What pen should I use for scrapbooking?

When it comes to scrapbooking, pens do matter.

Do you want your pens to last a long time? Do you want the words and stories on your pages to not fade? If your albums ever got wet, would you want your journaling to remain permanent and not wash away or smear?

I’m guessing you would say yes to the above questions. I agree and that’s why I use archival pens. They are permanent, fade-resistant and bleed-resistant. The ones I use are Creative Memories dual-tip pens. Since they are dual-tip it’s like getting two pens in one: a fine tip side which I use for most of my journaling and a bold-tip side for titles or larger print.

Because the ink doesn’t smear when you’re writing, these pens are great for left-handers. Or someone like me who is right-handed but I hold my pen like a left-hander (or so I’ve been told). I usually smear ink by the way I hold my pen but with CM pens, they don’t smear! I love how CM pens write. I include journaling on almost every page of my scrapbook albums.

What if I have messy handwriting? If your handwriting isn’t neat, don’t worry about it! It’s not how it looks as much as what it says. Your loved ones will recognize you in your handwriting as each of us has a unique penmanship. A tip for writing neater is to Slow Down. Sometimes just taking the time to write a little slower can make your handwriting more legible.

Should I store my pens horizontally or vertically? Creative Memories pens should be stored horizontally. There are actually two reservoirs inside each pen. If you store your pens upright (as pictured), then all the ink tends to drain to one side and one of the reservoirs can get dry. When you store your CM pens horizontally (flat), the ink will stay consistent across the barrel.

I hope you enjoyed these tips on what pens to use. If you would like to add these special pens to your toolbox, just click the SHOP page above. CM currently offers these in Black, Brown, Navy, Silver and Gold.