Supplies
Looking for perfect combinations of papers and pens or supplies for plotters? This page is a compilation of best pens, papers, inks and parts for pen plotters
Some links may be affiliate links
Categories (and count of supplies)
Paper & Surfaces
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Savior-Faire Fabriano Black Paper
This thick black paper (300gsm) is ideal for light colored inks
★ favoritedarkAmazon
Exact Vellum Bristol
This extremely bright white cardstock is acid free and long-lasting
★ favoritelightAmazon
Canson Mi-Teintes Honeycombed Grain
It is a double sided paper with a honeycombed grain on one side and a fine grain on the reverse
★ favoritedarkAmazon
Strathmore 300 Series Bristol 11"x14" paper
Excellent for mechanical drawing, pencil, pen and ink, Heavy paper weight. Smooth Finish paper
★ favoritelightAmazon
Strathmore Artist Tiles - Black
Strathmore 105-974 400 Series Artagain Artist Tiles, Coal Black 6"x6", 30 Sheets
★ favoritedarkAmazon
Art Spectrum Colourfix Original
Toothy, colored surface suitable for plotting with compatible opaque media.
Art Spectrum
Artway Enviro Recycled Black Card
Dark drawing surface for opaque, metallic, and white plotter media.
Amazon
Daler-Rowney Smooth 220 gsm A2 Drawing Paper
Large smooth sheets for A2-capable flatbed plotters.
Amazon
Pens, Markers & Pencils
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Sakura Gelly Roll
Favorite among many plotter enthusiasts, Sakura Gelly Roll White gel pens give consistent results
★ favoritelightAmazon
Uni-ball Signo Angelic UM-120AC
These inks produce thicker lines and don't clog easily.
★ favoritelightAmazon
Gel Xtreme Metallic Pens
These 0.7mm pens feature high quality, water based, acid free and non-toxic pigment gel ink
★ favoritelightAmazon
Pilot Precise V5
Precise combines Pilot’s exceptionally smooth-writing ink, premium metal clip and iconic look for your writing pleasure
★ favoriteAmazon
Pentel Arts Milky Pop Pastel Gel Pen
0.8mm Medium Line, White Ink. Smooth gel ink writes on light or dark colored paper, writes on photo paper
★ favoritelightAmazon
Sparkle Pop iridescent pens
Pentel Arts Sparkle Pop Metallic Gel Pen, 1.0mm Bold Line, Gold & Silver Ink
★ favoritelightAmazon
Sakura Gelly Roll Moonlight
Colorful pens that plot nicely on dark paper, and some of them are reactive to UV light.
★ favoritedarkAmazon
Multicolor STABILO Point 88 Fineliner Pens
STABILO Point 88 Fineliner Pens 0.4m 30 color wallet set, Multicolor
★ favoritelightAmazon
SAKURA Gelly Roll Metallic
CREAMY, OPAQUE GEL INK: The Ice Cream Smooth ink flows brightly on dark and light papers. Set includes 10 bold metallic gel pens
★ favoritelightAmazon
Uni-ball Kuru Toga High Grade Auto Lead Rotation Mechanical Pencil
Mechanism inside is divided into three gears, using the pen pressure of writing a character, gear, and movement up and down while it is connected to the core. Pencil has a core rotation mechanism that continually rotates the pencil lead as you write
★ favoriteAmazon
rOtring Isograph Technical Pen
Refillable technical pen for consistent-width plotted line work.
Amazon
Uni-ball Signo Metallic Silver 0.8 mm
Opaque metallic gel pen for plotting on dark paper.
★ favoriteAmazon
Pilot Hi-Tec-C 0.25 mm Black Gel Pen
Very fine gel pen for dense, high-detail plots.
Amazonalso at JetPens
BIC Cristal Assorted Ballpoint Pens
Widely available ballpoints for long-running plotted drawings.
Amazon
BIC Cristal Wide-Point Assorted Pens
Low-cost broad ballpoints for dense hatch and color plots.
Amazon
Pentel Orenz Nero 0.5 mm Mechanical Pencil
Automatic mechanical pencil for repeatable graphite plotting.
JetPens
Pentel Aquash Water Brush Set
Reservoir brushes for watercolor and diluted-ink plotting experiments.
Amazon
Kuretake Karappo Empty Fine-Tip Pens
Empty felt-tip bodies that can be filled with compatible custom inks.
JetPens
Refillable Watercolor Brush Pen Set
Reservoir brush pens for plotting with watercolors or compatible inks.
Amazon
Sharpie Metallic Fine-Point Marker Set
Metallic permanent markers for bold plots on dark surfaces.
Amazon
STABILO Pen 68 Brush Marker
Flexible brush marker for pressure-independent broad plotting marks.
JetPens
Zebra Sarasa Clip Marble 0.5 mm Set
Variegated gel inks for multicolor effects from a single plotting pass.
JetPens
Inks & Refills
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UV Blacklight Reactive Ink
Opticz All Purpose Invisible Blue UV Blacklight Reactive Ink. It is invisible in regular light, glows bright blue in blacklight.
★ favoriteAmazon
Pilot Juice Gel Ink Ballpoint Pen
Pilot Juice Gel Ink Ballpoint Pen, 0.5mm, Pastel Colors (LJU60EF-6CP)
★ favoritelightAmazon
Pilot Hi-Tec-C Coleto 0.4 mm White Refill
Fine white refill for plotting on dark paper with a compatible pen body.
JetPens
Uni NanoDia 0.5 mm Colored Leads
Colored mechanical-pencil leads for automated graphite-style plotting.
Amazon
Circuit Scribe Conductive Ink Pen
Conductive ink for plotting functional circuits on suitable surfaces.
SparkFun
Empty Paint Marker Replacement Cores
Replacement cotton cores for refillable/custom plotter markers.
Amazon
Empty Refillable Paint Marker Barrels
Bulk empty marker bodies for custom ink and plotting-tool experiments.
Alibaba.com
Pilot Fountain Pen Ink, Black
Bottled ink for refillable pens and compatible custom plotting tools.
Amazon
Speedball Super Pigmented Acrylic Ink, Indigo
Pigmented acrylic ink for compatible refillable plotting media.
Amazon
Waterproof Technical Pen Ink, Pink
Colored technical-pen ink compatible with refillable drafting pens.
Amazon
Mechanical Parts
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McMaster-Carr Rubber Roller Material 5054K541
Rubber stock referenced by the community for replacement roller work.
McMaster-Carr
10 × 6.5 × 1.5 mm Rubber Pinch Roller
Small replacement guide roller for plotter transport mechanisms.
Amazon
Stainless Steel 90-Degree Angle Brackets
General frame and mounting brackets for DIY drawing-machine builds.
Amazon
Universal Cutting Plotter Pen Holders
Replacement pen holders for compatible cutter and plotter carriages.
Amazon
Electronics & Controls
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FTDI UC232R-10 USB to RS-232 Cable
FTDI-based USB serial connection for legacy drawing machines.
Amazon
BIGTREETECH SKR Mini E3 V3.0 with TMC2209
Stepper-control board adaptable to custom drawing-machine firmware and wiring.
Amazon
Elecrow FluidNC TMC2209 Pen/Laser Controller
Purpose-built ESP32/TMC2209 motion controller for pen-plotter projects.
Elecrow
Stepper Motor Cable and Connector Kit
Wiring harnesses and connectors for stepper-driven plotter axes.
AliExpress
EiBotBoard Driver Board
Native motion-control board used by AxiDraw and EggBot-class machines.
Evil Mad Scientist
Adafruit FTDI Serial TTL USB Cable
USB-to-TTL serial cable for controller setup and diagnostics.
Adafruit
Adafruit FTDI Serial TTL USB-C Cable
USB-C-to-TTL serial cable for configuring compatible controller boards.
Adafruit
FTDI USB to RS-232 Adapter
Serial adapter for connecting modern computers to compatible legacy plotters.
Amazon
Arduino CNC Shield V3 with A4988 Drivers
Compact multi-axis controller for GRBL-style drawing-machine builds.
Amazon
StarTech Cross-Wired DB9-to-DB25 Null-Modem Cable
Cross-wired serial cable for legacy plotters requiring null-modem signaling.
Amazon
STEPPERONLINE NEMA 17 40 mm Stepper Motor
General-purpose bipolar motor for DIY X/Y drawing-machine axes.
Amazon
Workholding & Accessories
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Pen storage
Vencer 5 Drawer Wood Art Storage Box for Pencil, Pen, Pastel, Marker Set VAO-003
★ favoriteAmazon
Magnetic Easel for AxiDraw Tabloid/A3
Magnetic paper-holding surface sized for A3 AxiDraw models.
Bantam Tools
Acrylic 44-Slot Pen Organizer
Keeps plotter pens sorted and accessible for multicolor workflows.
Amazon
XL Pen Clip for AxiDraw
Holds larger-diameter drawing tools in compatible AxiDraw machines.
Bantam Tools
Cricut Foil Transfer Kit
Foil-transfer accessory for compatible computer-controlled drawing/cutting machines.
Amazon
Magnetic Easel for AxiDraw Letter/A4
Magnetic paper-holding surface sized for standard AxiDraw models.
Bantam Tools
Pen Clip Rotation Stage for AxiDraw
Rotates compatible chisel or brush tools to control mark orientation.
Bantam Tools
Tools & Maintenance
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Koh-I-Noor Rapido-Eze Cleaning Kit
Cleans technical pens and small ink passages used in plotting.
Amazon
Brushless Servo Upgrade Kit for AxiDraw
Long-life pen-lift servo upgrade for compatible AxiDraw models.
Bantam Tools