A Guide to Buying the Best Pens for Coloring Books

Like I said in one of my recent posts, I would start publishing buying guides for pretty much anything book-related. Today, I’m coming at you with a post on getting the best bang for the buck when you’re in the market for the best pens for coloring books. I know that it can be challenging getting the right ones, so that’s why I’m here - I’ll give you my advice since I’ve been researching book stuff topics for years and years now.

I made a list of factors that you ought to mull over to make sure that you’re purchasing just what you need. Keep in mind that the definition of ‘pens’ differs largely from one product to the other and that some people like markers, crayons, or something else, so the diversity might baffle you.




Types of colored pens

There are several kinds of pens for coloring books out there. First, we have the fountain pen, which is slowly but surely becoming obsolete, and that’s because it is difficult to control, it can be expensive, but it does provide flexibility and smooth application. Unfortunately, changing or replacing the ink is anything but hassle-free, so given the array of cons to this option, it might not be the right one to take into account.

Next, we have the ballpoint pen, which is typically affordable, has a good ink life, and requires little to no maintenance. It might not give you the same amount of freedom with regard to the application, and if you don’t use it for a while, the ink can become blobby or sticky.

Fiber tip pens have excellent color output and another advantage is that the ink dries a lot faster than with other pens. However, you might notice that you’ll go through the ink rather quickly.

Gel ink pens are also rather popular because they offer benefits such as a powerful color output, smooth color application, and very little effort when they’re used. However, they also run out of ink rather fast and they might not provide that much flexibility.

I know that a pen isn’t the same as a pencil, but people who like coloring books might appreciate the second instead of the first strictly because you can use an eraser for times when you went outside the pattern, for example.

Colors

You should have a pen for each color because that’s the only way that you can make sure that they are accurate. You can’t blend them as you would if you were to paint, for example. Some types come in rather wide ranges of color selections, but with others, you’ll notice that the selection is somewhat limited. Water-based pens come in fewer colors compared to their gel-based counterparts, for example.


Ink type

Probably the most important aspect that you have to consider when you’re in the market for colored pens for coloring books is the fact that the color should not bleed through the paper and get on the other side. Cheaper coloring books usually come with patterns on both sides of the paper, so the last thing you might want to do would be to ruin the next pattern because of a cheap or poorly made pen.

Each type of ink has pros and cons in this respect. For example, gel ink can bleed through paper but it provides deep and intense colors. Oil-based ink is prone to bubbling, but it dries somewhat quickly. Water-based ink takes a long time to dry, and the colors might not be extremely deep or precise.

The ink does matter, it’s true, but the quality of your coloring book does, as well. If it’s cheaply made, the paper will be thin, and so regardless of how carefully you apply the colors, it will bleed and get to the other side, thereby ruining a pattern.




Final advice

If you’re having a hard time telling which product you ought to spend your cents on, perhaps you should go through some reviews of pens for coloring books. Other people, who decide to relax and spend their spare time in the same way you do can assist you when it comes to finding out whether the ink bleeds, whether you can go through the ink quickly, or any other aspect you might need to find out.



Sometimes, it makes more sense to invest in a set rather than getting individual pens separately. You get a lot more colors and therefore, you have the opportunity to express your creativity in an effective manner.

*image via Pixabay