It depends on what the coloring agent is.  We've experienced none of that with the ones I mentioned earlier & we've used them several years.  The medium is sign painters enamel.    However other felt tip pens use something else & I've seen the affect you describe.   Dale <div id=AOLMsgPart_0_989b01b3-c585-4fc7-9f1e-daa8fe093eb1 style="FONT-SIZE: 12px; MARGIN: 0px; COLOR: #000; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, Sans-Serif; BACKGROUND-COLOR: #fff">Felt tip markers do not work well in the long run, they fade and shrink in from the edges.    I have been using a fluid writing pen:  <A href="http://www.dickblick.com/zz649/11/" target=_blank>http://www.dickblick.com/zz649/11/</A>    with water-based black acrylic paint, thin size for outline, thick for fill-in.    Gild the plate and spray clear finish coat, touching the plate will cause oxidation  down the line. It is not advisable to apply a lacquer topcoat over water based  products, they are not compatible. It might lift them off or cause them to crackle,  been there, done that.    Applying to clear coat, the water based material can be wiped off if a mistake is made  without compromising the gilded surface. I used to use black lacquer and there was no  such thing as a small mistake. The gloss black acrylic does not need a top coat.    Application is a bit pains-taking for a primo job. Outline first. Apply the left edge on all characters and the top. Go back and do the right edge and the bottom. Go back and fill in.  If you try to do the entire character all at once it can pool too thick and run. A neater, faster job is accomplished with outlining first. Heck, if you have a real steady hand you can leave  the treble logo on S&S's as outline characters just as original. I can't :-(    These fluid writing pens produce sharp, clean characters, better than a brush;  especially for us untrained calligraphers.  --   Regards,    Jon Page  </div> <div id='u8CAC25DD1D4DC6F-EFC-F8C' class='aol_ad_footer'><HR style="MARGIN-TOP: 10px">It's time to go back to school! Get the latest trends and gadgets that make the grade on <A title="http://shopping.aol.com/back-to-school?ncid=aolins00050000000007" href="http://shopping.aol.com/back-to-school?ncid=aolins00050000000007" target="_blank">AOL Shopping</A>. </div>