Investing in various collections of art markers and pens is fun! You don’t want to spoil it by finding out your collection is ruined because your markers and pens are not properly stored, right?
So, how to store markers and pens so their ink will not dry up over time? Buckle up and be ready to discover tips and tricks.
We will also answer commonly asked questions, so we better start!
Table of Contents
How to Store Different Types of Markers and Pens
There are two general ways to store your markers and pens — horizontal or vertical.
Storing most single-tip markers tip down is ideal. By doing this, the ink will not flow away from the nib, which will most likely prevent your markers or pens from drying out faster than they should.
Below are what you should note to store them safely:
- Ensure that the tips or caps of your markers and pens are tightly sealed. Also, put the marker or pen cap back after every use to prevent the ink from drying quickly.
- Store your drawing tools in a cool and dry place to maintain the quality of their ink.
- Look for marker storage ideas that fit your preference while still following the bits of advice above to store pens properly.
Do you prefer to purchase pen organizers, or maybe you like to find DIY ideas to make a DIY gel pen organizer? Take your time to decide.
- When you are unsure how to store your drawing tools correctly, play it safe by storing them horizontally.
Here’s a quick guide for choosing the right marker organizer to allow the pens to stay upright or lying on their side.
| Type of Pen or Marker | How to Store? |
| Gel Pens | Tip up, horizontally |
| Sharpies | Horizontally |
| Highlighters | Tip down, horizontally |
| Fineliner Pens | Tip down |
| Ballpoint Pens | Tip down |
| Rollerball Pens | Horizontally |
| Fountain Pens | Horizontally |
| Brush Pens | Horizontally, vertically |
| Whiteboard Markers | Horizontally |
| Paint Markers | Horizontally |
| Dual markers | Horizontally, for an equal ink distribution in the barrel. |
Whether your drawing supplies are water-based or alcohol-based should also be considered in storing them.
You can place water-based pens or markers vertically or horizontally on pen organizers, while you should strictly store alcohol-based pens sideways. The reason is that alcohol evaporates faster than water, and the risk will be higher if the ink stays near the pen lid.
Remember that these are only general assumptions, meaning some exceptions exist. Thus, the reason for the list below:
1. Gel Pens
The ink of gel pens leans on the watery side, so it flows more easily than other oil-based pens. Therefore, the best way is to store gel pens tip up. You risk dealing with excess ink on their nibs once you keep these pens with the tip pointing down.
Moreover, others prefer to store them horizontally, which is also acceptable.
Read more: Ways to make the gel pen work again.
2. Sharpies
Creating school projects is fun with Sharpies, and they are also alcohol-based, so they dry quickly. You don’t have to deal with smudging! It is why you should store Sharpies horizontally.
3. Highlighters
Highlighters make your lectures more appealing to the eyes, and storing them with the nibs pointing down will be perfect. It will prevent the tips from drying out, so you’ll be able to use them longer!
If you always bring your highlighters to your school or the library, placing them in your pencil case or pouch sideways will also be fine!
4. Fineliner Pens
If you love your fineliner or Micron pens, you might consider storing them with their nibs pointing down. It is the optimum way to preserve the ink on the felt tips.
5. Ballpoint Pens
The ink of ballpoint pens has a thick consistency, so you should store ballpoint pens tip down to ensure that the ink is at the nibs when you need it for notetaking.
If you fancy ballpoint pens, you might have found yourself reading Things Remembered gravity pen stand instructions. It is a magnetic pen stand, which keeps the ballpoint pen upright at any angle.
6. Rollerball Pens
The main difference between ballpoint pens and rollerball pens is their ink. While ballpoint pens are oil-based, rollerball pens are water-based.
Rollerball pens are also known as liquid ink pens because of their watery consistency. It is the reason why they are best stored sideways. In this manner, the ink will not smudge on your pencil pouch, even if you are in a plane.
7. Fountain Pens
You don’t have to decide whether to store fountain pen up or down because it should be horizontally. Keeping it this way will lessen the ink’s risk of leaking if you keep it upright.
8. Brush Pens
Brush pens are perfect for coloring illustrations, and most brands offer dual-ended pens. Generally, you should store brush pens with dual tips horizontally, especially if they are alcohol-based.
However, you can also store water-based brush pens upright. It is just like the position of the winning marker in Roblox, where you have to turn the markers frown upside down.
9. Whiteboard Markers
It would be best to store whiteboard markers sideways since they are also alcohol-based.
In this manner, they won’t dry quickly as the ink is not too close to the marker caps. The closer the ink is to the tips, the higher the risk of drying out if air seeps into the container.
10. Paint Markers
Using paint markers is convenient, as you don’t have to deal with the mess of painting with a paintbrush and palette! Moreover, it would help if you kept these special markers horizontally in pen organizers.
The sticky ink might drip from the tips if stored vertically for a long time, and you surely don’t want to deal with such a mess!
Read more: Steps to remove paint marker.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do we need to store art markers properly?
Finding the best way to store pens and markers will minimize the risk of ink leaks and drying out faster.
Picking the best pen holders or organizers based on your needs will also be beneficial in saving time and energy instead of fumbling helplessly through your things.
Right side up or upside down?
As previously stated, you should store your drawing tools horizontally when in doubt. Another generalization is keeping single-tip markers vertically and dual-tip markers horizontally.
Also, note that it is best to store alcohol markers horizontally. At the same time, you can keep water-based markers either horizontally or upright.
Suppose you are wondering whether to store pens up or down. Well, it depends on different factors, like the types of ink. Pens with watery ink are better stored with their nibs pointing up, while those with viscous ink can be kept tip-down.
How should paint markers be stored?
Paint markers should be stored horizontally to prevent ink leaks that can probably happen if you keep them upright for a very long time.
Conclusion
Hooray for reaching this far!
If you are a professional artist, your art supplies collection might be your bread and butter. Meanwhile, as a hobbyist, your drawing tools are important for recreation or expressing yourself.
Hence, it is undeniable how essential it is to take care of the things that give meaning and value to our lives, and sometimes it is learning the tips on how to store markers and pens.
Read more: Ways to store Copic markers.
Hi, I am Eveline Kessler, a content creator. My love for colors and arts draws me here to join the Intermediarts team with Leilani. I am responsible for testing new products and techniques with her and providing honest reviews and tips based on our experience. I have gained a lot of knowledge from this, and I believe you will find her suggestions to be invaluable as well.
