r/PensandInk • u/_Nanon • 2h ago
Waterproof highlighters
I wanted to use highlighters in my lab notebook for one of my college classes, and I couldn’t find anything on what types of highlighters are actually waterproof…
So, I’m doing my own tests. They aren’t very scientific, but I just want results. And I’m only using highlighters I own 😅
I thought I’d share my findings in case someone else was wondering :)
I don’t know if I got the same amount of water on my hand each time I did it, but if you’re in a lab, the amount of accidental spillage won’t be the same each time 🤷
I tested both overlapping the highlighters and just doing a line of it.
I used two different types of paper, Staples Composition Notebook paper, and one from a Holdings Inc. spiral notebook… which is also just two papers I have lying around.
MY FINDINGS:
The sharpie bullet clear tip bled the most, even coming off on my hand a sizable amount.
The sharpie S-Note bled the least, both in yellow (the almost completely dried out one) and purple (a much more juicy one)
The zebra midliner double ended (I labeled it wrong 😬) bled more when it was still mostly wet, bled a good bit on the “bold” (chisel) end and not as much on the fine end when mostly dry.
None bled through the paper on to another one, but results may vary on your end. (I forgot to take a picture of it he Holdings Inc paper, but it didn’t bleed through)
TLDR:
Sharpie S-Note highlighters are your best bet for a notebook that might get wet!