Single-Sided vs Double-Sided Coloring Books: Why Bleed-Through Matters

You spend an evening on one page. The colors are right, the edges are clean, and you are pleased with it. Then you turn the page and the picture you were saving for next week is covered in purple ghosts of the one you just finished.

That is bleed-through, and it is the single most common complaint in coloring book reviews. The fix is not a better marker. It is a better book.

What single-sided actually means

In a single-sided coloring book, each design is printed on one side of the sheet only. Open the book flat and you will usually see the design on the right-hand page and a blank page on the left. That blank is the back of the previous design.

A double-sided book prints a design on both sides of every sheet. It looks like more value for the money, because there are twice as many pictures per inch of book. It is only good value if you color with pencils.

Why markers bleed through

Ordinary book paper is thin and absorbent, around the weight of printer paper.

• Alcohol markers (Ohuhu, Copic and similar) carry their ink in a solvent that is designed to soak in and blend. It goes straight through book paper every time.
• Water-based markers (the kind most of us grew up with) bleed less, but a juicy tip held in one spot will still come through.
• Colored pencils and gel pens sit on top of the paper and do not bleed.

So the question is not whether your markers will come through the page. If you use markers, they will. The question is what they land on.

How a single-sided book solves it

When nothing is printed behind a design, bleed-through has nowhere to do damage. The ink lands on a blank page, and the next picture is safe.

It has a second benefit people don’t think about until they want it. A single-sided page can be cut out, framed, taped to the fridge or mailed to a grandchild without losing anything on the back.

In every Paper Riot coloring book, a blank page sits behind each design. A few books put a short page of text there instead, such as the bird facts in Backyard Birding or the affirmations in the Brown Sugar books, but never another picture. Some of our printable PDFs, like Veggies Gone Wild, also come in an original edition with solid black pages between the designs and an Ink Saver edition without them, so you can choose what comes out of your printer.

Protecting the page underneath, in any book

Even in a single-sided book, a heavy-handed alcohol marker will mark the blank page behind it and can go through two sheets. Three habits stop that:

1. Slip a scrap sheet behind the page you are coloring. A piece of cardstock, a cereal-box panel or a folded sheet of printer paper is enough.
2. Keep the marker moving. Bleed comes from ink pooling where the tip rests. Light, quick strokes put down plenty of color without soaking the paper.
3. Test first. Many of our books have a test-your-colors page at the front. Use it to see how your markers behave on that paper before you start on a design you care about.

The printable alternative

If you love alcohol markers and want no bleed at all, a printable PDF takes the paper question out of the book’s hands. Print the page you want on 65 lb (or heavier) cardstock and almost nothing comes through. And if a page goes wrong, you print it again.

Every one of our books is available as a printable PDF, and there is a free sample page from every book to try your markers on first.

Quick checklist before you buy

• Single-sided? Look for the words in the description, or flip through the preview and check for blank pages between designs.
• Paper weight? Most paperbacks don’t say. Assume ordinary book paper and protect the page behind.
• Free sample? Print one and run your markers over it. Ten minutes of testing tells you more than any description.