How to Store Brush Pens

Have you ever wondered how to store your brush pens? To say I have a lot of brush markers and brush pens in general would be an understatement. Along with some fountain pens, calligraphy nibs and holders, gel pens, etc. etc.  I love them!  They allow me to create fun things!

Please Pin for Later!

I had been wondering, though, if I was storing them correctly.  Ever since our move, (two years ago, already),  I’ve been re-organizing all of my art and craft supplies, and that has me really thinking it through. 

I want my lettering tools to last a long time. Also, depending on how many you buy at once, they aren’t super cheap. (Unless we’re talking about basic Crayola markers, which I love and are wonderful for lettering too.)

Some of the brush pens have pigment ink, some are dual ended, some have single tips, etc.  I wondered if different inks should be stored differently, etc.

I did some research on some of the brands of markers and pens I have, and I’m going to share that with you today. Most of the answers I found were on the companies’ websites themselves.

This post contains affiliate links, which means I will earn a small commission if you purchase through them, at no cost to you. Thank you!

Bottom line, most pens can be stored horizontally (with a few exceptions.) 

BUT, I have a breakdown below, and what I discovered was that, in general, the pens that don’t have pigment ink are typically o.k to store either vertically or horizontally,  but the pens with pigment ink do better if stored horizontally.  

Also, the pens with dual tips tend to do better when stored horizontally. 

For the few markers that are recommended to be stored vertically, it’s best to store with  the tip down (so that the tip does not dry out.) 

My answers were taken from the company websites or from talking with the companies directly by phone.

How to store brush pens by brand:

Tombow

                             Dual Brush Pens : Per the Tombow website, “Our Dual Brush Pens can be stored both horizontally and vertically. However, we recommend storing them horizontally to conserve consistent ink color over time.”

                             Fudenosuke Brush Pens: Store either horizontally or vertically.

Sakura 

                              Koi Brush Pens:  Store horizontally or vertically.

                              Pigma Micron Pens (pigment ink): Store horizontally.

Sharpie Brush

               

                              Single brush tips : Store vertically, with caps down.

                              Dual brush tip pens:  Store horizontally.

Faber Castell 

                             Pitt Artist Brush Pens (pigment ink):  Store horizontally

Per Faber Castell’s website, “Faber-Castell Pitt Artist Pens contain pigments that spread equally when stored horizontally.  Avoid storing top down because pigments will sink down to the tip and cause an issue with ink flow. The same is true for top up, there will most likely be an issue with ink flow due to incorrect storage.”

Kuretake Zig

                              Brushables: (These have both dual tips and pigment ink):  Store horizontally.

I haven’t labeled the drawers yet!

Here are the little drawers that I use inside my craft cabinet (a re-organized entertainment center.) UPDATE: The price has gone up a lot online for these, so you may want to check locally for these first. I recently saw them at Target for much less, and I think I got mine at Walmart some time back. The mini drawers are 7 inches wide, so they’re perfect for horizontal marker storage. I have a few more of these on the other side of the cabinet.

They’re tiny enough that I can just grab the one I want and use it at my desk.  Update:  See how I have all of my brush pens organized in the little drawers in this post. 

(The picture is a little misleading; to me it looks like the size that holds paper, but this is the mini version. Very cute and very functional for markers and pens.)

I keep some of the pens in their original packages.  I just put them in the drawers like that.

Here is the Tombow desk stand that I’m considering for my Tombow Dual Brush Pens. I have so many Tombow brush pens, and I like the idea of having them in a stand on my desk, for convenience.  I have them stored horizontally in the little draweres right now, (which Tombow states is the preferred way. They do, however, say they can be stored either horizontally or vertically.)  They sell this stand at their website, specifically for storing these pens vertically.  I’m a bit undecided!

Tombow Dual Brush Pen Desk Stand  (The stand does NOT include the markers.)

Update:  I came across this organizer that would be great for storing pens either horizontally or vertically.  (Just turn the cube up for vertical storage.)  There are other types of connecting cubes in this system, too, for storing other kinds of tools and supplies.  I really like this system, from what I am seeing about it. It has excellent reviews, and wouldn’t take up too much room on a desk. 

Of course, to hold pens vertically, any kind of cup or pencil holder will do.

I have other brands of markers and pens, but these are some popular brands, (that are some of my favorites), that you might have questions about.

How do you store your markers?

If you have enjoyed this post, get more like it by subscribing here.

Linking to:

Shabby Art Boutique, Eye Love Knots, Create with Joy, Mostly Blogging, Sum of Their Stories, Sew Can Do, Love My Little Cottage, Craft Schooling Sunday, Life and Linda, Good Random Fun, My Random Musings, Make it Pretty Monday, Fluster Buster, Waste Not Wednesday, Try It Like It, Creative Crafts Linky Party, Thursday Favorite Things, Tuesday Turn About, Esme Salon, Lou Lou Girls