The best pens (of the ones tested) . . . .
For writing on the photo pages and the press-printed pages alike were the ZIG Photo Signature Pen and the ProMaster Archival Marking Pen.
Both of these pens had smooth action and ink distribution when they wrote. The ZIG’s ink distribution was a little more even and the color darker than the ProMaster, which is why I crowned it king. Otherwise, they both dried within 2-3 seconds so that they did not smear when I ran a finger across the text (not lightly) and did not transfer when I closed the pages and applied pressure.
There was a second ProMaster pen that I had tested, but it didn’t fare so well. This is the ProMaster PhotoImagePro and not only did the ink seem to sit on top of the page rather than adhering (think beading), but it smeared terribly.
I used both the Sharpie Fine Point Pen and Sharpie Fine Point Permanent Marker. The “pen” smeared where the “marker” worked pretty well, BUT I don’t think it’s acid free (possibility of discoloring or damaging print down the road) and it felt like it would dry up quickly and may not last through a lot of signatures. It also had a sort of “drag” that I didn’t like. Felt like it could grip & skip across the paper as you write.
The last pens tried were some Sakura Pigma Micron pens that were being chatted up on a discussion board about Fine Art and signing photos. These also smeared terribly and I would never suggest using these for a guestbook.
All of these options were available on Amazon, and the ProMaster Archival Marking Pen was actually sold by www.IdahoCamera.com and you can order through Amazon.
*order at least 2 pens if you can, it is always great to have a back-up!
Tags: guestbook, pens, signing album
