What is a single-sided coloring book, and why it matters

A single-sided coloring book prints each drawing on one side of the sheet and leaves the back blank. No drawing is ever printed behind the one you are coloring, and any page can be cut out and framed without losing the one behind it. Every Nibfern coloring book is single-sided.

Why are coloring book pages printed on one side?

• Show-through. Markers and heavy gel pen can show through book paper. With a blank back, no drawing is printed behind the one you are coloring. Slip a spare sheet behind the page to protect the next one.
• Cutting out. If both sides carry drawings, cutting one out ruins the other. Single-sided pages come out cleanly.
• Framing. A drawing with a blank back can go straight into a frame.

Single-sided versus double-sided

Do markers soak through coloring book pages?

Alcohol markers usually soak into book paper, and some show on the back. In a single-sided book it never spoils a drawing on the back of the same sheet, but it can reach the next page, so slip a spare sheet behind the page to protect the next one, or cut the page out and color it flat on the table. Colored pencils, gel pens and fineliners suit the paper best.

What else to look for

Nibfern books add a light gray shading guide under each drawing and a dotted cut line that trims a finished page to 7 x 9 inches for a standard 8 x 10 frame. See Quiet Ocean and Quiet Winter.

In short

Single-sided means one drawing per sheet with a blank back: no drawing ruined by the one in front of it, and every page ready to cut out and frame.

Quick answers