Archival quality ink/pen for photograph paper?

December 7, 2021

I need to write on the back of old photos, to label them for an old-fashioned scrapbook. I understand I want archival ink, i.e., acid-free, fade-resistant, bleedproof, and waterproof, and it needs to write on photo paper. It can be fountain pen ink, or whole commercial pens for this project.

My apologies - I'm sure it's in the historical record, but I'm unable to narrow the search enough to find useful data.

Thanks.

December 7, 2021

Soft pencil.

December 7, 2021

1 hour ago, Karmachanic said:

Soft pencil.

I had not thought of that. I'll give it a try. It should work, as most of the photos in question are several decades old.

December 8, 2021

Pencil is probably the best choice. Liquid inks could transfer to the face of other photographs is they are later stacked.

I presume that you are dealing with conventional, silver-based photographs. While you say that the photographs are 'several decades old', that really doesn't mean that they are all on real paper. Starting in the 1950's photographic paper manufacturers started producing 'RC paper', and that is what is used today for most conventional silver-based photographs. RC paper is coated on both sides with a thin layer of plastic that prevents processing chemicals from being absorbed into the fibers of the paper core. RC paper is more dimensionally stable and it processes more quickly than conventional paper, and faster processing means that less processing chemical goes into the waste stream.

Today, about the only folks continuing to use conventional photographic 'fiber-based' papers are monochrome art photographers.

The problem is that liquid ink dries very slowly on RC paper, and in addition to the transfer problem, it can also smear before it dries.

If you must use ink, then India ink is probably the best choice. Presumably, you are aware that India ink shouldn't be used in a conventional fountain pen. There are specialty pens (eg, Rapidograph's) designed specifically for India Ink, and it is possible to find fiber-tip pens that also use permanent inks (eg, Staedler Pigment Liners).