Lineco pH Testing Pen for Paper or Paperboard Products.

I really love this pen. I have all kinds of journals, sketchbooks, loose papers, and cardstock that I enjoy using for journaling and this pen is a fantastic tool to check anything that isn’t labeled as acid-free or that one isn’t completely sure about. A simple swipe of the pen on the paper will reveal whether it’s acidic or not - the line left on the page will instantly appear purple for an alkaline pH or, alternatively, instantly turn clear/transparent or yellow for an acidic pH. When it arrived, I spent a fun evening going through stacks of journals and paper and checking everything. My pen arrived with a solid purple tip (some seem to have light tips out of the package) but the marks it left behind on the pages changed color appropriately depending on the pH of the paper. I tested the pen on known (labelled as such) acid-free sketchbooks, journals, papers, and cardstock from The Paper Studio (Hobby Lobby), Peter Pauper Press, Recollections from Michael’s, and a few other random things and then to test for acidity I also tested the pen on some Moonster journals and old, yellowed (some nearly tan) notepads and notebooks that are definitely acidic and aging. The pen’s mark changed color appropriately - purple for everything labelled as acid-free: sketchbooks, The Paper Studio, Peter Pauper Press, and Recollections and then yellow or clear/transparent for old and yellowing notepads, notebooks, and Moonster - even though the tip of the pen itself was solid purple. I saw that some people were concerned about the color of the pen’s tip upon opening the pen for the first time, so whether the tip on your pen is purple or light when it arrives it’ll work the same regardless. An essential tool to keep on hand for anyone with an eye towards acid-free and archival-quality materials!

I occasionally run across a new brand of watercolor or mixed media where the listing says it's acid-free, but the pad doesn't say anything about it. I wondered if there was a way to test the paper that didn't involve grinding it up and putting it in Ph neutral water, and in my searches, someone on a forum recommended this, the Lineco pH Testing Pen for Paper or Paperboard Products.. I ordered one immediately. When I opened it up, there was a label firmly stuck over the part that tells what color to look for, so I came back to the listing and noticed a reviewer said this was just a purple marker. So I did a test. I used the marker on 3 pads of watercolor paper. All three showed a purple mark, which is the sign the paper is Ph neutral. Then I took one of those sheets of paper and gently applied lemon juice across the surface. When it dried, I tried the maker on it - and got a clear line, which means the paper is "unsuitable" or acidic. So yes, this pen does work. It works if you want to test your paper for Ph to make sure it won't yellow, become brittle or cause ink, watercolors or pencil to fade over time. Good news for me is that the very nice paper I got recently that didn't say it was acid-free on the pad got a purple mark from the test pen. One of the older pads that claimed in the listing to be acid-free but not on the pad ended up with a clear mark. Super product.

I did not know this existed. I have old photo albums that I needed to know if the ph was off.

I used it to test some mattes I was going to use to frame my diplomas. It indicated acid by changing color, so it saved me some grief. It's a reasonable product for the price and seems to work.

So handy for testing out the acidity of paper which is important for artwork, and for packing precious things.

This pen did not give accurate results. I tested all of the paper in my house, and the only things that didn't register as acid free were newspaper and deli wrap paper. Copy paper, notebook paper, sticky notes, and paper towels all registered as acid free, and I know they are not.

We used this to test the pages of our family bible and other paper products to determine their composition. This is information that is necessary to get the proper storage boxes and paper- ie. buffered vs. unbuffered boxes and paper.

Works great. I use it to check all my books and paper.

Tester l'acidité des feuilles de scrapbooking

12 quid for a pen - pfff. but it does the job

Works as described

der Stift funktioniert, aber ich musste mehrfach über das paier zeichnen, weil der Stift fast ausgetrocknet bei mir ankam, wie ein alter Filzstift eben.

Works as described. LineCo is reputable manufacturer.