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Comment by smokel | Hacker News Reader

I did similar testing with ball-point pens. Eventually I ran into the ISO 12757-2 standard on archival ink, thinking that it would be a great idea to use such pens for my intricate drawings.

Turns out the drawings, some of which I actually sold, faded into oblivion within about a year. After slightly more careful reading of the actual standard, I learned that the drawings were supposed to be archived, i.e. kept in a box or a drawer, and not to be framed for full-time viewing pleasure.

The typical blue ink in the famous BIC ball-point pens (i.e. non-ISO 12757) turns black after some time of sunlight exposure, which seems fine.

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I know very little about ink, but I'm a little surprised, especially for something marked as archival.

My only point of comparison is an etching which is a few hundred years old. The ink has no obvious signs of fading. It had some light restoration about forty years ago but we usually have it on display, at least in my life time.

When I've seen other prints of the same etching in galleries, they are usually in the same or slightly worse condition despite, probably, being kept much more carefully.

Thanks for mentioning this. I'm just getting into ballpoints in my art (literally just posted my latest piece online this morning, using Schneider Slider pens which use ink conforming to ISO 12757-2) and have diligently sourced 'archival' inks without looking deeply enough into what it means (a lot of online discussions imply that it's the same as lightfastness).

About BIC, I thought I'd seens some tests online showing that over time the ink yellowed and eventually disappeared, so I've been avoiding them.

Clearly I need to look more deeply into it, especially for work I might sell.

With ball-point ink, I think (but haven't checked recently) that there is unfortunately no safe option.

Some contemporary artists sell digital prints, but if you are selling the real deal, at least ensure that it does not sit in full sunlight all day, because it will fade quickly.

In most museums original prints and drawings are often exhibited for short periods in darkened rooms. I think this takes away from the pleasure, and I prefer to see my art as perishables, which one can enjoy for a few years. An additional problem is that paper is terribly fragile stuff. Framing it (acid free paper) properly (with acid free tape) helps, but can be very expensive and will affect the aesthetics of course.

Some collectors of printmaking art store everything in a drawer and take it out once a year to enjoy it with a good glass of wine.

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