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Marker pens are pens that mark. Admittedly, all pens mark, but markers do it properly. They’ll write on all sorts of surfaces, including glass, plastic, metal and fabric as well as the usual paper and card. Some are filled with permanent ink, so the marks will stay put for some considerable time. Others are water-based, so marks can usually be removed with a drop of soapy water and a bit of elbow grease. And some are filled with paint. An increasing number are now refillable, and some have replaceable tips. They’re widely used in industry and education for things like writing on whiteboards and marking up factory parts: edding cater for every eventuality, and Staedtler do an enviable range. However, they’re also ideal for grand- and small-scale artwork, textile designs, cafe signs and decorating pottery and glass jars, and that’s where POSCA, Pilot, COPIC and Tombow come in. They’re incredibly versatile.
What is a marker pen?
It’s a very wide-ranging term, which means you’re probably going to want to narrow down what you’re actually looking for a bit first. The classic ‘permanent marker’ is something like a Sharpie, with alcohol-based ink that marks most surfaces at least somewhat permanently. Edding make some of the best of these, with all sorts of tip sizes and colours. Sharpies are, of course, great, and a bit more ‘pen like’ in their handling.
Then there are paint markers - a bit harder to use, because most of them need to be ‘primed’ on a bit of scrap paper first, to get the paint flowing at the rate you want. They can be very permanent on the right surfaces. Many of them write in acrylic paint, giving a very solid finish. Uni’s famous POSCA markers are a different variety of paint marker, using pigmented liquid ink, which manages to work on almost any surface, can be made permanent on most surfaces, and even works very nicely on paper.
What’s good for marking on glass?
See Pens for Writing on Glass for more, but almost any paint marker will work well. POSCA is good, and can scrape off, while Uni Chalk markers are a bit easier to remove. And Stabilo Woody pencils are pretty great for kids drawing on windows, because they wash off nicely.
What can mark on textiles?
See Textile Markers, but the Pilot Permawash is a great laundry marker. POSCA again for more artistic projects, but make sure you check the notes on making them permanent.
What’s the best garden marker?
Some markers can fade a bit in bright sunlight, so something that’s actually made to be a garden marker can be a good idea - Sharpies, for example, are great markers for most purposes, but they can fade when used on plastics left outside in the sun. See Garden Marker Pens for more - both Edding and Staedtler make marker pens specially for this.
What about other random surfaces you haven’t mentioned?
There’s no one answer, but the one answer there isn’t, is POSCA. They mark well on most surfaces, and on most surfaces they’re not permanent on, they can be made permanent - see the notes on the POSCA page for how to do that.
How can I remove permanent marker from a whiteboard?
No, you’re not the first, it’s a common question! Usually, scribbling over it with a whiteboard marker will add enough solvent to wipe off the permanent marker too.