alt Hacker NewsI could google it, but I would rather ask HN: what are the best pens (or pen(cil)/paper-combination) for keeping written text as long as possible? I had some Stabilo pen which was very nice ergonomically, but the blue ink faded within a couple of years (laying on my window sil in the sun, but still).
My guess is: regular graphite pencil on porous paper is best. Any ideas about further things I have to take into account?
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I vote for graphite on paper. Ink will run if the paper gets wet. Of all the damage that has occurred to my papers, water is the most common. I keep a copy of important phone numbers written inside my wallet in case I ever lose my phone. Between an unexpected rainstorm, to an unchecked pocket before putting pants in a washing machine, to a spilled drink, I have gotten my wallet wet several times. Every time I used ink, I had to rewrite the list, but now with graphite, it isn't a problem.
In the UK “registrar’s ink” is used for marriage certificates, I believe it is supposed to be good for many hundreds of years.
Black ink on white paper, stored in a cool dark place, will last many decades. If may fade but will remain readable. Want centuries? Use skin parchment. Millenia? An engraving pen on glass. Going for longer? Take a grinder to a block of granite, but the real problem there is the lack of geologically-stable storage on this planet.
I don't think there's a simple answer. For example, someone recommended black ink on white paper, but it really depends on the composition of that ink. Inorganic pigments last forever, but the ink used in black sharpies actually fades pretty quickly.
Pencil definitely lasts if the paper is undisturbed. I have some paperwork that's 100+ years old and with legible pencil text. On the flip side, if the paper is handled a lot, the writing will gradually fade because graphite particles just sit on the surface and can flake off.
On some level, the medium is your main problem. Low-grade paper, especially if stored in suboptimal conditions (hot attic, moist crawlspace, etc), may start falling apart in 20 years or less. Thick, acid-free stock stored under controlled conditions can survive hundreds of years.