Removing Ink & Scratches From Screen/Screen Protection

Update to the original posting.

As mentioned above and below, I tried a successfully-tested Mac cleaning product called iKlear to try to remove ballpoint-pen ink lines from a computer screen, and it didn't really do the job. Several other sites had anecdotes from people who said a dilute (50% or less) solution of isopropyl alcohol would remove ink from a screen and do no harm to it. I can now report, based on my own experience, that this is indeed the case for the screen of a 20-inch Intel-based iMac.

This is how I removed all of the ink from an iMac's screen. I poured a small amount (a couple of tablespoons) of 99% isopropyl alcohol into a small glass, and mixed in at least the same amount of water. (This ensured the solution would have a concentration of 50% or less.) I also poured some pure water into a second small container. I wet one Q-Tip with the dilute alcohol solution, and gently rubbed it back-and-forth along a 1- to 2-inch-length portion of one of the ink lines. This removed any ink along this portion. I used a soft, clean, dry cloth to dab (not rub) the alcohol solution off. I then used a second Q-Tip dunked in the water to "rinse" the area that had just been cleaned. I dried the portion off by dabbing it with second soft, clean cloth. (Artificial chamois or microfibre cloths seem to work well.) I kept repeating this process until all of the ink had been removed. Other than a few fine scratches that are very hard to see, the screen looks as good as new.

A couple of things to mention. Liquid was never poured or sprayed onto the screen, and it never should be. Using Q-Tips to spread liquid ensured that liquid that touched the screen stayed on the screen, and didn't run down into cracks (with the possibility of damaging the computer). Also, Apple's own literature on cleaning iMac computer screens states that alcohol should not be used. I'm not exactly sure why, because using diluted isopropyl alcohol appears to have no negative impact on the screen. I only used it as a last resort when iKlear, which Apple has successfully tested on Macs, didn't do the job. (Perhaps they are concerned it might be improperly handled or used.)

I hope this info might be of use to others.

Well, only a few months after getting a brand-new,
immaculately-clean 20" iMac, my 20-month-old son
somehow managed to climb onto a chair, grab a blue
ball-point pen, and scribble over about a half of the
screen. This created ink marks and scratches. I've
tried using a microfibre cloth dampened with water,
as well as a product I picked up called iKlear. This
got a little bit of the ink off, but most of it still
remains, especially in the scratches. I was wondering
if anyone knows what might be the best way to remove
the remaining ink, if there is one. I've read about
people using either isopropyl alcohol, or even
toothpaste (which does remove ink from fabrics), but
I've also read these might damage the screen further.
I might be able to better tolerate the scratches,
which I believe are too deep to remove, if they are
less blue.