Thanks for your order. Five steps and you will have a clean imprint. The whole thing takes about two minutes the first time, and about ten seconds every time after that.
Every step is written out below, so you never need the video.
The five steps
1
Put the marker in the handle
Take the cap off the marker and slide it into the handle, tip first, until it sits against the engraved roll. It only goes one way round.
2
Check the tip is touching
Turn the roll with your finger. The marker tip should press against it lightly. If it does not reach, turn the adjuster at the base of the handle until it does.
3
Ink the roll
Roll it slowly back and forth on scrap paper two or three times. You will see the whole band fill in with colour. This is the step people skip, and it is why a first imprint looks patchy.
4
Roll your box
Put the surface flat, rest the roller on it, and pull it towards you in one smooth line. Use light pressure and let the weight of the roller do the work.
5
Cap the marker straight away
Put the cap back on as soon as you finish. An uncapped marker tip dries out in minutes and that is the most common way one gets ruined.
Getting the first one right
Practise on a spare box before you do the real ones. Two or three rolls and you will have the pressure right.
One pass, not three. Going over the same line again is what causes doubled, blurry edges.
Roll from your shoulder with a straight wrist, not from your fingers. It keeps the line straight without thinking about it.
Give the ink about 30 seconds before you stack or pack the boxes.
Looking after it
Treated properly, the roll outlasts a lot of markers. There are only three rules.
Wipe the roll after use
A dry cloth or paper towel over the engraved band, that is all. It stops dried ink building up in the fine detail.
Always cap the marker
Every single time. This matters more than everything else on this page put together.
Never soak it in solvent
No acetone, no white spirit, no putting the roll in a jar of cleaner. It attacks the engraving and the bearing.
If something looks wrong
Almost every problem is one of these five, and none of them mean the roller is broken.
The imprint is faint or patchy
The roll is probably not fully inked yet. Roll it on scrap paper a few more times. If it stays patchy, check the marker still has ink and that the tip is pressing against the roll.
The imprint is smudged or too thick
Too much ink, or too much pressure. Roll off the excess on scrap paper and go lighter. The roller only needs its own weight.
Some letters print and others do not
Either the roll is unevenly inked, or the surface is not flat. Re-ink, then make sure whatever you are printing on is supported underneath.
The marker does not reach the roll
Turn the adjuster at the base of the handle to close the gap. If it still will not reach, the marker is probably a size we do not stock. Check the list of markers that fit.
The ink beads up or rubs off
Wrong ink for that surface. Alcohol and oil inks suit paper, card, kraft and metal. Chalk suits glass and plastic. See which ink for which surface.
Still stuck?
Send us a photo of the imprint and we will tell you what to adjust. We would rather hear from you than have you give up on it.