As adult coloring books have grown increasingly popular over recent years, coloring has had a resurgence for adult crafters. A fun and relaxing way to express yourself, coloring can be done using markers, colored pencils, pens, and crayons.
However, for those of us who don’t color as often as we’d like, good pen storage is necessary. While pencils and crayons can be stored with little consideration, pens need a little more planning, especially when it comes to gel pens.
So, how should you store gel pens? Store gel pens horizontally for the best long-term results. However, you can store them vertically if space is limited and you use your pens frequently. Keep them out of direct sunlight and away from extreme temperatures.
There are plenty of possibilities for storing your gel pens. While it may seem like a costly endeavor, the amount of money you spend on your storage is entirely up to you. Let’s dive into the details so you have everything you need to know to store your pens properly.
Ways To Store Gel Pens
The goal of properly storing your gel pens is to extend the life of your pens and keep you coloring as long as there’s still ink inside.
Depending on the way you store your gel pens, the ink could lose pigment, your ink nib could get clogged or leak everywhere, or you could have trouble finding the right color when you need it. To prevent these common issues, evaluate the options below and decide what storage idea is best for you.
1. Storing Horizontally
Most artists and colorists say that horizontal storage is best for gel pens.
Why? Because this will keep the ink evenly distributed in the ink reservoir while not in use. The ink won’t pool up at the bottom or the top of the reservoir, which can help prevent clogs and leaks from it pooling at the tip or dryness from pooling at the bottom.
This will also help prevent any air bubbles from developing inside the ink. If stored vertically for long periods of time, the ink may settle and air bubbles will form in the reservoir. And, if a gel pen has a poor quality follower (the clear liquid you see at the end of the ink refill), vertical storage can ruin the pen.
Another final advantage to horizontal storage is that you can easily see how much ink is left in your pen. This helps in quickly identifying which pen is about to run out and what colors may need replacing in your collection.
2. Storing Vertically
While the majority of artists and colorists swear by storing gel pens horizontally, there are actually quite a few out there who encourage storing gel pens vertically.
The argument for storing your gel pens vertically is that it saves space and keeps your pens at the ready. If you store them tip side down, there’s always ink at the tip ready to be used. If you store them tip side up, you preserve the tip of the pen.
A factor to take into consideration when determining whether to store your gel pens vertically or horizontally is time. How often do you use your gel pens? How long do you expect them to last?
If you are someone who colors nearly every day, or at least a couple of times a week, vertical storage is fine. Your pen won’t be dormant long enough for any build-up of ink either at the top or the bottom of your pen to matter. And if you’re coloring that frequently, the ink will likely run out before you encounter any storage issues.
If you tend to color less frequently and only use your gel pens a few times a month, horizontal storage is best. The low frequency of use is what causes ink build-up problems with vertical storage, but horizontal storage will help you avoid that and keep your gel pens lasting longer.
3. Grouped By Color
Regardless of whether you store your pens horizontally or vertically, nearly everyone agrees that storing your gel pens in color groupings is the best organization tip. The groups you choose for your colors depends on what storage you have available and just how many pens you own.
If you have a lot of storage containers and space available with a collection of 100 gel pens, group them by individual color. All reds, oranges, pinks, greens, etc. would be stored together.
However, if you don’t have all that many pens and storing all your reds together means storing one pen by itself, try storing by warm and cool colors. Warm colors are reds, oranges, yellows, and pinks. Cool colors are greens, blues, purples, and greys. Brown traditionally goes with warm and black goes with cool.
You could also store by colors you use most often and colors you rarely use. If you tend to use green and blue a lot in your pictures, but you seldom use yellow or pink, store your green and blue pens within close reach.
Tips For Storage
Now that you know the best ways to store gel pens and have a better idea of which one you’ll choose for yourself, let’s discuss a few more important facors.
1. Avoid Direct Light And Extreme Temperatures
For anyone who also enjoys painting, it’s a given that extreme temperatures or direct light can alter paint. The same goes for the ink inside of gel pens.
If the ink in gel pens is subjected to extremely hot or cold temperatures, it can alter the composition and cause separation of the binder and the pigment inside.
The ideal temperature to store gel pens is room temperature, which can range anywhere from 67-77ºF. This doesn’t mean that the second your thermostat ticks up to 78ºF your pens will be ruined, of course. Just try to avoid leaving them in extreme heat or cold.
Another consideration is direct sunlight. As with anything else, direct sunlight can cause the pigments in the gel pens to fade over time. If you want to maintain the color integrity of the pens you purchased, it’s best to store them away from bright windows.
2. Storage Containers/Organizers
If you walk into any office supply or craft supply store, you will find no shortage of storage options for your gel pens.
There are organizers that are sectioned off, designed to sit atop a desk. There are also drawer organizers for those who have lots of drawer storage space in their desks. You can even get boxes with and without sectioned-off areas for further organization.
The possibilities are truly endless for storage. But for those of us who can’t afford to go purchase new organizers, there are ways to make them from home too!
If you have extra cups or jars, you can sit them on your desk and place the pens vertically inside, or you can store your pens horizontally by laying three long cups or jars on their side, hot-gluing or taping them together in a pyramid pattern, and laying the pens inside.
Another option is to put together your own organizer using old scraps of cardboard from cardboard boxes. Most people throw away the boxes their online orders come in, but you can recycle them and turn them into a great organizer! You can even paint them or cover them with patterned tape for a chic recycled look.
For those willing to spend money but not finding the right type of organizer at a craft or office supply store, here’s an unconventional tip: a makeup organizer! Makeup organizers are often designed with long makeup brushes and tubes in mind, so pens will fit right in.
Plus, a wide range of makeup organizers allow for both vertical storage and horizontal drawer storage, making your choices limitless.
Related Questions
How Do You Keep Gel Pens From Drying Out?
The best way to keep gel pens from drying out is proper storage. Using any of the options we’ve recommended in this article is a great start!
Remember to choose your storage options based on the frequency of your specific use. If you only use your gel pens sparingly, store them horizontally. If you use them frequently, vertically will work just fine, though we recommend storing them tip-down if you use them often.
Also, make sure the cap is back on! Sometimes the cap doesn’t click back into place if you don’t press hard enough, allowing air to get in. Make sure you click the cap on fully every time.
Can Gel Pens Be Revived?
You can try restoring dried-out gel pens, though no results are guaranteed.
First, try shaking the pen to see if it dislodges any air bubbles that may have developed in your ink. Try drawing on a piece of paper, and if it still doesn’t write, move on to the next step.
Open up the pen to get to the ink reservoir. Add a drop or two of warm water to the ink, put the pen back together, and shake it up. Try writing again.
If it still isn’t working, you can try soaking the whole pen in warm water for about 5 minutes to see if this gets the ink going again. If it still isn’t writing, then your pen is too far gone.
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