--- title: "STAEDTLER pigment liner 308: Waterproof Drawing Pen" canonical: "https://stationerytimes.com/guides/staedtler-pigment-liner-308/" description: "STAEDTLER pigment liner 308 explained: document-proof pigment ink, 12 widths from 0.05 to 1.2 mm plus chisel, long metal tip, 12-hour cap-off claim and sets." category: "Pens" type: "Fineliner" published: 2026-10-21 updated: 2026-10-24 author: "Ellis Penhale" publisher: "Stationery Times" sources: 7 products: - name: "STAEDTLER pigment liner 308" brand: "Staedtler" brand_origin: "Germany" made_in: "Germany" material: "Polypropylene barrel, long metal-clad tip, pigment ink (STAEDTLER)" price_band: "$ (under $5 per pen (multi-packs divided by the count), typical US retail, October 2026)" manufacturer: "Staedtler Mars GmbH & Co. KG (Nuremberg)" model: "pigment liner 308" mpn: "308 05-9" url: "https://www.staedtler.com/de/de/produkte/malen/fineliner/pigment-liner-308-fineliner-m308/" --- # STAEDTLER pigment liner 308: Waterproof Drawing Pen > The STAEDTLER pigment liner 308 is a capped fineliner with pigment ink that STAEDTLER calls document-proof, lightfast and waterproof on paper. It comes in 12 line widths from 0.05 to 1.2 mm plus a chisel tip, has a long metal tip for rulers and templates, and is made in Germany. JetPens lists it at 13.6 cm capped. - URL: https://stationerytimes.com/guides/staedtler-pigment-liner-308/ - Category: Pens - Author: Ellis Penhale - Published: 2026-10-21 - Updated: 2026-10-24 ![STAEDTLER pigment liner 308 with its cap posted, drawn to scale, with the long metal tip inset](https://stationerytimes.com/images/raster/staedtler-pigment-liner-308-16x9.png) *The 0.5 mm pigment liner with its cap posted, drawn to scale from JetPens' 16.4 cm.* 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) | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | STAEDTLER pigment liner 308 | Staedtler (by Staedtler Mars GmbH & Co. KG (Nuremberg)) | Germany | Germany | Polypropylene barrel, long metal-clad tip, pigment ink (STAEDTLER) | – | $: under $5 per pen (multi-packs divided by the count) | - Made in (STAEDTLER pigment liner 308): Germany. STAEDTLER's German and international product pages carry a Made in Germany badge for the pigment liner 308. Source: https://www.staedtler.com/de/de/produkte/malen/fineliner/pigment-liner-308-fineliner-m308/ ### STAEDTLER pigment liner 308 colors - Ink colors (7 standard, 0 special edition): black (0.05 to 1.2 mm, plus a 0.3–2 mm chisel); light grey (0.5 mm); red (0.3 and 0.5 mm); orange (0.5 mm); green (0.5 mm); blue (0.3 and 0.5 mm); violet (0.3 mm). - Per STAEDTLER (international) (https://www.staedtler.com/intl/en/products/products-for-colouring/fineliners/pigment-liner-308-fineliner-m308/), checked 2026-10-24. Single-pen colors and line widths per STAEDTLER's international page; its German page lists the same seven. Brown, and the yellow, fuchsia, light blue, light green and light brown of the US six-color box, come only in boxes and aren't listed here. Tints were sampled from STAEDTLER's product photos (the end plug shows the ink color). Shops stock different colors; check the listing. ## Key takeaways - STAEDTLER lists 12 line widths from 0.05 to 1.2 mm, plus a chisel tip of about 0.3 to 2.0 mm. - STAEDTLER says the black pens can lie uncapped for at least 12 hours without drying out. - JetPens lists the 0.5 mm pen at 13.6 cm (5.4 in) capped, 13.3 cm uncapped, 16.4 cm posted and 10.5 mm at its widest. - The long metal tip works with templates from the 0.1 mm size and with rulers from 0.2 mm, per STAEDTLER. - STAEDTLER's German product page marks the pigment liner 308 Made in Germany. ## What is the STAEDTLER pigment liner 308? **The pigment liner 308 is STAEDTLER's capped drawing fineliner, with pigment ink and a long metal tip for writing, sketching and drawing.** STAEDTLER's German site calls the ink dokumentenecht (document-proof), lightfast and waterproof on paper. It sits in STAEDTLER's Artist Series beside its pencils and ink pens. On Amazon US, a box of five 0.5 mm pens shows 4.4 stars and "200+ bought in the past month" (October 21, 2026). ## STAEDTLER pigment liner 308 specs | Spec | Value | |---|---| | Maker | STAEDTLER, Nuremberg | | Model | pigment liner 308 (0.5 mm black: 308 05-9) | | Type | Capped fineliner with long metal-clad tip | | Line widths | 12, from 0.05 to 1.2 mm, plus chisel about 0.3–2.0 mm (STAEDTLER) | | Ink | Pigment; document-proof, lightfast, waterproof on paper | | Cap-off time | At least 12 hours, black only (STAEDTLER) | | Length | 13.6 cm (5.4 in) capped, 13.3 cm uncapped, 16.4 cm posted (JetPens) | | Diameter | 8.2 mm grip, 10.5 mm max (JetPens) | | Barrel | Polypropylene (STAEDTLER) | | Made in | Germany (STAEDTLER) | ![STAEDTLER pigment liner 308 capped, uncapped and posted lengths drawn to scale](https://stationerytimes.com/images/staedtler-pigment-liner-308-lengths.svg) *Capped, uncapped and posted, drawn to scale from JetPens' figures.* ## Is the pigment liner waterproof and archival? **STAEDTLER says the ink is waterproof on paper, lightfast and document-proof.** The German page cites ISO 14145-2 in its badge and ISO 12757-2 in the text; both are ISO standards for ink fit for documents. It also says the black ink can be erased from drafting paper and that highlighter won't make it bleed. We haven't tested either claim yet. ## Why is the tip so long? **The long metal tip lets the point reach past the edge of a ruler or template, so ink doesn't creep under it.** STAEDTLER says it suits templates from the 0.1 mm size and rulers from 0.2 mm, for example its Mars 572 FL. That makes the 308 a cheaper alternative to a refillable technical pen for drafting and architecture, as well as a sketching pen. ## Which sizes and sets are there? **STAEDTLER lists 12 widths from 0.05 to 1.2 mm, a chisel tip of about 0.3 to 2.0 mm, and several stand-up STAEDTLER box sets.** The German site lists these: | Set | Contents | |---|---| | Box of 4, black | 0.1, 0.3, 0.5, 0.7 mm | | Box of 6, black | 0.05, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.5, 0.8 mm | | Box of 8, black | 0.05, 0.1, 0.3, 0.5, 0.7, 1.0, 1.2 mm and chisel | | Box of 6, colors | Orange, red, violet, blue, green, brown, in 0.3 or 0.5 mm | | Single blister | Black, e.g. 0.1, 0.2, 0.4 or 0.5 mm | STAEDTLER's US site also lists a six-color box in yellow, fuchsia, light blue, light green, light brown and grey at 0.5 mm. In the US, singles and boxes fall in our $ band (under $5 per pen). ## How does the STAEDTLER pigment liner 308 compare with other fineliners? **The pigment liner is the ruler-friendly German option; the uni PIN goes finer, and the Micron is the archival classic.** | | STAEDTLER pigment liner 308 | [uni PIN](https://stationerytimes.com/guides/uni-pin-fineliner/) | [Sakura Pigma Micron](https://stationerytimes.com/guides/sakura-pigma-micron/) | [STAEDTLER triplus fineliner](https://stationerytimes.com/guides/staedtler-triplus-fineliner/) | |---|---|---|---|---| | Ink | Pigment | Pigment | Archival pigment | Water-based | | Sizes | 0.05–1.2 mm, plus chisel | 0.03–1.2 mm | 0.15–0.70 mm | 0.3 mm | | Waterproof | On paper (STAEDTLER) | Water resistant (uni-ball) | Yes (Sakura) | No | | Capped length | 13.6 cm (5.4 in) | 13.9 cm (5.5 in) | Not published | 16.1 cm (6.3 in) | | Made in | Germany | Not stated | Japan | Germany | For our ranking by use, see the [best fineliners](https://stationerytimes.com/guides/best-fineliners/) roundup. ## Where is the pigment liner made? **STAEDTLER's German and international product pages mark the pigment liner 308 Made in Germany.** STAEDTLER is based in Nuremberg. STAEDTLER dates the first Marsgraphic pigment liner 308 to 1988; our [STAEDTLER history](https://stationerytimes.com/stories/staedtler-history/) tells the company's story from 1835. ## Frequently asked questions ### Is the STAEDTLER pigment liner waterproof? On paper, yes, according to STAEDTLER: it calls the pigment ink waterproof on paper, lightfast and document-proof. We haven't run our own water test yet. ### What line widths does the pigment liner come in? STAEDTLER lists 12 widths from 0.05 to 1.2 mm, plus a chisel tip that writes about 0.3 to 2.0 mm. Sets mix sizes such as 0.05, 0.1, 0.3, 0.5, 0.7, 1.0 and 1.2 mm. ### Can you use the pigment liner with a ruler? Yes. STAEDTLER says the long metal tip suits templates from the 0.1 mm size and rulers from 0.2 mm, so the ink doesn't run under the edge. ### How long can a pigment liner stay uncapped? At least 12 hours without drying out, STAEDTLER says, for black ink only. That's a maker claim we haven't tested. ### Can you erase or highlight over pigment liner ink? STAEDTLER says the black ink can be erased from drafting paper and that highlighting over it doesn't make it bleed. ### Does the pigment liner come in colors? Yes. STAEDTLER sells boxes of six colors (orange, red, violet, blue, green and brown) in 0.3 and 0.5 mm, and its US site lists a box of yellow, fuchsia, light blue, light green, light brown and grey in 0.5 mm. ### How long is the STAEDTLER pigment liner? JetPens lists the 0.5 mm pen at 13.6 cm (5.4 in) capped, 13.3 cm uncapped and 16.4 cm posted, with an 8.2 mm grip. ## Sources - [STAEDTLER (Germany): pigment liner 308 Fineliner (product information, sets, Made in Germany; read in German)](https://www.staedtler.com/de/de/produkte/malen/fineliner/pigment-liner-308-fineliner-m308/) - [STAEDTLER (international): pigment liner 308 Fineliner (indelible to ISO 12757-2, cap-off, ruler and template use)](https://www.staedtler.com/intl/en/products/products-for-colouring/fineliners/pigment-liner-308-fineliner-m308/) - [STAEDTLER (US): Artist Series (12 line widths from 0.05 to 1.2 mm plus chisel tip)](https://www.staedtler.com/us/en/discover/artist-series/) - [STAEDTLER (US): Artist fineliners and drawing pens (six-color pigment liner box)](https://www.staedtler.com/us/en/products/art-supplies-materials/artist-fineliners-drawing-pens/) - [JetPens: Staedtler Pigment Liner Marker Pen, 0.5 mm, Black (lengths and diameters)](https://www.jetpens.com/Staedtler-Pigment-Liner-Marker-Pen-0.5-mm-Black/pd/7939) - [Amazon: STAEDTLER Pigment Liner 0.5 mm, black, box of 5, 308 05-9M (4.4 stars, 200+ bought in the past month, October 21, 2026)](https://www.amazon.com/STAEDTLER-Fineliner-Journaling-308-05-9M/dp/B0C1HRM2F7) - [Amazon: Staedtler Pigment Liner 0.05 mm, black, 308 005-9](https://amazon.com/Staedtler-Pigment-Liner-Black-308-0-05/dp/B00ER0D4CA)