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Lantern Coloring · Guide

Why markers bleed through a coloring book, and what stops it

By Nora Ember, Lantern & Ladder · Updated 28 October 2026 · 7 min read

The short answer

Markers bleed through when the ink soaks past the paper, and alcohol ink almost always does. Put a sheet of paper behind the page, color in a book whose designs are printed on one side, test each marker on a spare page first, press lightly and let each layer dry before the next. A book cannot make the problem go away, but single-sided pages keep the back of each design blank, so what shows through there spoils nothing.

On this page5 sections
  1. Why ink goes through the page
  2. The fixes, in order
  3. What our books do, and what they do not
  4. Choosing a book for alcohol markers
  5. Sources

Alcohol markers almost always go through coloring book paper. Why it happens, the fixes in the order to try them, and what a book can do about it.

Why ink goes through the page

“Bleeding” means two things to a colorist. One is ink spreading past the line on the front of the page. The other is ink showing on the back of the page, and on whatever is under it. This guide is about the second: why it happens, and how to stop markers bleeding through a coloring book.

Three things decide whether it happens: the solvent the color is carried in, the paper, and how much ink goes down.

The solvent. Alcohol markers carry dye in alcohol; Copic, for one, describes its markers as alcohol-based with dye ink (Copic FAQ). Sarah Renae Clark, a coloring book author who has written a long guide to markers, says alcohol markers are almost guaranteed to bleed through paper. Water-based markers usually do not bleed through in the same way, though thin paper still struggles with them (Sarah Renae Clark).

The paper. A paperback coloring book is printed on whatever book paper its printer uses. Amazon’s own help pages give the paper for a black ink paperback as 50 to 61 pound (74 to 90 GSM) white paper, and say the weight varies with where the book is printed (KDP). That is ordinary book paper, and alcohol ink goes through it.

How much ink. Thaneeya McArdle, who makes coloring books, writes that alcohol ink spreads quickly on the paper, that pressing hard or leaving the nib on the paper too long makes it spread more, and that with a heavy hand some of the ink can seep onto the page underneath (Art Is Fun). The more ink goes into one spot, the more of it has somewhere else to go.

Of the three, the solvent decides most. A lighter hand helps, but it does not turn alcohol ink into ink that stays on top of book paper.

The fixes, in order

Start with the first and add the next only if you still need it. The first two are the ones that protect the rest of the book; the others make less ink go through in the first place.

1. A sheet behind the page. Slip a sheet of plain paper, or a few, between the page you are coloring and the next one. McArdle suggests a few sheets of clean paper underneath to absorb any excess ink that leaks through (Art Is Fun). This is the one fix that works with any marker in any book, and it costs a sheet of printer paper. Move it along with you as you turn to the next design. In a book with perforated pages, McArdle goes a step further: she cuts the page out along the perforation and colors it on a smooth board (Art Is Fun). Sarah Renae Clark’s caution is worth keeping in mind: a sheet underneath protects what is below, but it will not save the back of the page you are coloring (Sarah Renae Clark).

2. Single-sided pages. That caution is why the second fix matters. If the back of every design is blank, ink that shows through on the back spoils nothing there. McArdle writes that bleed-through usually is not a problem with her own books because they are single sided (Art Is Fun), and Sarah Renae Clark’s advice for double-sided books is to use water-based markers instead (Sarah Renae Clark). Check before you buy: the listing should say single sided, and the look inside should show a blank back.

3. Test first. Before a marker touches a design, try it on a spare page, the inside cover, or the test page if the book has one. Sarah Renae Clark suggests testing a small area before coloring (Sarah Renae Clark). Look at the back of the test as well as the front: that is how you find out which of your markers go through this paper, and which do not.

4. A lighter hand. Hold the marker softly and keep it moving. Anna Rose, who makes coloring books and teaches marker technique, says not to press too hard and to let the marker glide (Anna Rose). Pressing hard and leaving the nib in one place make the ink spread more (Art Is Fun).

5. Lighter area first, and let it dry. Color the pale areas first and the darker ones after. Working from light to dark is Sarah Renae Clark’s advice for blending alcohol markers (Sarah Renae Clark), and it keeps you from going back over the pale areas with more ink. If a space needs a second coat, let the first one dry before you add it.

6. The right marker. If the back of the page matters, in a double-sided book or one you want to keep clean, a water-based marker is the gentler choice. Crayola says its washable Super Tips will not bleed through paper (Crayola), which is the maker’s claim and worth checking on your own book’s test page. The best markers for bold and easy coloring books goes through what each kind of marker trades for this.

What our books do, and what they do not

Here is what a Lantern Coloring book does about bleed, stated plainly.

Every design is on a right-hand page, with the back of that page left blank. Ink that soaks through shows on a blank back, never on another design printed behind it. Each book has 52 designs on 110 pages, 8.5 x 8.5 in, and opens on a test page with spaces to try each of your markers before you start.

The paper is Amazon KDP’s standard paperback paper, the one described above. It is not thick marker paper, and alcohol markers will go through it. Ink that goes all the way through can still mark the page under it, and in any book that is the next design. So with alcohol markers, slip a sheet behind the page you are coloring as well.

There is one more way round the paper. Where a title is also sold as a PDF in our Etsy shop, it is the same designs as a file, to print at home on A4 or US Letter paper as often as you like. Then the paper is yours to choose, and a ruined print costs one sheet rather than a page of the book.

A cat lying along the back of an armchair, an open book on the seat, and a table lamp on a small round side table beside it, in thick black outline.
A page from Cozy Fall and Halloween. Like every design in the book it is on a right-hand page, and the page behind it is blank.

Choosing a book for alcohol markers

The search “best coloring books for alcohol markers” is really asking which books survive the ink. For a paperback the paper is rarely the answer, because alcohol ink goes through book paper. What makes a book work with alcohol markers is how it is laid out. Look for:

  • Single-sided designs, with a blank back to every page, shown in the look inside and not just claimed.
  • A test page or a spare page, so you can see what your markers do on that paper before a design.
  • Big spaces inside thick lines, which suit the broad nibs alcohol markers come with and leave room to blend. What is a bold and easy coloring book? says how to check for them.

A book that has these, with a sheet of plain paper behind the page, is a good home for alcohol markers. The armchair above comes from Cozy Fall and Halloween, and color palettes for cozy coloring has twelve combinations to try on it.

Sources

The cover of Cozy Fall and Halloween, paperback

From the series

Lantern Coloring

7 volumes · Ages 14 and up

Every Lantern Coloring design is on a right-hand page with the back left blank, and each book opens on a test page for your markers, so the series page is the place to choose one for alcohol markers.

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