Walk down any bingo supply aisle and "dauber" turns out to cover a whole family of markers — minis that fit a coat pocket, jumbos built for arthritic hands, glitter and scented inks, soft-dab tips for quiet halls, and novelty shapes that exist purely to make the table laugh. This guide breaks down every major type of bingo dauber, what each one is best at, and which players should pick which.
New to daubers entirely? Start with our complete guide on what bingo daubers are, then come back to pick your type.
Standard Ink Daubers
The default bingo dauber: a 3-to-4-ounce plastic bottle, a round foam tip about three-quarters of an inch across, and fast-drying water-based ink. One standard dauber marks thousands of squares, covers a paper card number in a single press, and costs between $1 and $3 at most stores. If you play occasionally and just want the classic experience, this is the type — everything else on this page is a variation on it.
Mini Bingo Daubers
Mini daubers shrink the bottle to pocket size — usually 1 to 1.5 ounces — while keeping a usable tip. They suit players who carry a full rainbow of colors in a bingo bag, travel games, and party favors, where a full-size dauber per guest would be overkill. The trade-off is capacity: a mini runs dry several sessions sooner, so regulars treat them as accents, not workhorses.
Jumbo and Easy-Grip Daubers
At the other end, jumbo daubers offer fat, easy-to-hold bottles and wider tips that cover a square with less precision required. They are the right choice for players with arthritis or limited grip strength, for anyone marking many cards at speed, and for kids whose aim is still developing. Many halls sell them at the counter for exactly these reasons.
Soft-Dab Daubers
Soft-dab daubers use a more compressible tip that needs less pressure and lands quietly — no rap of plastic on table with every number. Players who mark a dozen cards a game swear by them for reducing hand fatigue, and shared tables appreciate the silence. If your current dauber leaves your wrist sore after a long session, this is the type to try next.
Glitter, Neon and Specialty Inks
Specialty inks change what the dot looks like: glitter daubers suspend sparkle in the ink, neon and fluorescent inks glow under blacklight for themed nights, and metallic shades read as silver or gold on the page. They cost a little more — typically $2 to $5 — and the ink can take a moment longer to dry, so press and lift cleanly. Feeling crafty? Our DIY glitter dauber tutorial shows how to make your own for less.
Scented Daubers
Scented daubers add a fragrance to the ink — fruit scents are the common ones — and are mostly a fun novelty for home games and kids' activities. Two practical notes: scent fades as the ink dries, and anyone sharing a small table may not love your grape-scented winning streak. Buy one as a treat, not a set as your daily markers.
Custom and Personalized Daubers
Custom daubers carry printed labels — a name, a team logo, a fundraiser slogan, a bachelorette hashtag. Specialty bingo retailers and print-on-demand shops produce them in small runs, which makes them popular as league prizes, event merchandise, and gifts for the player who owns every color already. The dauber inside is a standard model; you are paying for the label, so expect prices from around $5 up depending on quantity.
Novelty and Funny Daubers
Novelty daubers turn the bottle itself into the joke: toppers shaped like animals or characters, sayings printed down the side, seasonal designs for holiday games. Hammer-style daubers belong here too — the bottle is molded like a small hammer so every mark lands with a satisfying (soft) whack. None of this changes the ink; all of it changes how much fun the table has. They make ideal white-elephant and bingo-prize gifts.
Colors: Beyond the Classic Rainbow
Most daubers come in the classic bright set — red, blue, purple, green, orange, pink. Black daubers exist for players who want maximum contrast on light cards, and lighter shades like yellow are best avoided on white paper, where a pale dot is easy to miss during a fast game. Serious multi-card players assign one color per card to catch skipped numbers at a glance.
Washable vs. Permanent Ink
Cutting across every type above is one question that matters to parents and anyone in a nice shirt: does the ink wash out? Most daubers use water-based ink, but "water-based" is not the same as "washable" — some brands stain fabric permanently. If daubers will be anywhere near kids, carpets, or good clothes, check our guide to washable bingo daubers before buying, and the companion review of dauber ink safety for what is actually in the bottle.
Which Type Should You Buy?
- Casual player: one standard dauber in a dark color — done.
- Weekly hall player: standard set plus a soft-dab for long sessions, one color per card.
- Limited grip or arthritis: jumbo easy-grip, full stop.
- Kids and crafts: washable-ink daubers, mini size for small hands.
- Party host: minis as favors, one novelty dauber as a prize, glitter for the winner's circle.
Whatever type fits, our guide on where to buy bingo daubers compares shelf prices at every major store, and the cheap daubers guide covers bulk pricing when one of everything is not enough.