--- title: "Sakura MicroPerm: Ultra-Fine Permanent Pen, 3 Sizes" canonical: "https://stationerytimes.com/guides/sakura-microperm-pen/" description: "Sakura MicroPerm explained: an ultra-fine permanent alcohol-dye pen in 0.25, 0.35 and 0.45 mm that marks glass, metal and plastic, with uses, limits and price." category: "Pens" type: "Fineliner" published: 2026-11-02 updated: 2026-11-02 author: "Ellis Penhale" publisher: "Stationery Times" sources: 2 products: - name: "Sakura MicroPerm pen, black (01, 03, 05)" brand: "Sakura" brand_origin: "Japan" made_in: "Not stated" material: "Alcohol-solvent ink with dye-stuff colorant; protected tips (Sakura of America)" price_band: "$ (under $5 per pen (multi-packs divided by the count), typical US retail, October 2026)" manufacturer: "Sakura Color Products Corporation (Osaka); sold in the US by Sakura of America" model: "MicroPerm" mpn: "21015-2035" url: "https://www.sakuraofamerica.com/product/microperm/" --- # Sakura MicroPerm: Ultra-Fine Permanent Pen, 3 Sizes > The Sakura MicroPerm is an ultra-fine, waterproof, permanent pen whose alcohol-based dye ink marks metal, glass, plastic, wood and cellophane. Sakura lists three point sizes: 01 at 0.25 mm, 03 at 0.35 mm and 05 at 0.45 mm, all with protected tips that will not split. A black single pen was US$3.34 at Blick, in our $ band. - URL: https://stationerytimes.com/guides/sakura-microperm-pen/ - Category: Pens - Author: Ellis Penhale - Published: 2026-11-02 - Updated: 2026-11-02 ![Three black ink lines drawn at the listed MicroPerm widths of 0.25, 0.35 and 0.45 mm](https://stationerytimes.com/images/raster/sakura-microperm-pen-illustration-16x9.png?v=062ca54d) *The three MicroPerm point sizes as lines (drawn at 1 mm = 12 px).* Original illustration made for this guide. © Stationery Times. Original drawing (SVG): . Drawings © 2026 Stationery Times, reusable with credit under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). ## Product facts | Product | Brand | Brand origin | Made in | Material | Released | Price range (typical US retail, October 2026) | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | Sakura MicroPerm pen, black (01, 03, 05) | Sakura (by Sakura Color Products Corporation (Osaka); sold in the US by Sakura of America) | Japan | Not stated | Alcohol-solvent ink with dye-stuff colorant; protected tips (Sakura of America) | – | $: under $5 per pen (multi-packs divided by the count) | - Made in (Sakura MicroPerm pen, black (01, 03, 05)): Not stated. Sakura of America's MicroPerm page (read November 2, 2026) and Blick's listing give no country of manufacture, so check the package. Sakura Color Products is an Osaka company; its Japanese site did not connect from our network on November 2, 2026. - Good for: Drawing and sketching. Skip it if you need a pigment ink with a lightfast claim: Sakura describes dye-stuff ink and makes no lightfastness statement. ## Key takeaways - Sakura lists three point sizes: 01 is 0.25 mm, 03 is 0.35 mm and 05 is 0.45 mm. - The ink is alcohol-solvent with a dye-stuff colorant, waterproof and permanent on most surfaces, including glossy and coated ones. - Alcohol-based cleaners will remove the ink from non-porous surfaces, per Sakura. - Sakura names 6 kinds of use, from test tubes and x-rays to labels for cans and jars, and lists the tips as protected so they will not split. - Blick sold a black single pen for US$3.34 and a set of three for US$8.96 on November 2, 2026. ## What is the Sakura MicroPerm? **It is a very fine permanent pen for surfaces ordinary pens skip.** Sakura of America calls the MicroPerm an ultra-fine line, waterproof, permanent ink pen, made for detail and precision. Its ink uses an alcohol solvent with a dye-stuff colorant and marks metal, glass, plastic, wood and cellophane. We read Sakura's page on November 2, 2026. Sakura's water-based pigment fineliner is covered in our [Pigma Micron guide](https://stationerytimes.com/guides/sakura-pigma-micron/), which is a different ink type. ## What are the specs? **Three point sizes and one ink type are what Sakura states.** | Spec | Value (Sakura of America) | |---|---| | Point sizes | 01 = 0.25 mm, 03 = 0.35 mm, 05 = 0.45 mm | | Ink | Alcohol solvent, dye-stuff colorant; low odor | | Permanence | Waterproof and permanent on most surfaces; chemically stable on porous paper | | Tip | Protected; will not split | | Surfaces | Metal, glass, plastic, wood, cellophane, glossy and coated surfaces | | Safety | Meets ACMI non-toxicity standards | | Price (black, Blick) | US$3.34 single; US$8.96 set of 3 (November 2, 2026) | Not stated: pen length, weight, ink volume, lightfastness, refills, country of manufacture. ## What does permanent mean for this pen? **It means water-permanent, not alcohol-permanent.** Sakura says the ink is waterproof and permanent on most surfaces, but also that alcohol-based cleaners will remove it from non-porous surfaces such as glass and plastic. On porous paper, Sakura calls it low odor, chemically stable and waterproof. Sakura gives no lightfastness rating. It also says the pen is not recommended for fabrics intended to be washed and has not been evaluated for cosmetic use on skin. ## Who is the MicroPerm for? **It suits people who need a 0.25 to 0.45 mm line on slick or mixed surfaces.** - **Drawing and sketching:** Sakura sells it in 0.25, 0.35 and 0.45 mm points and calls it an ultra-fine line pen for incredible detail and precision. Skip it if you need a pigment ink with a lightfast claim: Sakura describes dye-stuff ink and makes no lightfastness statement. ## What is each size for? **Sakura suggests the pen for fine detail and labeling and names no size per task.** Its uses include crafts, test tubes, beakers and x-rays, photographic film, labels for cans and jars, engineering templates and rulers, and the back of photographs. The 0.25 mm 01 draws the finest of the three lines and the 0.45 mm 05 the boldest; picking a size for a task is your call, since Sakura gives no advice. Test on the surface you plan to mark. ## How does it compare with a permanent marker? **It is far finer than a paint marker.** The [Sakura Pen-Touch](https://stationerytimes.com/guides/sakura-pen-touch-paint-marker/) paint marker starts at 0.7 mm and gives opaque, metallic color; the MicroPerm gives a 0.25 to 0.45 mm dye line. Sakura names no opaque or light-on-dark use for the MicroPerm. ## Which size and pack should you buy? **Singles for trying a size, the set of three for all of them.** Blick lists black singles in 0.25, 0.35 and 0.45 mm at US$3.34 each (item numbers 21015-2025, -2035 and -2045) and a set of three at US$8.96, about US$2.99 a pen. Blick's listing names black only, and Sakura's page names no colors, so we can't say whether other colors exist. Blick writes the sizes as 025, 035 and 045 mm, while Sakura's page uses 01, 03 and 05 with the widths 0.25, 0.35 and 0.45 mm; they are the same three sizes. ## Where is it made, and what does it cost? **Sakura doesn't say where it is made.** Neither Sakura of America's page nor Blick's listing names a country. At US$3.34 for a black single on Blick (November 2, 2026), it is in our $ band (under $5); the set of three at US$8.96 is about US$2.99 a pen. Prices change; check the listing. ## Frequently asked questions ### What sizes does the MicroPerm come in? Three, per Sakura: 01 is 0.25 mm, 03 is 0.35 mm and 05 is 0.45 mm. ### Can you write on glass or plastic with it? Yes. Sakura says the ink marks nearly any surface, including metal, glass, plastic, wood and cellophane, and writes on glossy and coated surfaces. ### Is the ink waterproof? Sakura calls it waterproof and permanent on most surfaces and says it is waterproof on porous paper too. ### How do you remove MicroPerm ink? Sakura says alcohol-based cleaners will remove it from non-porous surfaces, so permanent applies to water, not to alcohol. ### Is it a pigment or a dye ink? Sakura describes an alcohol solvent with a dye-stuff colorant, so it is a dye ink. Sakura makes no lightfastness claim for it. ### What is it used for? Sakura lists crafts, test tubes, beakers and x-rays, photographic film, labels for cans and jars, engineering templates and rulers, and the back of photographs. ### Will the tip split? Sakura says the tips are protected and will not split. ### Where is the Sakura MicroPerm made? Sakura doesn't say. The brand is Japanese and the US distributor is Sakura of America; check the package for a country. ## Sources - [Sakura of America: MicroPerm (ultra-fine line, alcohol solvent dye-stuff ink, three point sizes 01 to 05, surfaces, alcohol cleaners, ACMI; read November 2, 2026)](https://www.sakuraofamerica.com/product/microperm/) - [Blick Art Materials: Sakura Microperm Pens (black 025, 035 and 045 mm singles, set of three, item numbers; read November 2, 2026)](https://www.dickblick.com/products/sakura-microperm-pens/)