How to fix Ink Bleeding on Journal Pages?
"We don't make mistakes -- we just have happy accidents." - Bob Ross
Modern paper is made with ballpoint pens in mind. Ballpoint pens leave less ink on paper than traditional dip pens or feather quills. While the nib and ink can make a difference, the main contributors to "splashes" and "ink absorbed" in your journals is usually the type of paper we use.
What is Ink Feathering?
Ink feathering is when ink 'spreads' on the paper from where it was initially laid down. It spreads across the page in width. Low-quality paper such as newspaper or cheap, thinner paper can easily lead to ink feathering. Some inks are wetter than others, which causes them to feather more readily than other inks.
What is Ink Bleeding?
Ink bleeding refers to ink seeping all the way through the thickness of the paper. Bleeding occurs when ink soaks through a piece of paper through its thickness to the other side. This is a problem because you might not be able to write on both sides of a piece of paper if it bleeds too much. A faint view of the previous page will be seen. It can also means that ink might soak through onto the next piece of paper or even the surface you’re writing on due to the thickness of it.
What is Ink Ghosting?
Ink Ghosting is very similar to Ink Bleeding with a small significant difference. Ghosting happens when you can see the writing on one side of the paper from its other side; However the ink has not actually bled through to the other side. It just means you can see the ink writing. Ghosting is visually unappealing, especially if you prefer writing on both sides of a journal paper.
How can you avoid ink feathering, bleeding or ghosting?
While the nib and ink can make a difference, the main contributors to "splashes" and "ink absorbed" in your journals is usually the type of paper we use. Good quality paper and less runny ink will make sure that you can avoid feathering, bleeding and ghosting.
However, another solution if you truly want to use a journal with thinner pages is to glue two pages together after you are done writing on them. This will avoid the effects of bleeding and ghosting, however if feathering has occurred, it will not be fixed.
