Why Does it say "Do Not Shake" on Sharpie Permanent Markers

Why do Sharpies say: Do Not Shake?

Why Do Sharpies Say, "Do Not Shake"?

Almost every home in the U.S. contains a Sharpie in its junk drawer. If you have an artist in your home, then you may even have a large colorful assortment of Sharpie permanent markers on-hand. 

Have you ever looked at a Sharpie real closely?

If so, you may notice that on some Sharpie markers, it says: "Do not shake." There is a perfectly good reason for this, and it may be simpler than you think.

The Real Reason Why it says "Do Not Shake" on a Sharpie

Question: Why do Sharpie permanent markers say do not shake?
Similar Question: Why do Sharpies say: do not shake?

You may be wondering why some Sharpie permanent markers say: "Do not shake" on the body of the marker. It's a great question.

The Answer: Why Does a Sharpie say "Do Not Shake"

Sharpie markers are filled with permanent ink. If that ink was dripping from a Sharpie, it would splatter if you flick or shake the Sharpie permanent marker. Permanent ink stains the surfaces that it bleeds onto. This is the main reason not to shake a Sharpie. The marker ink splatters are permanent and can ruin clothes, and stain walls, and other things.

Even if the ink does not splatter, if the marker falls out of a your hand, it could fall onto and mark your pants, or even a permanent ink spot on your carpet. You will have to deal with an ink splatter or an ink bleed if you are careless with an open Sharpie permanent marker.

Do you really want your favorite jeans or shirt stained with permanent ink?

No. Nobody wants this.

More Reasons for the "Do Not Shake" Warning

A Sharpie marker says "do not shake" on the label because shaking the marker can cause the ink to become aerated or mixed with the solvent in the pen. This can affect the quality of the ink and cause the marker to write unevenly or not at all.

The ink in a Sharpie marker is made up of several chemicals, including a solvent, a resin, and a colorant. When you shake the marker, the ink and the solvent mix together, creating air bubbles in the ink. These air bubbles can cause the ink to write unevenly or not at all, and can also cause the ink to dry out more quickly.

In general, it's best to store Sharpie markers with the cap on, in a horizontal position, and at room temperature to ensure the ink remains fresh and the marker writes smoothly.

Another unlikely reason for the "Do not shake" warning on a Sharpie, is that the cap of the Sharpie could fill up with ink when you flick or shake the marker. Then, when opened, the ink cap could spill permanent ink everywhere, creating quite a mess. The resulting clean-up will not be fun.

Real Story about a Co-Worker Shaking a Highlighter

One time a co-worker was holding a yellow highlighter in her hand. She was flicking the marker between her thumb and forefinger very rapidly. She did this for a few minutes. Minutes later, she looked down and noticed yellow highlighter ink was splattered all over the papers on her desk. Oops!

They should have put "Do not shake" on the highlighter because the ink can splatter. Since almost all Sharpies are permanent ink, this would stain clothes and be tough to wash out of a shirt or pants. This is another good reason why a Sharpie says, "Do not shake."

Fact: Some U.S. Cities and States Ban Permanent Markers

Fun Fact: Did you know that some U.S. cities and states ban having Sharpie permanent markers in public?

This is because of vandalism.

According to Wikipedia, California, Florida, New York City, and Berwyn, IL, all have laws against possessing permanent markers and even go as far as banning the sale of them to minors.