2023 Coloring Planner Review: Premium Paper, Hardcovers, and Creative Freedom

Introduction

The 2023 Coloring Planner is a yearly release with a limited print run, and this year only 1,600 copies are being printed. That makes it worth looking at early rather than waiting for a restock that may never come. The big story this year is the paper: after feedback that the 2022 planner’s stock underperformed with pencils, the manufacturer went through a range of samples and chose a new paper built to handle as many coloring mediums as possible.

We put that paper through a full stress test: colored pencils from eight brands, water-based markers, highlighters, acrylic paint pens, alcohol markers, and watercolor pencils. Here’s how it all held up.

Design and Build Quality

Over successive yearly upgrades, the planner has moved from a basic original design to something that feels genuinely premium: a beautiful hardcover, gold binding, laminated tabs, and a custom box. Everything about it feels creative and giftable, whether for a friend or yourself.

There isn’t another planner like it on the market right now, with coloring pages for every month and coloring borders along every page, so creativity becomes part of your everyday routine.

Paper Performance with Colored Pencils

The pencil test covered a wide spread of brands and quality levels: Prismacolor Premier, Faber-Castell Polychromos, Caran d’Ache Luminance, Holbein, Brutfuner, Black Widow, Arteza, and even Crayola. The goal was to see how the paper performs beyond soft, forgiving pencils.

The result was impressive across the board. Every brand performed beautifully, with vibrant color laydown even from budget pencils like Crayola. If you color primarily with pencils, this paper should feel excellent regardless of what’s in your pencil case.

Markers and Highlighters: The Real Test

Markers are far less forgiving than pencils, so this is where the paper faced its first serious challenge. With Crayola Super Tips, the paper handled a thick single layer and blending without issue, and only began to warp at six heavy layers, with the paper pulling up slightly at seven. Seven heavy layers is far more than any normal coloring session would require.

Ohuhu’s water-based markers blended surprisingly well, which is unusual for that marker type. The back-of-page check was the real surprise: after seven heavy layers, nothing bled through at all, with only the tiniest amount of warping. Spectrum Noir Aquamarkers and acrylic paint pens also showed nothing on the reverse side.

Alcohol Markers: The Ultimate Challenge

Alcohol markers are the known enemy of thin planner paper, so testing Sharpies, Copic, Ohuhu, and Arrtx was the ultimate challenge. A Winsor & Newton Pro Marker was added to see whether it bled any differently.

The honest result: they all bled through. However, the bleed was far less than expected. Only a final blended stroke with the Pro Marker reached the next page, and overall the bleed was less severe than on other papers. Still, if you want to keep artwork intact on the back of the page, alcohol markers are best avoided entirely.

Watercolor Pencils: Pushing the Paper Further

With the marker results in hand, the final test was watercolor, using Derwent Inktense, Faber-Castell Albrecht Dürer, and Caran d’Ache Museum Aquarelle pencils, each tried with both an alcohol blender and water. Generous amounts of water were applied, more than a careful technique would use.

The colors did not go through the page at all. The paper buckled where heavy water was applied, which is normal for mixed media work, but it still feels fairly strong and pleasant to write on. For anyone wanting to explore watercolor pencil effects in their planner, this paper opens up real possibilities.

Format Options and Extras

Beyond the hardcover planner, there are a few ways to buy:

• DIY printable planner: a PDF in US Letter and A4 sizes with printable cover files you can color yourself. Good for saving on shipping, binding your own way, or adding extra copies of the coloring pages. It can be added to a hardcover order at half price.
• Digital coloring planner: a paperless PDF for iPad or tablet use in apps like GoodNotes or Xodo, with page frames and bonus sticker files as separate images for coloring in apps like Procreate. Also available at half price when bundled with the hardcover planner.
• Sticker range: buying the planner in the same order unlocks 50% off the entire sticker range, including the new 2023 sticker book, with no limit on how many sticker sheets or books you can add.

Should You Buy It?

If you color with pencils, water-based markers, or even watercolor pencils, this year’s paper handles far more than expected, and the hardcover, gold binding, laminated tabs, and custom box make it a standout gift option. If your preferred medium is alcohol markers, this probably isn’t the planner for keeping artwork on every page, though even those bled less than on typical paper.

The main practical note is availability: the print run is limited to 1,600 copies, so ordering early matters if you want one this year.

Conclusion

The 2023 Coloring Planner delivers on its main goal. The new paper is a genuine improvement, handling pencils from every quality tier, surviving seven layers of water-based marker without bleed-through, and even tolerating watercolor with only minor buckling. Combined with the upgraded hardcover design and creative extras, it’s a strong pick for anyone who wants coloring built into their daily planning.