$3.50
Staedtler Pigment Liner are waterproof, sturdy German fineliners that you can trust. I like them because the tip provides just the right amount of fiction and stands up to most paper types without complaining or getting damaged. The ink is black and waterproof and does not bleed. The waterproof property comes in very handy when painting over or alongside other colors afterwards – few things are as annoying as when the black fineliner ink bleeds into a clear, light color, for example.
The larger sizes have a nice friction in the tip that I really like (it’s hard to get nice letters when the Pen slides too fast over the paper), so I’ve used them a lot over the years.
Staedtler Pigment Fineliner can be defended standing up and lying down and will last for a day without a cork if necessary. These are real workhorses, although you should be a little light on your feet when it comes to the narrowest tips because they are so thin and can’t withstand as much pressure or bumpy paper as the larger sizes. Staedtler Pigment Liner is available in 11 different sizes, from the delicate 0.05 to the sturdy 1.2.
So the question is really: How many should you have?
Like all fineliners, they are not very picky when it comes to paper but work wonderfully well with Lettering Pad Smooth or blank cards or labels. And feel free to try it on coated paper too!
Since fineliners don’t require any special writing technique to work, they are the best tool in the world for when you want to experiment freely with letterforms. I have developed different styles that work best with fineliners, you can find them here: Exercise sheet for lettering
