End of the Year Planning Tip #17 – Perform a New Ink Test

With Christa, the Christmas Elf with a Plan – 17 December

“Perform a new ink test” is Christa’s End of the Year Planning Tip for today.  And she’s right, especially if you’ve purchase new pens or planners, new paper(s) for printables, or even paper stickers or other accessories you may write on.  Smeared ink is no way to get started for the new year.

What is an Ink Test and Why Should You Perform One?

If you’re very new to planning, you may not have heard of ink and paper testing.  Performing an ink test is simply trying out each pen, marker, and highlighter on a sample of the paper or surface you plan to write on.  You want to find out if it writes smoothly and is legible.  If an ink dries slowly on the paper, it might get smeared or smudged.  Potential bleeding or ghosting to the back of the sheet will also be detectable through this test.  It is a opportunity to reduce frustration before you diving into planning only to find the ink is smearing and bleeding through the page.

There are many variables that can affect the way the ink from a pen, marker or highlighter performs on different papers or other surfaces.  Let’s look at a few of them.

Inks

Inks are comprised of two primary components – colorant and a base “liquid”.   The most common colorants are dye and pigments.  Dyes are completed dissolved into the base.  Pigments are microscopic particles of color that are suspended into the base.   Base liquid can be water or a water-based gel, or a solvent.  Watercolor markers are water-based, of course.  Oil markers and alcohol markers are examples of solvent-based markers.  Solvent-based inks are usually considered permanent once dry.  Water-based inks are usually non-permanent and non-waterproof. However, there are some that contain special additives that make them both permanent and waterproof once they are fully dry.

The ink’s base bonds with the paper and is absorbed to some degree.  Thin bases, like the water in watercolor markers or alcohol in alcohol markers, are more easily absorbed into most papers.  They generally do not work on non-porous surfaces.  For simple water-based and alcohol-based dye inks, the color is absorbed with the base.  These thinner bases are usually for dye-based inks.  The base is absorbed into the paper and can’t form a bond to hold pigment on the paper.  Since dye inks absorb into the paper, they are impossible to erase without damaging the paper.  Dye-inks are more transparent than pigment inks which means the color can be affected by the color of the paper to which they are applied. 

Ink Delivery Systems (Pens, Markers, Stamps)

Thicker base inks are usually pigment inks.  The thicker base bonds the pigment to the surface of the paper.  The particles of pigment can’t be absorbed; they sit on the surface of the paper.  Pigment inks usually take longer to dry than dye inks, due to the heavier base.  But they are opaque resulting in more vibrant colors.  There are also formulations of ink that are designed to dry more quickly and reduce the risk of smearing or smudging.  Gel-pens use a water-gel based pigment ink.  As they are water-based, most gel pens are not permanent or waterproof.  Again, there are gel pens with new formulations of inks that are reported to be permanent.

Pens and markers come with all sorts of tips (or points or nibs).  Ball-point, fine-needle point, chisel, brush, and felt-tip are common examples.  Each of these types of tips may come in a variety of sizes or firmness (i.e. soft or hard brush tips).  Some are better suited to specific tasks than their counterparts, like the chisel for highlighting and the brush for hand lettering.  The type and size of the tip affects how fine the lines can be and how smoothly the ink can be applied to the paper.  The ink (and paper) can affect the smoothness of writing, as well.  Some tips are more durable than others.  Writing style and factors like your hand pressure on the page when writing might make one tip better suited for you over another.  It comes down to personal preference.

Other Pens and Inks

I left fountain pens out of the section above.  They are special.  The nibs come in several sizes/types.  There are both dye and pigment inks available.  Fountain pens require regular maintenance, especially if you are using pigment inks.  If you’ve not used one before, it takes a little practice to find the “sweet spot” where you have the perfect angle of nib to paper and pressure so that your writing is smooth and legible.  Paper can also be a factor in smoothness.

If you happen to use stamps, ink pads come in both dye and pigment inks.  And my planner stamps are all photopolymer stamps.

Those erasable ink pens got left out, too.  If you love them and are good with them, use them!  I understand how they “work” and how they fail and do not use them in my planners, journals or anything of importance.  If you want to know more, continue reading at the end of this post; I’ll explain.

Papers

Papers are available in many different weights.  Paper is typically made from wood pulp, cotton or other plant fibers.   Some are very compressed and have smooth surfaces.  Others may be more loosely pressed and retain some texture.  Paper may be coated or uncoated.  

Paper is most often described by its weight.   When weight is given in lbs, this refers to the weight of a ream or 500 sheets of the paper.  However, the size of the sheet of paper varies by type of paper.  For example:  500 sheets of Index cardstock (30.5” x 25.5”) and 500 sheets of Cover cardstock (26” x 20”) both weigh 80lb.  The Cover cardstock sheets are much small in size, but much thicker and stiffer than the Index cardstock.   (If you want to print your own covers or dividers, get the Cover cardstock, not the Index cardstock.)

A much better measure for comparing paper is gsm (grams per square meter).  It still not a perfect comparison, but much better for our purposes.  Most planners are printed on 100gsm (or 27lb) paper.  For the most part it is uncoated wood pulp paper unless otherwise noted.  Most planners are printed on smooth, untextured papers.  I print my planner pages on 120gsm (32lb) HP Premium paper, it is bright white and has a smooth surface.   Hobonichi planners use Tomoe River paper which is a super thin and lightweight 52gsm, but it is coated on both sides to help prevent bleed-through or ghosting.   Journals come in various paper weights and types. 

Adding Ink to Paper

Lighter weight papers are more likely to allow bleed-through or ghosting.  Coatings can help prevent this while keeping your planner thin and light.  On the other hand, coating can resist some inks so that they do not dry as quickly or allow you to write cleanly.  Textured papers may be harder to write smoothly and cleanly on, especially with stiffer pens tips. Darker inks are more likely to cause ghostly.  Repeated applications, like going over a highlighter stroke to darken it or coloring with a marker, are more likely to cause bleed through. 

You may get different results from others using the exact same pen and paper combination.  This can be due to the effects of humidity, air flow and temperature on the drying time for the ink.  The amount of ink flowing from the pen or marker can be affected by the amount of pressure you place on the tip against the paper.  Heavier pressure can increase ink flow and force it into the paper, more so than lighter pressure.   The speed at which you write can also be a factor, especially with markers and highlighters.

So Let’s Perform An Ink Test

Gather all your pens.  Grab all your planner and paper and thing else you write on (labels, washi, stickers).  Locate a spare notes page, extra labels and stickers, etc.   If your planner is a bound book type, find a page somewhere near the back that you can use and title it “Pen Test Page” or whatever you like. 

Then work your way through your pens. Use them in the same way you would normally use them.  I like to write the brand/size/ink color of the pen I’m writing with as my sample text.  Write only as much info as you need to know what you were testing.  Give it the same time you would before moving on to swipe a finger over it to check for smearing.  If you write something and later highlight it or immediately highlight it – test those in combination to see if you have any issues. 

Remember to do the types of things, like going over a stroke or coloring back and forth over an area.  Make the test as realistic as possible.  If you have several of the same brand and type – say a set of 12 Mildliners, you may not need to test all 12.  I test a couple of the darkest shades, a couple of the lightest shades and one or two in the middle.  If there’s a black, navy, or red – those do get tested.   Darker shades are more lightly to bleed through or ghost to the back of the page.  Doing a couple of lighter shades will tell you if all shades bleed through.  If the darker shades do bleed through or ghost, but the lighter shades don’t, testing a middle shade will help you determine what range of shades will perform satisfactorily.

Save your test pages for testing any new pens, markers, highlighters or inks you might add to your collection. 

Some Examples

I don’t have a new ink test to share.  I ordered some new pens, but most won’t arrive until tomorrow.  But pens aren’t all I ordered.   A Hobonichi Weeks for 2025 is also on the way.  I mentioned in a post a few days ago that I’d not tried one and didn’t think I’d like the paper.  I decided to find out.  Once my new pens arrive, I will be testing them on pages I have on hand.  The Hobonichi Weeks should arrive by the weekend and I’ll test again then.  I’ll share a future post with my personal findings from my 2025 ink tests.

I do have a couple of examples from prior ink tests:

The first picture shows the front and back of a Happy Planner notes page.  This paper is about 100gsm.  I was doing a lot of testing at that time with stamps and ink pads.  The dotted outlines and typed text were added to the scanned images.  I created it to explain ink tests to other students in a planner class I took a few years ago.

All of the pens and markers performed well.  But only the pigment ink pads – Tsukineko VersaMagic Dew Drop Chalk Ink, Momento Brillance (metallics) and Versafine Onyx Black – were acceptable.  Actually the Versafine Onyx Black ghosted too much from my liking solid/filled stamp, but the outline stamps were fine.   The inks that I stamped JOY with were made for use in planners and journals specifically.  But they were a fail for me with the Happy Planner paper.  I may include them in my testing this week with my 32lb/120gsm HP paper.

In the second picture, you are looking at the last page of a Leuchtturm1917 notebook.  It is 80-100gsm.  I was rather disappointed by this notebook.  I had previously used a Exceed 100gsm notebook from Walmart and it performed exceptionally well.  Paying extra for the Leuchttrum1917 was a downgrade for me personally.  The ghosting really bothered me and didn’t enjoy using it very much. And yes, those are FriXion Pastel Highliters. This is the only journal/planner I ever used them in. And I got them because they were the only pastel highlighters I had seen at the time.

My local Walmart doesn’t carry anything with the Exceed name now.  They came in 78gsm and 100gsm.  The 100gsm I used was perfect for me at the time.  They now have similar journals under the Pen and Gear name. I saw one with 100gsm ruled paper but have not tried one yet.  I do have a small inexpensive drawing journal I’m going to test, just to see how it goes.

Summary

Performing a quick ink test on any new planner will prevent the frustration that would arise from possible incompatibilities between the pen/ink and paper.  Even if you’re using a brand you’ve tested before, the paper used often changes due to availability and/or costs.   So testing a new planner is still worth the effort.  Keep your ink tests pages handy, either in your planner or other convenient location. Then you can easily and quickly test any new pen or marker you add to your arsenal.

Christa’s End of the Year Tips have been good so far.  Her time hanging out with me is getting shorter every day.  Just seven more tips to go!   If you’ve missed any of the tips, you can head back to Tip #1 by clicking here.

And I’m always looking for new pens and such to try … let me know in the comments what your must have pens or markers are.  Thanks!

Happy Planning,

Linda

P.S.  Here’s my “soapbox” bit on why erasable pens are not in my planner tool kit.  Read on if you are curious.

Why I Don’t Use Erasable Pens in My Planners

I do own a few erasable pens.  They were purchased for use in quilting and sewing.  I only make marks within the seam allowances where it will not be seen.  I was glad I’d done this when the stories about award winning quilts being ruined started popping up.  They were shipped across the country for quilt shows, packed in boxes, in trucks, traveling through cold areas.   Brown ghost marks were showing up from where those pens had been used.  Others started reporting the brown marks showing up after washing the item and drying it.  So heat didn’t make it invisible in the dryer, I suppose. 

The ink is made with a heat sensitive component that cause it to “disappear” when heated up.  When you write on the paper and then rub the eraser over what you’ve written, it creates friction.  It’s just like the friction you create when you rub your hands together to warm them up in the winter.  It triggers the heat sensitive chemical and it becomes invisible.  But it’s still there.  If you take that piece of paper in lay it in the refrigerator or freezer for a few hours, you will begin to see the lines again.   If you write something you don’t want to erase and leave it in your car on a warm sunny day … poof!  But I suppose you could put it in the freezer and hope it comes back.