Copic FAQ
What’s the history of Copic?
Copic started life when Ishii Soyo opened an art supply shop in Tokyo that imported products from outside Japan. The shop was called Izumiya, and it expanded and created its own marker brands. The Copic brand wouldn’t begin until 1987, as a solution for existing markers not working very well on photocopied pages and laser prints. The available markers of the time dissolved the ink of the photocopy, which was a big problem at the time. And so Copic markers were designed and made. Photocopying might not be quite as important in the 2020s, but Copic markers are still some of the most popular on the market.
What makes Copic different?
The huge range of Copic markers is impressive. They make different styles of marker, like the Copic Sketch or the Copic Ciao, but the real breadth is found in the colour choices. The Copic Sketch range includes a set of 358 different colours. You can see why that would be a popular choice for professional artists and designers.
Colours are divided into the actual colour code, and a lightness/darkness level, which makes it very easy to pick out shadows and highlights in the same colour, which was perfect for manga art. As the popularity of manga and anime spread outside Japan, so did Copic markers.
Recommended Copic products
The Copic Acrea is the newest addition to the Copic range, and it’s proving to be popular. They are water-based paint markers that are opaque and have been designed to complement other marker types in the Copic range. They come in a range of vivid colours, and our customers have been using them to create some impressive stuff.
Possibly our most popular Copic products are the Copic Ciao Markers. They are more of an entry-level marker, being cheaper than the more premium Copic Sketch. However, they are still of a good quality, with one end having a flexible brush nib and the other an angled chisel nib. The ink is the same alcohol-based ink used in the high-end markers, and can be refilled, making them even more cost-effective.
