How to Keep Marker Color From Reaching the Next Page
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Marker ink doesn't always stop at the page you're coloring. Push a bright green into a leaf, and it can soak straight through and leave a blot on the picture underneath. We print our books on one side of the paper, so no picture ever sits on the back of the page you're coloring, but the ink can still travel down to the next sheet. A one-minute setup stops it.
Two different problems
It helps to know which one you're dealing with, since the fixes differ.
Show-through (bleed-through) is ink that soaks through the paper and appears on the back of the page you're coloring. It's normal with alcohol markers on almost any paper, and it happens with water-based markers on thinner paper or when you go over one spot many times. In a one-sided book, show-through on the back of your page doesn't damage another picture. The problem starts when the ink keeps going.
Transfer is ink that reaches the next sheet: the page, or the next picture, underneath the one you're coloring. It happens when ink comes all the way through while the page is lying directly on the next one, or when you close a wet page against another before it dries.
The setup
1. Put a protective sheet behind the page
Slide something between the page you're coloring and the rest of the book. Good options:
- A sheet of cardstock (heavier than printer paper). Blocks most marker ink.
- A clear plastic sheet or a page protector cut to size. Ink can't pass through plastic. Wipe it clean between pages.
- Two sheets of plain printer paper if that's what you have.
Our picks: clear letter-size sheet protectors (cut one open to make a flat sheet) and 65 lb white cardstock.
2. Color on a hard, smooth surface
A table works better than a lap or a pillow. On a soft surface, the tip presses deeper into the paper, and ink pools and soaks through faster. A clipboard or lap desk works on the couch.
3. Test your markers first
Every marker behaves differently on every paper, so a quick test saves a picture.
- Use a blank area: the inside cover, the page's own back corner, or a spare sheet of the same paper.
- Make a small swatch of each marker: one quick stroke, and one spot held for a few seconds.
- Wait a minute, then turn it over.
If the quick stroke doesn't come through but the held spot does, keep the marker moving. If both come through, use the protective sheet every time with that marker.
4. Keep the marker moving
Holding a marker tip in one spot is the fastest way to soak through. Short, steady strokes put down color without flooding the paper. If you want a darker area, let the first layer dry and go over it once more rather than scrubbing.
5. Let the page dry before closing the book
Give marker pages a few minutes before closing the book, especially after large dark areas. Leave the protective sheet in place until then.
Water-based or alcohol markers?
Water-based markers (most kids' markers and many adult sets) rarely come all the way through with the steps above.
Alcohol markers (such as Copic or Ohuhu) almost always come through ordinary book or printer paper. Even Copic, one of the best-known alcohol marker makers, says its ink always soaks into the paper to some extent. Use a protective sheet every time, and consider cardstock or plastic rather than plain paper behind the page.
For printable pages
With a printable page, you choose the paper. Heavier paper, such as 65 lb cardstock, handles markers much better than everyday printer paper. How to print a coloring page at home covers printing on heavier paper.
Coloring with markers in a Sprite book
We print every Sprite coloring book on one side of the page, so show-through lands on a blank back. With a sheet behind the page, it stays there.
- For adults: The Art of Doing Nothing, Cozy Cats, Through the Seasons
- For kids: My Little Halloween (ages 4 to 8), Halloween Night (ages 9 to 12)