# Coloring book gifts for adults: how to pick one they will finish
By Nora Ember, Lantern & Ladder · Updated 1 November 2026
**The short answer:** Pick a coloring book they do not already own, with pages simple enough to finish in one evening, printed single sided if they color with markers. Choose a subject or season they would pick themselves, and give it with a modest starter set of pencils or markers so they can begin the same day.
A coloring book is an easy gift to buy and an easy one to get wrong: the one they already have, the one too busy to finish, the one their markers ruin. Five checks before you buy, and what to put beside it.

## Start with what they already have

The first way a coloring book gift for adults goes wrong is the simplest:
they already own it, or one so like it that it feels the same. Someone who
colors may well have bought from several publishers already, and knows their
shelf. So before you choose a book, find out what is on it.

Ask, if the gift does not have to be a surprise. If it does, look: a photo
of their coloring corner, a page they posted, the book left open on the
table. Note the publisher and the series, not only the title. A series with
numbered volumes makes this easier, because you can see which numbers they
have and give the next one, or a volume from a different series in the same
style.

And keep the receipt. A duplicate exchanged is better than a duplicate kept
out of politeness.


## Match the difficulty to their evenings

The second way it goes wrong is a book that is too much. Intricate pages
take hours, and a page that cannot be finished in one sitting is the one
that sends the book to a drawer. Unless you know they love fine detail, a
book with fewer, bigger shapes is the safer gift.

Think about when they color. If it is a short spell between the dishes and
bed, the page has to be done when the spell is: one subject, big spaces, a
thick line. [Coloring before bed instead of the
phone](/guides/coloring-before-bed) is about exactly that evening. If it is
a long Sunday at the kitchen table, fuller scenes can be part of the
pleasure.

The label on the cover is not enough to go on. "Bold and easy" is a format
anyone can print, and [what is a bold and easy coloring
book?](/guides/what-is-a-bold-and-easy-coloring-book) sets out six things to
check in the preview: line weight, open space, one subject a page,
single-sided pages, a real count of designs, and an effort order. Look at a
page from the middle of the book, not only the first few.


## The paper and the markers question

The third way it goes wrong is ink on the next page. Find out what they
color with, because it changes which books are safe.

Alcohol markers soak through ordinary paper. Altenew, which sells them, says
they tend to bleed and are not recommended for double-sided coloring books
(Altenew), and Sarah Renae Clark, who publishes coloring books, writes that
they are almost guaranteed to bleed through paper (Sarah Renae Clark). So
for someone who uses them, the book should be printed single sided, with
every design on its own sheet and the back left blank. If a listing does not
say single sided, assume it is not.

Do not rely on thick paper claims either. A coloring book printed on demand
gets the printer's ordinary book paper, which for Amazon KDP means 50 to 61
pound, 74 to 90 GSM, for black ink (Amazon KDP). No marker treats that as
thick. Single sided is what protects the next design, and a sheet of scrap
paper behind the page protects the one after that.

If they use colored pencils, any of this matters less, and a book printed on
both sides of the page is a fair choice.


## Size, and the season

Two small things decide whether the book gets opened.

**Size.** Look up the trim size and picture where they color. A small page
shrinks every shape, so the book is fiddlier than its cover promises; a very
large one is awkward on a lap, on a sofa or in bed.

**Season.** Look at the date on the gift tag. A Christmas book given in
December gets colored in December. For a birthday in spring, or a present
bought early and opened late, a book with no holiday in it, a cozy room,
food, animals, is ready whenever they are.


## Pair it with a modest starter set

A book on its own asks them to have the right pens already. A book with a
small set beside it can be started the same evening, and that is the gift
that gets used. Keep the set modest: the point is to begin, not to equip a
studio.

**For someone new to coloring,** colored pencils are a forgiving place to
start: there is no ink in them to soak through to the next page. Plaid, a craft supplies
company, suggests starting with at least 36 colors as a rule of thumb, and
says pencils vary, so it is worth trying a few before buying a set (Plaid).

**For someone who already colors,** markers are the treat, and the two
kinds behave differently. Sarah Renae Clark writes that alcohol markers are
easier to start with for smooth, even color, and that water-based markers
are generally more affordable and usually do not bleed through in the same
way (Sarah Renae Clark). If you give alcohol markers, give a single-sided
book with them. [The best markers for bold and easy coloring
books](/guides/best-markers-for-bold-and-easy-coloring) is about which nibs
suit big open spaces.

Two small additions cost almost nothing: a few sheets of scrap paper to slip
behind the page, and a note to test the pens on a spare page first. Plaid
gives the same advice, to test markers on a page at the back of the book
before coloring a design (Plaid).


## A coloring book as a stocking stuffer

A paperback coloring book is flat, light and easy to wrap, so it fits a
stocking. As a stocking stuffer for women who color, or for anyone else who
does, it needs the same checks as any other gift. The list is only shorter: not one they own,
pages they can finish, single sided if they use markers. In a stocking,
leave the big set of pens out and add three or four in colors that suit the
book's subject, so the first page can be colored on the day.


## If you want one of ours

This part is about our own books, so weigh it accordingly. Every Lantern
Coloring volume is built to pass the checks above: 52 designs, each alone on
a right-hand page with the back left blank, 8.5 inches square, a page at the
front for testing pens, and the easy pages first. Its paper is the KDP paper
above, so if they use alcohol markers, tuck a few scrap sheets inside the
cover.

For December, [Cozy Christmas](/series/lc/cozy-christmas) is trees,
ornaments, snowmen, gingerbread and snowy villages; the penguin above is
from its middle. For a winter gift that lasts past January, [Snow
Cabin](/series/lc/snow-cabin) is log cabins, wood stoves, moose and snowy
owls with no holiday in it. If you do not know
when the book will be opened, [Cozy Corners](/series/lc/cozy-corners) has no
season at all. Most of the books are for adults and teens 14 and up; Cute
Animals is drawn for adults and kids from 7. The [whole Lantern Coloring
series](/series/lc) shows every volume, so you can see which one they are
missing.

They are one choice among many. A book from another publisher that passes
the same checks is just as good a gift.


## Sources

- Altenew. [Water-based vs alcohol markers](https://altenew.com/blogs/paper-crafting-inspiration-and-tips/water-based-vs-alcohol-markers), 4 February 2022. Alcohol markers tend to bleed and are not recommended for double-sided coloring books.
- Sarah Renae Clark. [A beginner's guide to markers: alcohol and water-based](https://sarahrenaeclark.com/beginners-guide-to-markers), 9 May 2025. Alcohol markers are almost guaranteed to bleed through paper and are easier for even color; water-based markers are generally more affordable and usually do not bleed through in the same way.
- Amazon KDP. [Print options](https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/G201834180). The weight of KDP's black ink paperback paper, 50 to 61 pound (74 to 90 GSM).
- Plaid. [10 tips for adult coloring book newbies](https://plaidonline.com/inspire-and-create/article/13-effective-tips-for-adult-coloring), 10 December 2019. Start with at least 36 colored pencils as a rule of thumb; pencils vary, so try some first; test markers on a page at the back of the book.

## From the book
Cozy Christmas is the December one: 52 bold and easy designs of trees, snowmen, gingerbread and snowy villages, one to a right-hand page with the back left blank. [Cozy Christmas](https://lanternladder.com/series/lc/cozy-christmas.md)

## Related guides
- [What is a bold and easy coloring book?](https://lanternladder.com/guides/what-is-a-bold-and-easy-coloring-book.md): Thick outlines, big open spaces, one subject a page, single-sided pages, a real count of designs and an effort order you can see.
- [Coloring before bed instead of the phone](https://lanternladder.com/guides/coloring-before-bed.md): Leave the phone in another room, set out one page you can finish and a small set of pens under a lamp, and stop when the page is done.
- [The best markers for bold and easy coloring books](https://lanternladder.com/guides/best-markers-for-bold-and-easy-coloring.md): A broad brush or chisel nib for the big spaces, a fine tip for the small ones. Alcohol ink fills evenly but goes through paper, so put a sheet behind the page.
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Page: https://lanternladder.com/guides/coloring-book-gifts-for-adults
Lantern & Ladder, Utrecht, Netherlands. info@lanternladder.com