Best White Pens and Inks for Lettering and Calligraphy. I tested a bunch of them so you don’t have to! And the winners are…
Best White Pens and Inks for Lettering and Calligraphy
This post has been years in the making. As in, that’s how long it’s been since I added it to my list of blog post ideas and actually completed it. But it’s done now, so that’s what counts, right?
Presenting: The Best White Pens and Inks for Lettering and Calligraphy. I tested a bunch of them, so you don’t have to!
A Note on Paper
As you can see, I tested them on both Black Paper and Kraft Paper. Paper type, weight, brand, etc. all probably makes a bit of a difference, but I feel really comfortable crowning winners that I think will be the same for nearly all dark and kraft papers.
So without further ado, the winners are…
*Drumroll, please*
Pens/Markers/Inks are listed in the order they appear on the papers.
Category: White Pens
The Contenders
- Pilot Juice 0.5mm (Get it here)
- Sakura Glaze (Get it here)
- Sakura Gelly Roll 0.8mm (Get it here)
- Sakura Decorese 0.6 mm (Get it here)
- Pentel Hybrid 1.0mm (Get it here)
- Uniball Signo Broad 1.0mm (Get it here)
The Winners
- On Black Paper: The Uniball Signo Broad comes out on top! The Sakura Glaze is the runner-up. It’s not fully opaque until it’s totally dry though, so that gave the Uniball Signo Broad an added edge.
- On Kraft Paper: For visibility, it was a tie between the Sakura Decorese and the Pentel Hybrid. The Decorese was a bit clumpy and inconsistent though, so the Pentel Hybrid wins.
Category: White Paint Markers
The Contenders
- Uni-Posca Paint Marker 0.7mm (get it here)
- Sharpie Paint Pen, Fine Point (Get it here)
- Uni-Posca Paint Marker 2mm (Get it here)
- Raymay 2mm (Get it here)
- Pitt Artist Pen 101 (Get it here)
The Winner(s)
The winners were the same on both papers. Any of the first three paint pens are excellent choices, depending on how thick you want your lines and how much detail work you plan to do. While the Uni-Posca 2mm is brightest (and thickest), detail work would be easier with the Sharpie. For really fine detail work, I’d opt for the Uni-Posca 0.7mm.
The Category: White Inks
I tested three types of Dr. Ph Martin’s Inks. Mostly because these are all inks I already had on hand. So if you have a white ink you love, share it in the comments of this post!
The Contenders
- Dr. Ph Martin’s Bombay India Ink (Get it here)
- Dr. Ph Martin’s Bleed Proof White (Get it here)
- Dr. Ph Martin’s Pen White (Get it here)
The Winner
For both black and Kraft paper, the winner was clear: The Bleed Proof White Ink! The Pen White was a close second, but I didn’t find it to be as consistent, so the Bleed Proof White takes the cake.
Related Post: Pens, Pencils, and Markers…Oh, My! A Guide to my Collection
Which one would be best on wood?
I’m often asked which markers I like best for making wood signs. The truth is, I strongly prefer to stencil my wood signs. I just don’t find that the felt tips of paint pens lend well to working on wood. I usually create a stencil of my lettering using my Silhouette CAMEO machine. Then, I use the stencil, White Chalk Paint, and a spouncer to apply the paint. It looks the most professional by far! I’ll work on a step-by-step tutorial for that in the future. 😉
I hope you found this White Pens test helpful! And again, if I omitted a White Pen, Marker or Ink you love, let everyone know about it in the comments. Thanks so much! 💕
Coming soon:
Silver and Gold Pen + Ink tests!
So, stay tuned!
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Do you have an opinion about white ink pads? I haven’t found one that is really satisfactory. The coverage is uneven and even when I re-stamp using the Misti, it still doesn’t give good coverage. thanks for the pen information. I will definitely try it out.
Hi Donna! I actually carefully “paint” on my stamps with the Bleed Proof White ink, stamp and then just clean my stamps super well with stamp cleaner! I just found this YouTube video that compares white inks and it’s super helpful: https://youtu.be/0g8RLVmTq7I. And this one tests 10 white ink pads: https://youtu.be/N4gQwR2J-YA.
Thank you! So helpful!
Thank you for sharing this information. It is really helpful and saves me the time and expense of trying to find the best writing utensils not my own.
This is so good to know Dawn, thanks so much. I have tried a variety over the years and feel I’ve probably wasted quite a bit of money on pens that hardly show. (I even bought a clear one by mistake thinking is was white, very disappointing at first but actually turned out quite useful for other things!)
Hi dawn! Just a little confused because your post says “here” instead of the name of the product: “while the here is brightest detail work would be easiest with the here” 😆
Hi Heidi! Ugh, sorry!! The latest WordPress update changed how links work and it’s a pain. It always wants to change the text you’re linking to…to something you used in the last link. Anyhow, I fixed it! 🙂
Thank you thank you thank you!!!
I just ordered a set of white markers by sharpie. I didn’t realize I couldn’t use them on black paper. They just fade away. But they work great on wood.
Hi Denise! Yes, Sharpie has different kinds of white pens (poster paint, oil based, etc). The one I tested in this post did great on paper. I’ve also used the Silver Sharpie on black poster board for my kid’s birthday parties and that works great as well.
That was very helpful as I always struggle when working on black surfaces as to which pens/ink work the best.
Thank you for taking the time to highlight and write this for us!
You’re so welcome, Priscilla! I’m so happy you found it helpful. 🙂
Hi, Dawn Nicole!
Thanks for the great blog and all if your tips on white markers and inks. This is invaluable information. Is there a way to print the text without having to print all the adverrisements that are included in your great bligs? I want to have your tips and recommendations on hand. Thanks!!
Hi Jill! Thank you! You could cut and paste the info you want to save into a Word Doc. 🙂 Unfortunately, I don’t have a way for you to print posts without the ads.
Hi Dawn, I’m going to try my hand at using the bleedproof white but I’m not sure what brand/type of Kraft paper works best! Any suggestions or links would be welcome!
Hi Christine! You can find the one I use under the Paper + Sketchbooks section: https://www.amazon.com/shop/bydawnnicole
Oooh thank you!