[ANSTHRLD] More on markers

[Jennifer Smith]

The College of Arms resident marker tester, Teceangl Bach of An Tir,
occasionally reports her current results, which I've copied below. Her
testing procedure is typically fairly rigorous, as described at the
bottom below, and I generally trust what she advises.  She checks for
color fastness over time and general durability.

-Emma



From: Teceangl
Date: Mon, Mar 23, 2009 at 10:12 AM
Subject: Markers, markers, markers
To: SCAHRLDS at listserv.aol.com

The question of markers came up again and I did another post about it.
Figured I'd share generally, feel free to pass the info around or give
your own opinions.  Apologies for the US-centric viewpoint, but the
American market is the only one I'm in a position to tap. :)


Crayola is still the best, but stay away from the gimmick stuff.
Flip-Tops and Twistables both have different ink shades than Classic
(washable or non), Flip-Tops break and Twistables dry out. However tge
Click-On set that chain together are fine, and fun to play with
between clients.

Foohy brand is the next best and indeed, might actually edge out
Crayola in red durability. Problem is many of the Foohy markers are
scented. Great grape purple, though.

Colorific are terrific. There are days I think they might supplant
Crayola as the industry standard if made more available. Great
heraldic colors, fantastic durability, good price, one in washable and
non, wide and narrow tips. The red is a traffic-stopper. And unlike
Crayola, the no-caps clicker markers do as they're supposed to. Mine
are two years old with no sign of drying yet.

Prang classic colors are very good as well with extremely true colors.

E-color-gy cost a bit more but are totally green. The product ranks up
with Prang in color trueness and durability.

Rose Art are very good but beware that the green is dark enough to
have contrast problems with other colors with regard to complex lines,
and the purple tends too much toward magenta to be safe for
submissions. Great durability, though.

Sharpie has fit coloring markers that are NOT worth the cost. The
'purple' is true magenta so unusable for heraldry, the blue is so dark
it leeches into adjoining colors and confuses with black, and while
they're durable the caps hate to close (or open) so they dry out too
fast.

Faber-Castell isn't worth the cost, but okay if they're what you
already have. Great colors and they last fine but they're priced for
artists.

Pentel are a good, solid brand with durability but watch out for a
too-dark green if using on a divided color-color field as it melds
into the blue or black with lousy contrast (lousier than usual, that
is).

Mr. Sketch has good, durable colors as well, and a decent price. Recommended.

Busykids is durable, but the blue and green are 'offf' colors so
should only be used in 2-tincture armory so as to not blur color
lines.

Rose Art has slipped terribly in the last three years. I used to
recommend them but many of the colors have become more fugitive than
before. I have a test sheet from 2002 with Rose Art ink that's still
parsable, I have one from last year where the red, yellow and green
have faded to impossibly paleness.

Color Gear is the same manufacturer as Rose Art but for some reason
its red is a bit better.

Western Family come from my grocery store and I highly recommend them.
Cheap, durable. But be careful of the caps, they're those long ones
you have to shove down to get to click but if you shove too hard you
split them.

Bic is sad. real sad. Such a good name, such a lousy product. I went
through three boxes before I got one that hand't dried up in the store
(month-old shipment according to the manager, and I'd never seen them
before so I believe him). Priced for the brand name, colors terribly
fugitive (as in if they go from 30 to 75 degrees in one day, they
fade).

Colorations. I can't get these things, but wish I could. They're as
good as Prang with excellent colors and good durability.

Schoastic are _awesome_. Really excellent colors, great coverage,
durable as all get out. Pricey, though. Highly recommended.

Disney brand. Yuck. No black in the pack, the blue looks weird, the
red dries out in a month under temperature-controlled conditions.

Color View is liquid ink, not soaked into felt. Don't bother, they
won't last a month.

Sargent Art has an orangey red, grayish purpure, and yellow that goers
splotchy over time. Not worth it.

Sandylion, the sticker people, put out Disney branded markers under
the names 'princess' and 'fairy' colors. Ignore those but if you can
get a Cars pack, grab em! (I got mine at the dollar store.) All the
heraldic tinctures, bold colors, and when I obught my pack I promptly
lost it in the car. In June. I found it in December. They're as good
as the day I bought them.

Color Club (by Pentech). I get these at Dollar tree and pray they're
always available. These are the best-kept secret of the marker world.
Ten colors, two blues, both suitable for heraldry. Minty green you can
go nebuly against purple or azure with and lose no detail. Perfect
yellow, absolutely excellent purple. True black. The red's a tad light
so go over it twice. They don't last as long as the more high-end
markers, but they're not as big, either. Durable, lasting colors,
survive temperature changes in the pan or on paper. Highly
recommended.


And a word on washable markers. ask any parent of a toddler just how
easily they come off porus surfaces (like siblings).  Paper is not a
surface that things are meant to be washed off of. Washable markers
have different pigment make-up and so might have colors that are a bit
lighter than non-washable, but they're true to color (the blue looks
lbue, not aqua, etc.) and they WILL stay on the paper under normal
handling. Drop a Laurel packet into a puddle and even the staunchest
Crayola wanders off ij the wet.  No nonsense about avoiding washable
markers, okay? If the colors go on true and don't fade in a week, use
them.


All the markers mentioned above have been at least basic tested by me.
This includes test sheets being pinned to the side of the house all
winter, test sheets getting tossed around the car and exposed to sun
and radical temperature changes, test sheets going through the
dishwasher (nothing's ever survived), being taken to events in a
plastic box, having mock-up submission forms sent to Texas,
California, and back to Portland, and being used for real-life SCA
heraldic submissions.