How to Prevent Marker Bleed

Cloth-tipped ink markers are a great way to create high-quality lines and color on paper, but in some cases, they can also cause the phenomenon of ink bleeding. In addition to problems of ink soaking through the bottom of your paper, the fibers in the paper can act like a sponge or a candle wick and literally soak up marker ink, pulling blotches of color out from where you intended to put it. This creates a mess and can ruin your project. Luckily, there are a number of simple ways to counteract the capillary action that causes this problem.

Things You'll Need

• Iron
• Hairspray
• Scrap paper

Instructions

1. Choose a good paper for the prevention of bleeding. Thicker, stiffer papers, as well as papers with a surface treatment or coating (like glossy paper), will be better for use with heavy markers, while thinner, softer and more delicate papers will be naturally prone to bleeding because they have less absorbent material over a wider surface area. Specialty papers made of fibers used in absorbent cloth (such as cotton) will be particularly prone to ink bleed.

2. Iron the paper before marking it, especially if you are working in moist conditions. Even trace amounts of water in the paper's fibers will aid the flow of the wet ink and cause it to spread, so press your paper under a flat iron heated to its lowest possible setting. Be sure to turn off the "steam" function, first.

3. Hairspray the paper. Hairspray is essentially a light adhesive that will seal off many of the paper's porous spaces, both internally and on the surface. This will help keep the marker's ink where you put it. For best results, use hairspray in an aerosol can with a fine, well-dispersed spray instead of a pump bottle and spray the mist a foot or two above the paper and let it fall. You may need to apply several coats, but this will prevent discolored splotches of spray on the paper.

4. Put some scrap paper underneath the page you're writing on. If you're happy with how the marker looks on the page and just want to keep the ink from bleeding onto the page or work surface beneath it, place a piece of scrap paper beneath the page to absorb the ink.

5. Write lightly. If you're in a pinch, you can alter your writing technique in order to keep the marker from depositing too much ink the first place. Use less pressure against the paper, but also change the angle of the marker by tilting it up so that only the tip is touching as you write.

References

• About Capillary Action