Freak369's Full Review: Sanford Vis A Vis Wet Erase Overhead Transparency ...
When it comes to making Shrinky Dinks you have to have the right markers or the reduced pieces will look pretty shoddy. This goes double if you are making your own from blank Shrinky Dink sheets; the best way to print your own is to run them through your printer but if you want to do them freehand then these are some of the best markers to use for the job. Why? Because if you make a mistake you can wipe it clean but if you are using the grainy side of the sheet you may have some left over ink. I wouldn't recommend using these on dry erase boards because there is a slight chance that the ink might not come off or leave a tint behind. I picked up several of these when someone at a craft store suggested trying them out for freehand drawing and I have to say that for this application, they worked a lot better than I expected. You will still have to go over the original design to have it become permanent but to lay down an initial design, there's nothing better on the market.
Sanford Vis-A-Vis Wet Erase Overhead Transparency Marker Fine Point Black
I hate to start off with a negative about this marker but I have to get it out of the way now; why couldn't Sanford have made the design of this a little different than their other markers – mainly the Sharpie line. If you aren't paying attention when you are reaching for something it is extremely easy to grab this instead of a regular Sharpie. You won't have to worry about writing with this on paper because as soon as you make the first line you'll see that it looks faded. Why? Because these aren’t meant to be used on paper but rather on a slick surface. This is a semi permanent type of ink that can be removed with a wet cloth or if you prefer a specialty type cleaner that comes in a wipe or spray on form. This is what sets it apart from dry erase markers, all they need is to be wiped off with a paper towel and you are good to go. Sure that makes it easier to clean up but at the same time you run the risk of erasing something accidentally. On a side note, the ink is non-toxic and as far as a scent or smell – I can't pick up on any when I use it on a slick surface but oddly enough, when I write on paper with it, you do smell 'something'.
The fine point tip is the one that works best for me, they are available in other sizes and colors but this is the one that gets the most use. As I said, this isn't something that you are going to be able to use on any type of paper unless it has a slick or glossy surface to it. You can use this on photographs but just like the dry erase boards, there is a chance that it will leave a haze or tint behind when you go to remove it. For the Shrinky Dink sheets I like to use this on the plain side [non grain] so that it can be completely removed if I make a mistake. When I am satisfied with how the design looks I can go over it without any problem, try doing that with any other marker and you will get crappy results. Another great thing that this marker can be used on is laminated sheets. We has an "in and out" system at the shop for a while where each person would write in their time in and time out so others would know who was around. As you may imagine, people would forget to write in a time or erase the previous days information and it became a true headache to try and make heads or tales of the Sanskrit that some of them tried to pass off as writing.
When I went looking for these I had a hard time finding them sold individually. Thanks to one of the guys at Staples, I got a couple of loose ones that came from a box that was damaged. After I played around with them on the Shrinky Dink paper I decided to get a few other colors and see if they worked the same way. I do have to say this, if you are planning on using these on Shrinky Dinks that you are shrinking you are going to be disappointed with the results. The ink will smudge off even after the item has been reduced so don't even waste your time. I got the chance to use these for their intended purpose at the ComicCon this year but wasn't all that impressed with them. They squeaked something fierce when you wrote on the plastic sheets but the person that was doing the presentation assured me that it wasn't the markers, it was the cheap pages that his boss purchased trying to save a couple of cents. The markers I purchased were .79 cents a piece because they were from a broken box, ones in the packages cost about $1.29 depending on where you are shopping.
The Bottom Line
Regardless of what you are planning on doing with these markers, they are a solid Sanford product that comes with their guarantee that you will be satisfied with it or they will replace it at no cost to you. If you are a crafter these are nice to have if you do any type of glass work; you can make the lines on it, cut it then wipe off the edges with a wet paper towel. The same goes for making templates for quilts, you never want to run the risk of having ink smear off on to pieces of fabric so using something like this on your templates ensures that you will be able to get all the ink off. I wonder if the folks at Sanford have any idea that Shrinky Dink people are making good use of this line of marker. Maybe they'll put out a specialty line just for us!
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