I've been experimenting with a red Sharpie pen on some card backs recently, and while my "enhancements" serve their intended purpose well, I find that the Sharpie ink betrays its presence via a "glare" when light strikes it at oblique angles. Rubbing with a fingertip reduces the phenomenon somewhat, but I'm wondering if someone knows a technique to eliminate it altogether. Any and all advice would be much appreciated.

Have you tried a matte coat on top?

Thanks for the reply, IncantoMagic. No, I'm not really sure how to do that. However, it appears that the problem really only manifests itself with very smooth, glossy card finishes, so I am currently avoiding those and instead working with the "bumpier" finishes like the air-cushion or linen types, which seem to diffuse and minimize the glare. Thus my problem seems now to be resolved as far as my needs go. Thanks once again for your kind attention to my post--much appreciated. (smile)

Sure thing. As for the matte coat. Just get a can of clear matte coat spraypaint, and give it a light spray. It will change the texture of the card, though, which could be a bad thing....or not

It might help to actually use marking card ink. Never heard of a sharpie being used to mark playing cards. That is why they sell marked playing card decks, and special inks. The ink they use to print playing cards is a special formula just for this reason.

Bill: Re: "It might help to actually use marking card ink. Never heard of a sharpie being used to mark playing cards."

Back in the day, i.e. Chicago in the mid-fifties, it was rumored that the K.C. Card Company was producing perfectly color-matched markings using inks that had somehow found their way "out the back door" (wink) of the USPCC factory. I still own a red Bee borderless deck and a blue Bicycle fan back deck from K.C. whose colors have not faded over the past 60-odd years. Today, you can simply Google a phrase such as "how to mark cards" to locate several grass-roots links to self-mark your own cards. The link below shows a system using a common Sharpie pen, while others employ "scratch" methods utilizing a pin or razor knife, etc. Also, there is at least one seller on eBay who offers decks that he hand-marks (presumably using a Sharpie) following a system strongly resembling the one used in the link below. Others have observed that the stock red Sharpie is a good match for many red decks, with blue backs presenting more of a challenge.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dw6EROGnksw

One thing to consider is the constantly changing ink formula that the Sharpie company considers to use with their different pens.

I worked for a factory that was closing, and one of the engineers landed a job in Chicago with Sharpie company to work on this very thing, discovering ink formulas for their pens.

So what once worked, may not work as time passes.

To remove the reflective properties, you might try the old ink blotter, and see that helps.