20 Expert Dice Inking Tips to Make Your Dice Stand Out

So, you’ve finally done it. You’ve made your first set of resin dice, and they turned out beautifully: no bubbles, no weird inclusions floating in the wrong place, everything cured and came out of the mould nicely! There’s just one thing left to do before they're completely finished: the inking process AKA painting the numbers! It’s a little detail that can make all the difference, helping your numbers stand out and giving your dice a polished, professional look. This step is often where the whole creation comes together.

Let’s dive into some essential tips for inking your dice, from the very basics to some more advanced tricks, so you can get the absolute best result every time. Whether this is your first set or your fiftieth, these tried-and-true lessons will help guide you through the sometimes-tricky but always-rewarding final phase of dice creation.

Ready? Let’s go!

1. Start Clean

Before inking, make sure your dice are properly cleaned and polished. Any residue, oils, or sanding dust left on your dice can mess with how the ink settles and clump up in the numbers. Using an ultrasonic cleaner, or a toothbrush with a little soap and water, or rubbing alcohol will get rid of any surface oils and polishing residue.

2. Choose the Right Ink

Acrylic paints, paint markers, and metallic alcohol inks are all popular choices in the dice-making community. Acrylic paint markers, like those from brands such as Posca are great for precise application, however most dice maker prefer to use acrylic paint due to the ease of application and ability to mix the perfect colours.

3. Test Your Colours

Always test your ink or paint colour on a dump cast or failed dice before you commit to an entire set. What seems perfect in theory might not look quite right once it’s applied and dried, and it’s better to find this out early! Most acrylic paints will dry darker, so if you're wanting to maintain that beautiful light colour, consider adding a bit more white to it!

4. Brushes or Pens?

Paintbrushes work well for some, while others prefer markers. Find the tool that works best for you! We prefer to use acrylic paint with a brush, it's messy, but you just paint it on and wipe it off with a piece of paper towel. Done.

5. Thin vs Thick Paint

If you’re using acrylic paint, consider thinning it slightly with water. Too-thick paint can obscure the numbers or lead to clumping, while thin paint will flow into the grooves more easily. Similar to miniature painting, aiming for the consistency of milk is a good place to start - just be warned, the thinner it is, the more likely it is to run out when you move to the next side!

6. Go Slow

Don’t rush through inking, especially if this is your first time. It’s best to ink one side of the die at a time and give it a few minutes to dry in between sides to avoid smudging. If you do smudge the paint, just re-apply and give the excess a cleanup with paper towel.

7. Use a Damp Q-tip or cotton bud for Cleanup

Excess paint can sometimes spill over the numbers onto the surface of the die. No need to panic! A lightly dampened Q-tip can help clean up mistakes with minimal damage to the paint already inside the numbers. Alternately, just use some paper towel to wipe across the number.

8. Inking with Multiple Colours

Using more than one colour on a number can look awesome, but it requires extra thought and care. Apply your first colour and allow it to dry fully before adding or blending in a second. Alternately, you can consider highlighting different numbers with different colours!

9. Allow for Proper Dry Time

After the inking process, don't rush to finish. Give each layer of ink or paint plenty of time to dry before handling the dice or moving on to the next side. If you’re using paint markers, they might dry relatively quickly, but acrylics may need a bit longer. I know you're clean to play with them, but give them plenty of time to dry first!

10. Prepare for Ink Spills

No matter how careful you are, accidents happen. Having paper towels handy is essential, and make sure your work surface is protected or covered before starting. Resin dice can be sensitive to certain solvents, so you’ll want to avoid overly abrasive cleaning products. You can use baby wipes or some dilluted IPA if you need to clean up some hard to remove paint!

11. Experiment with Metallics

Try gold or silver on a darker die set for a stunning contrast! Metallic alcohol inks also look amazing, though depending on the brand, you may need to seal it with an acrylic varnish, Modge Podge or even UV resin. Experiment and see what works.

12. Storage After Inking

Ensure your dice dry in an area where they can’t be accidentally touched or bumped during the drying process. A warm, dry, and dust-free area is ideal. Some people like to store them in a shallow tray or a soft foam dice storage case during this time.

13. Test Under Different Lighting

What might look great under your desk light might appear vastly different in natural lighting. Check your work under multiple light sources so you’re confident in the final look when your dice are used on game day.

14. Fix Smudges with Rubbing Alcohol

Smudged outside of the numbers? Don’t worry. A dab of rubbing alcohol on a cotton swab or precision brush can help remove mistakes without damaging the ink in the engraved areas. But always test this on a non-visible spot first to make sure the alcohol doesn’t mess with your dice's overall finish.

15. Stick with High Contrast

If you’re unsure about colour choices, a good rule is to choose a high-contrast pair (like black on white, silver/gold on black). The higher the contrast between the die and ink color, the more readable your numbers will be—especially helpful for gameplay. A wise man once said "When it doubt, ink your dice white or gold." That said, wise-men on the internet are usually telling a fib!

16. Stuck for ideas?

Tools like the Adobe Colour wheel are great for figuring out perfect combinations. Consider contrasting colours, or even experiment with similar ones! I've actually had DM's ask me for stealth dice, e.g black dice with very dark inked numbers so their players couldn't see the results!

17. Colours aren't strong enough or not opaque?

Different paints have different consistencies and pigment content. Some colours such as yellow are notoriously difficult to get a thick coating. In this case, the best thing to do is let the first coat dry and apply a second (or even third) until you get the coverage that you like!

18. Share Your Results!

Whether it's your first set or your hundredth, posting pictures online or showing them to your tabletop group can lead to great feedback and support. The dice-making community loves to see what others are working on! Post your results on platforms like Instagram, r/dicemaking on Reddit, or our Critmaker Discord group!

19. Enjoy the Process!

Lastly, don’t stress too much! Inking should be fun, whether you’re trying to come up with the perfect colour scheme or simply standing proud by the dice you created. Every set of dice is unique, and your inking choices can reflect your own style.

20. Bonus: A Guide For Every Step of the Way

If you're new to dice making, you should consider buying a copy of our book, The Critmaker Guide to Dice Craft! We cover every aspect of dice-making including inking your dice - it's much loved by the community and is the perfect gift for yourself or dice-making-obessed friend/partner/barista!

Final Thoughts:

As you gain more practices, you'll develop your own preferences for inking styles and colours. Remember, the most important thing is that you have fun! And, don't forget to check out the work of other dice makers in the community. Swap ideas, share tips, or ask for advice — there’s always something new to learn!

Now that you’re ready to ink away, feel free to share your results with us on our Discord or tag us on social media. We love seeing what our fellow creators are up to! Happy inking! 🎲🖌️