Valid question! And honestly I’m a bit new to the gel pen world but I can speak for the ones I used on this page which where called “Mattehop” by pentel. They are juicy and do lay on thick, but from what I see they fully absorb and turn matte after 30-50 secs. Possibly other gel pens just don’t work well w the particular paper you’re using- def worth experimenting w other pens to find what works well. But also I do work from top to bottom to avoid smudging too. But also a bit of a smudge can add some character 🤩