How should you store your pens? With all possibilities, which is correct, to store them point up or point down? The proper way varies by type of ink, humidity, and altitude. Here are organization tips for pens, pencils, and markers that can keep them longer-lasting, too.
Markers and pens can be used for a great deal of drawing, sketching, coloring, hand lettering, decorating, and a lot more. Every pen you have at the moment is extremely useful for any crafts from the home to the classroom. While colored ones need more organization, the pens and markers don’t take up too much room.
You’ll also save money by knowing exactly what you have so you don’t get to buy duplicates. The great thing is with decluttering, you’re less likely to misplace them.
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Why should you organize your pens correctly?
Leaving all of your pens altogether in one drawer also leaves them knocking at each other. The incorrect manner could shorten ink life. The next thing is you’ll be wondering why your pen marks are starting to be less vibrant.
You want to save your mind from the headache that your pen has skipped color or started to smudge by the time you use them. It’s also time to save money from the need to keep buying a new set.
Although storing techniques depend on the type of pen, there are positionings and geographical considerations to include such as the amount of water vapor present in a storage space or how the pen is positioned in relation to sea level. Would you believe that? The interesting tools and organization ideas below will make you and your pens happy.
Top Organization Tips for Pens
1) Vertically or Horizontally?
I have tried storing pens vertically with the tip down so the ink can pool up and quickly flow when used. The worst thing that happened was getting all the ink smearing over the paper, my hand, and my clothes. There must be another culprit than just the vertical position, but twice or thrice is not a coincidence but an experience to watch out for.
But then again, it depends on the type of pens you have. There are pens that benefit from being stored vertically. For example, gel pens and whiteboard markers are better stored with tips down to keep the ink in contact with the felt tips and remain moist.
When in doubt about which way to go, store your pens horizontally. Positioning the pen parallel to the plane of the horizon allows the ink to naturally distribute evenly in the cartridge. With horizontal positioning, the ink settles naturally, as opposed to the vertical position where the ink is forced to pool into the tip section. Horizontal storage also prevents alcohol-based inks from evaporating.
2) Store with Pen Caps Tightly Closed
It’s a general rule that when the pen’s tip is exposed, it can dry it out. The ink in the nib and feed are drenched with ink liquid and the first section normally evaporates. Even though the porous spaces remain filled with solid pigments, the dry portion, no matter how tiny, can partially or totally block the flow of liquid coming from the ink reservoir.
Manufacturers by nature would claim that their pens can survive even without caps for up to a day. Wow, do you believe that? Well, in my case, innovations may have transformed inks these days, but inks remain inks will dry when exposed to air for a longer period.
Put the caps back on after you use them. This tender loving care will ensure they are securely capped. This is the reason why caps are designed to fit the tip area of a pen — to make sure that the point where the ink flows is protected from humidity.
So go for the right thing to do – make sure you store your pens with the correct lids tightly on.
3) Avoid Extreme Conditions
An extreme environment means harsh environmental conditions that are beyond the optimal range. Even with pens, storing them in extremes can cause the shortening of their usefulness.
While hot temperatures generally can make your ink flow with ease, it can cause the nib to seem like it’s very wet when writing, which is still quite frustrating. It will also mean the ink can run out faster than usual. This proves that it’s not a good idea to keep your pens near any source of heat such as near the window, air conditioning unit, under bright lights, or inside your car.
Low temperatures can freeze up pens causing leakage when it heats up again. It can lead to separation or blockages from solid particles getting into the nib and feed. Pens that are highly affected are fountain pens.
Many professionals use element-proof pen holders, especially in cold weather. I know of some teachers using Sharpie pens that resist fading in harsh conditions including sunlight, rainy and snowy weather. You may want to use silica gel to help protect your pens by absorbing moisture.
Store your pens in a way that they are not left in a too hot or too cold room. That’s a sure way to keep them from clogging up the ink. Unless you’re using pens designed to work in many climates and weather conditions.
4) Store Pens in a Safe Surface
Pens have the possibility to leak and spread the ink on the surface. Putting them in an expensive flat container, for example, will stain the canister’s surface and disappoint you. Positioning them near important papers or on top of light-colored fabrics can also end in the materials being fink-stained.
The trick is not to store pens in spaces like a white rack or the pocket of your favorite polo shirt. When storing colored pencils, stand them up or lay them evenly flat altogether. The vertical position points the sharpened tips up and saves them from being snapped off. If you store them horizontally, a piece of fabric or line of foam can also protect the tip.
Use any available item that can hold your pens like mugs, glass jars, plastic food containers, old boxes, or your children’s extra pencil cases. Any way you like them stored and kept neatly depends on you as long as the ink or colored leads will not mess any surface to your dislike.
5) Pick a Storage that is Not Airtight
Store your pens safely in dark but well-balanced airspace that is not humid nor airtight. Airtightness will control the components in a pen that result in the substances accumulating in the closed atmosphere and expediting their decomposition.
Fountain pens are known to be highly affected by a lack of air resulting in their ink gathering near the nib or feed and pushing out. If it is necessary to store the pen somewhere airtight, store it with the nib held up right. When the air inside and outside the pen finally meets, both the nib and feed will have no issues with the air re-entering.
Might as well store your fountain pen completely empty so no ink will leak out. Some purposely fill it completely full so no air is trapped inside especially when they are traveling by plane. Fountain pens seem to require the most care and you must know how to handle them.
Modern pen brands today have revolutionized this airtight mechanism. Hopefully, this addresses moisture evaporation issues and lend pens to go for long periods without drying out, including leakage caused by atmospheric pressure.
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To Wrap it All Up
Being a teacher makes you the top user of all sorts of pens. Don’t you think it’s only essential to learn and master caring for your pen and their inks so you are aware of how each of them works for you?
Even though technology has transformed today’s education from manual to digital, the use of pens in learning and literacy remains significant. Pens allow you to write anytime and anywhere not by machine but with one’s hand. When you know the length of your pen’s usefulness, you know how far it can take you.
