FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What materials can I use to color my shrinky dinks?

Graphite/#2 pencils, colored pencils, & permanent markers work best. Stay away from crayons, oil pastels, paints, ink pens, and washable markers.

Which side do I color on?

For pencils and colored pencils, use the rough dull side. I prefer the shiny side for permanent markers, but they work on both (*sometimes fine lines and colors can bleed into one another on the rough side.) When drawing with marker, be sure to give your designs a few seconds to dry. Because the plastic doesn’t absorb the way paper does, your lines can smudge.

Can I erase?

Pencils and colored pencils will both erase enough to fix small mistakes.

The plastic cracked while I was cutting, now what?

Because the plastic is not as forgiving as paper, small cracks can develop when cutting around tight curves. Bubble cutting helps avoid this. If small cracks do occur, they typically self heal fairly well in the oven.

Oops! We accidentally cut an arm off…

If it is a piece that won’t get too much wear and tear, like a magnet, you can try to salvage it. Continue to cut everything out, bake the pieces, and glue it back together using super glue once everything has cooled. If it is destined to be a keychain or something that will get knocked around, you may need to re-think your design :)

Which side do I bake them on?

When placing your pieces onto the baking sheet, the side you colored on should face up.

Can I use wax paper or aluminum foil as a substitute for parchment paper on my baking sheet?

Aluminum foil will work fine, but wax paper should never go in the oven. Additionally, never bake a shrinky dink on an uncovered baking sheet. You will run the risk of it getting stuck.

It’s shriveling up, HELP!

By nature, shrinky dinks will curl up as they shrink. That’s half the fun! Keep a close eye on them. Most will sort themselves out. If a spot seems to be stuck, you can quickly and carefully pull it apart with your fingers. The plastic will be hot. Return it to the oven until it fully flattens out.

How do you know when they’re finished shrinking?

Once the design has completely flattened out, I usually give it an additional 30 seconds or so then pull it out.

Is it possible to over-bake or burn a shrinky dink?

You should never leave your shrinky dinks unattended. Watching them shrink is the best part! The whole process happens in under 5 minutes, especially if you pre-heat your baking sheet. I will caution that if you are using a counter top oven you may need to turn the temperature down to 300° because the heating element is closer.