Content

• To step
• Method 1 of 3: Remove ink with household chemicals
• Method 2 of 3: Using friction to remove ink
• Method 3 of 3: Cover ink spots
• Tips
• Warnings

You may want to remove that bad grade from the top of your math test or cut out old notes in the margin of a second-hand book. If you're an artist who works with pens and ink, you might want to know how to fix a flaw in a work of art. With the help of simple household products and the right technique, it is possible to remove most of the ink from the paper. Even though it is very difficult to completely remove the ink, using a combination of different techniques will increase the chances of making the paper white again.

To step

Method 1 of 3: Remove ink with household chemicals

1. Use acetone to remove ink. Most nail polish removers have acetone as the main ingredient, and you can use this to remove ink from paper. Apply a small amount of acetone to a cotton swab and rub it over the ink you are trying to remove.
   • This works best with regular ballpoint pen ink.
   • Blue ink can be removed more easily than black ink.
2. Try isopropyl alcohol to remove the ink. You can apply isopropyl alcohol to any type of paper that you want to remove ink from. If you only want to remove a small amount of ink, use a cotton swab. To remove most of the ink on a page, soak the paper in a small, shallow container for five minutes.
   • Any brand of isopropyl alcohol is suitable for this method. Do not use alcohol that contains fragrances and dyes.
   • Cover the areas of the paper that you don't want to remove ink from.
3. Apply lemon juice to the ink stain. Pour a small amount of lemon juice into a glass or jar. Dip a cotton swab in the lemon juice. Then gently wipe the wet cotton swab over the ink you want to remove.
   • The acid will dissolve the ink, but will do the same to the paper. So be careful, especially if you are removing ink from very thin paper.
   • Tough, thick paper can withstand the removal process better than thin paper.
4. Mix baking soda with water to make a thin paste. To get the best result, mix the substances in a small glass bowl. Use a clean, white cotton cloth to blot the baking soda paste onto the ink-stained paper. Gently rub the paste into the ink you want to remove.
   • An old toothbrush can be useful for transferring the paste from the bowl to the paper, or for smearing the paste on the ink. This works best when the bristles of the toothbrush are still relatively good and not too worn.
   • Let the paper dry thoroughly. There is no need to rinse off the baking soda. The water will evaporate and the baking soda will simply fall off the paper.

Method 2 of 3: Using friction to remove ink

1. Use a special ink eraser. If you use erasable ink, you can easily remove it with an ink eraser. Erasable ink is usually blue, not black, and is clearly marked on the packaging as being erasable. You can often buy erasable ink pens with an eraser on the top.
   • If you are not sure if it is erasable ink, try removing it with an ink eraser to find out.
   • An eraser made of gum or rubber works best with pencil and graphite. It is better not to use them to remove ink.
   • It is possible to remove ink with an eraser made of vinyl, but be careful. This type of eraser is very rough and can easily break the paper itself when you remove the ink.
2. Sand off the ink with sandpaper. Use very fine sandpaper (with a grain size indicated by three numbers) and a small sanding block. If you have to work very meticulously to remove the ink and you can't do it with a small sanding block or your fingers, cut a small piece of sandpaper and glue it to a piece of eraser on top of a pencil. Gently rub the ink in small, sideways movements with the sandpaper.
   • Be careful not to apply too much pressure when rubbing the ink with the sandpaper.
   • Blow gently on the paper to remove small grains, ink particles, or scraps of paper. This way you can better see how far you have progressed.
3. Use a fine sander to remove ink from paper. A sander is basically a mechanical way of sanding a surface, and you can sand the paper more evenly and more easily than you can do by hand. It is recommended to use a small sander with a rounded sanding cup intended for stone.
   • A sander is especially recommended for removing ink fringes from books.
   • A sander is often too rough to use on a paper surface, unless it is very strong paper.

Method 3 of 3: Cover ink spots

1. Apply correction fluid. Correction fluid will not remove the ink, but it can cover the ink making it appear to have been removed. Correction Fluid, best known by the brand name Tipp-Ex, is a thick fluid that is often white in color and is intended to cover accidental ink spots or mistakes on paper. It is usually applied with a small brush attached to the bottle cap.
   • Correction fluid can dry out, clump or flake. Make sure the correction fluid is the correct consistency before applying it.
   • Correction fluid will be wet after you apply it. Be careful not to touch and transfer the wet liquid to another surface.
2. Cover the ink with correction tape. If you want to remove ink in vertical or horizontal stripes, correction tape may be the best way to cover up your mistakes. One side of the tape is intended to resemble paper, and the other side sticks and therefore sticks to the paper. Correction tape is usually white, but other colors are also available for other colors of paper.
   • If you look closely, you will likely be able to see the correction tape on the paper.
   • If you scan or copy a sheet of paper with correction tape on it, someone else probably won't notice the correction tape.
3. Cover spilled or smeared ink with paper. If you want to remove or change a small area of ​​an ink drawing, sometimes the easiest solution is to cover that area with a small piece of paper. Find a blank piece of paper that resembles the one with the ink and cut out a piece large enough to cover the error. Glue the piece of paper over the flaw. Draw or rewrite on the new surface.
   • Make sure that the edges of the piece of paper are pressed against the surface of the paper underneath, and do not curl or bend.
   • Someone who looks closely will be able to detect your correction on the paper, depending on how closely he or she looks at it.
   • If you make a scan or copy of the original, it will probably be a lot more difficult to see your correction.
4. Camouflage spilled ink. If you're working with pens and ink, and make a mistake or spill some ink, your first thought may be to clear the mistake. If none of the above methods are practical for removing the ink, you could mask the error by adding elements to your drawing, such as a background or color.
   • You can also cover up the error by drawing an opaque color over the ink.
   • If you accidentally drew outside of your original design, consider adding some embellishments to your drawing. Doing this will make it look like you actually intended to draw it this way.
5. Trace the content of the page and start over. Of course you don't remove the ink this way, but this works in exactly the same way as removing an error. If none of the above methods work to remove the ink from the paper, put a new sheet of paper on top of the paper with the error. Trace the contents of the entire paper, except for the portion you want to delete. Finish it off by correcting it on the new sheet of paper.
   • This method takes time and effort, but drawing with pen and ink is probably the best way to go.
   • If you correct your mistake this way, you will get a brand new page, as if you never made a mistake.

Tips

• Use gel pens if you are concerned that someone will remove the ink from an important paper. The above methods rarely work with gel pen ink.
• Cover the areas of the paper that you do not want to remove ink from when using a removal method. If you protect the paper by applying masking tape or covering it with another sheet of paper, you will not accidentally remove ink that should not have been removed.

Warnings

• When trying to remove ink from the pages of a book, remember that your removal method can damage the pages. Find an inconspicuous area and test the removal method on it before using it on a larger area.