--- title: "Stationery Through a Life: Crayon to Signature" canonical: "https://stationerytimes.com/stories/stationery-through-a-life/" description: "How stationery follows us from a toddler's first crayon to school pencils, office sticky notes and the black-ink signature on a marriage license or a deed." category: "Stories" published: 2026-10-21 updated: 2026-10-21 author: "Ellis Penhale" publisher: "Stationery Times" sources: 22 organizations: - name: "Crayola LLC" country: "United States" founded: "1885" parent: "Hallmark Cards, Inc." parent_since: "1984" source: "https://www.crayola.com/about-us/company/history.aspx" - name: "3M Company" country: "United States" brands: ["Post-it"] source: "https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/66740/000006674026000014/mmm-20251231.htm" --- # Stationery Through a Life: Crayon to Signature > Stationery follows us through every stage of life. Toddlers scribble with crayons by about 18 months, schoolchildren take tests with No. 2 pencils, adults run their days on pens and sticky notes, and the biggest decisions, such as a marriage license or a deed, are still signed in black ink on paper. - URL: https://stationerytimes.com/stories/stationery-through-a-life/ - Category: Stories - Author: Ellis Penhale - Published: 2026-10-21 - Updated: 2026-10-21 ![A timeline ribbon through four stages of life, from a red crayon to a rollerball signing a certificate](https://stationerytimes.com/images/raster/stationery-through-a-life-16x9.png) *Childhood, school, work and the big decisions: four objects most of us use without a second thought (not to scale).* Original drawing (SVG): . Drawings © 2026 Stationery Times, reusable with credit under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). ## Key takeaways - Binney & Smith sold the first box of eight Crayola crayons in June 1903 for a nickel; Hallmark Cards has owned the company since 1984. - The CDC lists scribbling as a milestone by 18 months and holding a crayon or pencil between fingers and thumb, not in a fist, by 4 years. - 3M dates Spencer Silver's low-tack adhesive to 1968 and the launch of Post-it Notes to 1980; it now sells more than 4,000 Post-it products. - Sarasota County, Florida tells wedding officiants to use only black ink on the marriage license and return it within 10 days. - The federal E-SIGN Act of June 30, 2000 lets most contracts be signed electronically, but it excludes wills and state family-law matters such as adoption and divorce. ## How does stationery accompany us through life? **Stationery is with us at every stage of life: a crayon in a toddler's fist, a pencil at a school desk, a pen and a pad of sticky notes at work, and a pen that puts ink on paper for good when we marry, rent or buy a home.** Most of these objects are so ordinary that we stop seeing them. Each one has a dated history, and each stage has rules and milestones written down by someone official. This story follows them in order, from the CDC's developmental checklists to county clerks' instructions for marriage licenses. ## Stationery through a life: a timeline | Date | Event | Source | |---|---|---| | 1885 | Cousins Edwin Binney and C. Harold Smith form Binney & Smith | Crayola company history | | June 1903 | First box of eight Crayola crayons, sold for a nickel | Crayola company history; About Us | | 1913 | The yellow No. 2 Ticonderoga pencil is introduced | Ticonderoga history | | July 15, 1946 | Truman wipes each pen used on the British Loan Bill before handing it out | Truman Library | | 1968 | 3M scientist Spencer Silver develops a low-tack adhesive | 3M | | 1980 | 3M introduces Post-it Notes | 3M timeline | | 1984 | Hallmark Cards buys Binney & Smith as a wholly owned subsidiary | Crayola company history | | 1985 | Post-it Notes add four colors to yellow | 3M timeline | | June 30, 2000 | The E-SIGN Act becomes law (Pub. L. 106-229) | 15 U.S.C. 7003 | | 2007 | Binney & Smith renames itself Crayola | Crayola company history | | 2010 | A White House signing uses 22 pens | Obama Library transcript | ## What do toddlers draw with first? **Usually a crayon: the CDC lists scribbling as a milestone by 18 months.** By 3 years, its checklist says, a child draws a circle when shown how, and by 4 years holds a crayon or pencil between fingers and thumb, "not a fist". The American Academy of Pediatrics' HealthyChildren.org describes the in-between stage at age two. A child puts the thumb on one side of the crayon and the fingers on the other, then "awkwardly" reaches a finger toward the point. That grip, it says, is enough for "sweeping vertical and circular strokes". The crayon in that hand has a long history. Crayola says cousins Edwin Binney and C. Harold Smith took over a pigment business in 1885, making barn-paint red oxide and carbon black. In June 1903 Binney & Smith introduced its first box of eight Crayola crayons: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet, brown and black, for a nickel. Crayola says the name was coined by Alice Binney, Edwin's wife and a former schoolteacher, from the French *craie* (chalk) and "ola" from oleaginous. Hallmark Cards bought Binney & Smith in 1984, and the company took the name Crayola in 2007. Older children often move on to colored pencils; our [best colored pencils](https://stationerytimes.com/guides/best-colored-pencils/) guide compares the artist-grade sets. ## Why do schools still use No. 2 pencils? **Because machine-scored answer sheets are built around a dark pencil mark, and the No. 2, an HB on the US scale, makes one.** ACT's test-day checklist still tells students to bring "sharpened No. 2 pencils with erasers", with no pens or mechanical pencils. Tombow's September 28, 2015 Japanese press release explains why: a mark-sheet reader shines light on the page and finds the pencil marks because they don't reflect it. Tombow calls HB the right hardness for mark-sheet tests. Our [pencil grades guide](https://stationerytimes.com/guides/pencil-grades-explained/) explains how No. 2 maps to HB and why one maker's HB is darker than another's. The classic American version is older than the tests. Ticonderoga's history dates the yellow No. 2 to 1913, with a brass ferrule that turned green plastic during World War II metal rationing; our [Ticonderoga #2 guide](https://stationerytimes.com/guides/ticonderoga-2-pencil/) covers it today. The pencil's partner is the notebook. The black marble [Mead composition notebook](https://stationerytimes.com/guides/mead-composition-notebook/) holds 100 sewn sheets, so pages stay put through a school year. ## Who invented the sticky note? **Two 3M scientists: Spencer Silver, who developed a low-tack adhesive in 1968, and Art Fry, who turned it into a note.** 3M's Post-it history quotes Silver: his job was to make "bigger, stronger, tougher adhesives", and "this was none of those". Fry's problem was a hymnal. 3M says the paper scraps he used to mark hymns for choir practice kept falling out by Sunday, and remembering Silver's seminar on the adhesive gave him his "eureka moment". The first test, in four cities under the name Press 'n Peel, had mixed results. A sampling campaign in Boise, Idaho, the "Boise Blitz", went better: 3M says 90% of people who tried the notes said they'd buy them. 3M's timeline dates the launch of Post-it Notes to 1980. The Canary Yellow came from scrap paper a neighboring lab happened to have; four more colors followed in 1985, and 3M now counts more than 4,000 Post-it products in more than 150 countries. The classic pad is still the 3 × 3 in square in our [Post-it Notes 654 guide](https://stationerytimes.com/guides/post-it-notes-654/). Next to it on most desks is a pen; our [best pens for note-taking](https://stationerytimes.com/guides/best-pens-for-note-taking/) roundup notes that Pilot advises against its erasable FriXion ink for legal or official documents. ## What pen should you sign a marriage license with? **A pen with permanent black ink, unless your county says otherwise.** The Sarasota County clerk in Florida tells officiants to "use only black ink" on the license and to return it within 10 days of the ceremony. Wisconsin's state instructions, on an August 2000 form still posted by Chippewa County, were stricter. All entries "including signatures" had to be in black ink "to insure legible photocopies and clear images for microfilming", and a certificate in other ink, or with whiteout or erasures, would be returned. The form may since have been replaced, so check your own county. The same logic applies when you buy a home. The Washington County, Utah recorder requires documents to be printed in black ink, legible enough for certified copies, and to carry original signatures. Any pen with black ink meets the wording, but some inks are made to stay put. Mitsubishi Pencil sells the [uni-ball Signo 207](https://stationerytimes.com/guides/uni-ball-signo-207/) gel pen's pigment ink as water-, fade- and fraud-resistant, and the [uni-ball Vision Elite](https://stationerytimes.com/guides/uni-ball-vision-elite/) rollerball uses the same Super Ink claim. ## Why do we still sign important papers by hand? **Because some records still require it, and because a signature in ink is a moment people want to keep.** Federal law no longer insists on paper for most deals: the E-SIGN Act, dated June 30, 2000, says a signature or contract can't be denied legal effect "solely because it is in electronic form". The act carves out exceptions. It doesn't apply to wills, codicils and testamentary trusts, or to state rules on "adoption, divorce, or other matters of family law", so state law decides those. Ceremony keeps ink alive too. A Truman Library photograph shows the president on July 15, 1946 wiping each pen used to sign the British Loan Bill "with a scrap of white rag" before giving it to a Cabinet member or British dignitary. The Reagan Library says ceremonial signing pens usually go to the authors of a bill and the members of Congress who got it passed. In a 2010 White House video now held by the Obama Library, a staffer counts 22 pens at one signing and says the clerk believes the custom began under Truman or Roosevelt. ## Which pens do people choose for the big signatures? **Usually one they will keep: a metal rollerball, a fountain pen or simply a good black gel pen.** Retro 51 calls its twist-action [Tornado](https://stationerytimes.com/guides/retro-51-tornado/), launched in 1997, its signature pen; our [gel vs ballpoint vs rollerball](https://stationerytimes.com/guides/gel-vs-ballpoint-vs-rollerball/) guide explains how a rollerball's ink differs. With a fountain pen such as the [Montblanc Meisterstück 149](https://stationerytimes.com/guides/montblanc-meisterstuck-149/), which Montblanc dates to 1952, the ink matters more than the nib. Platinum describes its [Carbon Black](https://stationerytimes.com/guides/platinum-carbon-black-ink/) as a pigment ink that won't brown in sunlight or water and doesn't redissolve once dry. ## Why should we notice everyday stationery? **Because these small objects carry our milestones, and most of them have an inventor, a date and a reason they look the way they do.** The crayon came from a barn-paint maker, the sticky note from an adhesive that failed its first brief, and the black-ink rule from clerks who need a record that still reads decades later. The next time you sign a lease, label a lunchbox or press a yellow square onto a monitor, it's worth a second look at the thing in your hand. ## Frequently asked questions ### When was the first Crayola crayon made? Crayola's company history says Binney & Smith introduced the first box of eight Crayola crayons in June 1903. One Crayola FAQ says the crayon was invented in 1902 and first sold in 1903. ### What colors were in the first box of Crayola crayons? Eight: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet, brown and black, according to Crayola. The box sold for a nickel. ### At what age should a child hold a pencil correctly? The CDC's milestone checklist lists holding a crayon or pencil between the fingers and thumb, not in a fist, as a milestone by age 4. Children get there at different speeds, so ask a pediatrician if you are worried. ### Can you use a mechanical pencil on the ACT? No. ACT's test-day checklist says to bring sharpened No. 2 pencils with erasers, and no pens or mechanical pencils. ### Why are Post-it Notes yellow? By accident, 3M says: the lab next door only had scrap yellow paper on hand when the first notes were made. 3M added four more colors in 1985. ### Can I sign a marriage license in blue ink? It depends on the county. Sarasota County, Florida asks for black ink only, and an older Wisconsin state instruction sheet said certificates in any other ink would be returned. Check your clerk's instructions before the wedding. ### Is an electronic signature legally valid in the US? For most contracts, yes. The federal E-SIGN Act says a signature or contract can't be denied legal effect just because it is electronic, but it doesn't cover wills, codicils, testamentary trusts or state family-law matters such as adoption and divorce. ### Why does the president use so many pens to sign a bill? So the pens can be given away. The Reagan Library says ceremonial signing pens usually go to the bill's authors and the members of Congress who got it passed; a 2010 White House video counted 22 pens at one signing. ## Sources - [Crayola: Company history (1885 Binney & Smith; June 1903 first box of eight; 1984 Hallmark; 2007 Crayola LLC)](https://www.crayola.com/about-us/company/history.aspx) - [Crayola: About Us (first box of eight sold for 5 cents in 1903; a business of Hallmark Cards since 1984)](https://www.crayola.com/company/about-us) - [Crayola FAQ: What were the original eight colors in the 1903 box of Crayola Crayons?](https://www.crayola.com/faqs/what-were-the-original-eight-8-colors-in-the-1903-box-of-crayola-crayons-faq) - [3M Post-it: History Timeline (Silver's microspheres, Fry's hymnal bookmark, Press 'n Peel, the Boise Blitz, April 6 US debut, Canary Yellow)](https://www.post-it.com/3M/en_US/post-it/contact-us/about-us/) - [3M: One scientist, good. Many scientists, even better. (adhesive developed in 1968; more than 4,000 Post-it products in more than 150 countries)](https://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/consumer-us/stories/full-story/?storyid=e9f444d3-a5c5-46f1-a34b-082ff275aa7d) - [3M: History timeline (1980, 3M introduced Post-it Notes; 1985, four new colors)](https://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/company-us/about-3m/history/timeline/) - [3M Form 10-K for 2025 (Post-it and Scotch brands)](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/66740/000006674026000014/mmm-20251231.htm) - [Ticonderoga: History (the yellow No. 2 introduced in 1913)](https://weareticonderoga.com/history) - [CDC: Milestones by 18 months (scribbles)](https://www.cdc.gov/act-early/milestones/18-months.html) - [CDC: Milestones by 3 years (draws a circle when shown how)](https://www.cdc.gov/act-early/milestones/3-years.html) - [CDC: Milestones by 4 years (holds crayon or pencil between fingers and thumb, not a fist)](https://www.cdc.gov/act-early/milestones/4-years.html) - [American Academy of Pediatrics, HealthyChildren.org: Hand and Finger Skills, 2 Year Olds (the early crayon grip)](https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/toddler/pages/Hand-and-Finger-Skills-2-Year-Olds.aspx) - [ACT: What You Need to Know for Test Day (sharpened No. 2 pencils with erasers; no pens or mechanical pencils)](https://www.act.org/content/act/en/products-and-services/the-act/test-day.html) - [Tombow (Japanese): モノマークシート用鉛筆 press release, September 28, 2015 (HB for mark-sheet tests; how OMR readers detect pencil marks)](https://www.tombow.com/press/150928/) - [Sarasota County Clerk of the Circuit Court and County Comptroller: Instructions for Wedding Officiants (black ink only; return within 10 days)](https://www.sarasotaclerk.com/Marriage/Instructions-for-Wedding-Officiants) - [Wisconsin Department of Health & Family Services: form HCF 5152C (08/00), instructions for completing the marriage license application and certificate (black ink; hosted by Chippewa County) (PDF)](https://www.chippewacountywi.gov/DocumentCenter/View/439) - [Washington County, Utah Recorder: Recording Requirements (black ink; legible for certified copies; original signatures)](https://www.washco.utah.gov/departments/recorder/recording-requirements/) - [15 U.S.C. 7001, E-SIGN Act general rule of validity (Legal Information Institute)](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/7001) - [15 U.S.C. 7003, E-SIGN Act specific exceptions (wills, family law; Pub. L. 106-229, June 30, 2000) (Legal Information Institute)](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/7003) - [Harry S. Truman Library: The President wipes a pen after signing the British Loan Bill, July 15, 1946 (photo 97-2246)](https://www.trumanlibrary.gov/photograph-records/97-2246) - [Ronald Reagan Presidential Library: White House Office of Legislative Affairs records, 1981-1988 (ceremonial signing pens)](https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/research/finding-aids/legislative-affairs-white-house-office-records-1981-1988) - [Barack Obama Presidential Library: All the President's Pens, 2010 video transcript (PDF)](https://www.obamalibrary.gov/sites/default/files/uploads/documents/2010%20-%20All%20the%20Presidents%20Pens%20(TRANSCRIPT).pdf)