The present invention provides novels inks and methods for making a colored polymeric substrates, preferably a contact lens. In the inventive method at least a portion of a surface of a lens is coated with a color coat comprising at least one colorant, and a binder polymer obtained by copolymerizing a first monomer being ethylenically unsaturated and having a latent crosslinkable pendent group; and a second monomer having an ethylenically unsaturated double bond copolymerizable with the first monomer. The lens is then subjected to conditions that cause the color coat to adhere to the lens.