back after a project without having to re-sort by color family.
I started by swatching all my inks. The numbers on the swatches match the numbers on my checklist—the order doesn’t matter, and you can keep adding or swapping as your collection grows.
Next, I sorted the swatches in the order I wanted to store them, then recorded those numbers on the Storage Map for easy reference.
I then added magnetic backing to my swatches and displayed them on a metal board for a quick, inspiring glance.
Quick Tip: Make individual swatches instead of ink-blending directly on the charts. You’ll likely want to re-sort the colors as you go—trust me, I’ve changed mine more times than I can count!
I only tried swatching directly on the charts after I was sure of the order I wanted. The best way? Keep your swatches separate and removable—you’ll thank yourself later!
But they sure look beautiful in a binder!
Recommended Supplies:
You probably already have most of these supplies on hand! I’ve linked the ones I could find on Amazon using both the regular and affiliate links. If you choose to shop through my affiliate link, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Hammermill 100lb Cover Cardstock
A smooth cardstock I use for ink blending, diecutting, and foiling. (amazon, affiliate)
1" Square Punch - Flat style (easy to store)
I use one from EK Tools, but it’s no longer available. I just ordered the one by Spellbinders and will update here asap. (amazon, affiliate)
1" Square Punch - Lever Style (with back cover)
Mine is an older model from a local craft store. I just ordered the one by Marvy Uchida and will update here asap. (amazon, affiliate)
Magnetic Squares (for 1x1 swatches)
These strong magnets are a perfect match for 1” swatches, with a little room around the edges for easy handling. (amazon, affiliate)
Magnetic Tape (1/2 wide for 1x0.5 swatches)
Trim to about ¼”–⅜” wide so there’s room to grab the swatches. (amazon, affiliate)
Metal Display Stand (full metal backing)
