Inks need an absorbent to adhere to a surface. As they dry, the water element evaporates so you don’t have the “glossy” quality of a wet application, but the ink itself is completely at the top of the Aquabord coating. You can even scratch it away with scratch tools or a craft knife and see that the ink doesn’t absorb into the coating beneath the top layer. You might try Claybord also. It has a unique surface that is designed specifically for ink.
Our panels have no paper on them, but instead have an absorbent watercolor ground surface. The cotton content of watercolor paper is usually identified in the watermark. Just FYI, but 100% cotton paper can contain small amounts of acids.
