How to Label Old Family Photos with Archival Ink

Every family has the same sad moment. Someone opens an old shoebox of photos, holds up a black and white picture of two smiling people on a porch, and asks, "Who are these folks?" Nobody knows. The names are gone with the people who could have told us. A few minutes of labeling now stops that loss for the next hundred years.

The right tool matters. A regular ballpoint pen presses hard into a print and makes ridges on the front side. A regular felt pen bleeds through thin photo paper and stains the picture. The fix is an archival ink pen, sometimes called a photo-safe pen. The two trusted brands are Pigma Micron (Sakura) and Stabilo All. Both are sold at craft stores, art stores, and on Amazon for a few dollars each. The ink is acid-free, water-resistant, and will not seep through the paper. The pen tip is soft enough that it does not press a ridge into the photo.

Work on a clean, hard surface, not a tablecloth or carpet. Put a piece of plain paper or a clean cutting board under the photo. Hold the print by the edges. Skin oils from your fingers can stain old paper over time, so handle the print only at the white border or the corners. Cotton gloves are not required, but clean, dry hands are.

Write small and on the very back. Include the year, the place, and the names of every person, from left to right. "Summer 1962, Lake Erie. Left to right: Aunt Mary, Grandpa Joe, Mom (age 8)." If you do not know a year, write a guess in pencil first, like "around 1960?" Pencil is fine for guesses because it can be changed later. Use the archival pen only when the family agrees on the answer.

For color photos from the 1980s and later, the back is often shiny and the ink can smear. Wait sixty seconds for the ink to dry before stacking the photo. For very old photos with a fragile back, do not write at all. Instead, slip the photo into an archival sleeve and write the label on a small acid-free card placed next to it. This keeps the picture safe and the information close.