Neenah Solar White is Not for Me

I don't usually talk about products if I don't love them, but I felt like this might be an elephant in the crafting space no one is talking about. If you've been around the card-making world a minute and you love alcohol markers specifically Copics, then you've heard about Neenah Solar White. It is professed to be the magic paper for color with alcohol markers. For me, it is not.

When I first bought my Copic markers I had to have the magic paper. I drank the cool-aid and bought a small package of Neenah Solar White 80-pound. I was so excited to get the paper, I couldn't wait to try it. Was it magic? No, I hated it. I still have most of that small ream and it's collecting dust on the shelf.

How could I hate the magic paper? I struggled with marker bleed. On every single project. No matter how careful and lighthanded I colored with my amazing alcohol markers, I ended up with marker bleed. I was so frustrated and terribly disappointed. I began to question my decision to even invest in Copic markers.

Rather than give up, I started testing my markers on other white papers in my studio. I learned that I already had my magic paper. It turned out to be a Neenah paper, but not the professed magic one. I color on Neenah Bright White 65-pound Cover Stock. I get perfect results almost every time! Yes, I do still get the occasional marker bleed, but that is most often caused by forcing a less traditional blend of colors.

Neenah Bright White happens to be the same card stock I make all my white card bases and interior writing panels from. We'll talk about this more in a future post. It's a smooth paper that gives me crisp stamped images and is lovely to write on.

I'm so happy I found my magic paper for Alcohol markers. It's also cheaper and easier to come by than the Neenah Solar White. It comes in reams of 250 sheets and I usually purchase it from Amazon or Office Max.

The moral of the story is just because someone tells you it's magic, doesn't mean it will be your magic too. There are a number of papers out there for coloring with markers, specifically alcohol markers. I have tried a couple of those as well but always come back to my Neenah Bright White.

Don't give up on your supplies just because what you heard was the magic formula doesn't work. Experiment, try, test, and see if there are other options on the market that are right for you and how you use your supplies.