alcohol inks bleeding

[craftgranny]

I am having trouble with using alcohol inks. I like the way they blend but I have ruined so many pictures when the colour bleeds past the outline. Do I need to purchase a specific paper for this?

[xayide2]

yup, I've tried a few papers and the one I bought that works is the Neenah Solar White. It's kinda annoying when only a few types of paper work with those alcohol markers and inks.

[gingerd]

Besides paper, what type of ink are you using? There are only a few that will hold the ink between the lines. I use Memento.

[craftgranny]

I never thought about what inks I am using. I have several kinds. I will give memento a try. Thanks. I have not heard of Neenah solar white. Where do I find this one?

[QueenOfInkland]

If you're coloring with Copic markers, don't color all of the way to the outside line because the ink will move.

If the ink does bleed outside of the image line, you can use the Copic colorless blender marker to push the ink back onto the image. It is not an eraser, but it does push ink. This works pretty well to get ink out of places where you don't want it.

And just fyi (so that you don't get really frustrated), be aware that no matter how careful you are, there is almost always a little bleed out somewhere on your image just because of the fluid/blending nature/quality of alcohol inks. And that's where the colorless blender saves the day

Have fun...........

As far as getting the Neenah paper, from what I've read the shipping from USA to Canada can be high, so you might want to see if you can find a source in Canada. You might contact Neenah directly and see if they can recommend a Canadian supplier.

Here's an SCS post, but although I didn't see any solutions for finding a Canadian Neenah supplier, some USA suppliers used by Canadian SCSers are mentioned:
Neenah Solar White - Where to Buy? by detour3 at Splitcoaststampers

[Colleen Schaan]

There are two common issues people run into when using alcohol based markers. (And easy fixes for them.)

#1 - If your marker ink is bleeding outside of the stamped image, then you have an issue with the amount of marker ink you are using for that paper surface. The softer the paper, the less ink you need to use. If you find that your marker ink is feathering or bleeding outside your stamped image, try a different paper. The stamping ink you use doesn't "hold" the marker ink inside an image, but it does make a difference in issue #2.

#2 - The stamping ink is bleeding or feathering when the marker ink touches it. If this is happening, then your stamping ink isn't compatible with solvent based markers. Most dye inks will work, but some are better than others. I highly recommend using Memento. Stay away from solvent inks, pigments inks and craft/chalk inks as those don't dry as quickly and may be reactive with the marker ink.

Hope that helps... once you find a good combination of ink and paper, you will LOVE alcohol ink markers!

[Emma H]

Scrapping Great Deals in London, Ontario carries both the Neenah and the X-Press It.

[craftgranny]

Thanks for all the advice. I am looking forward to getting some new paper and a colourless blender and trying this.