Crafters Companion Spectrum Noir Universal Black Pen Trays - 6 Trays

For many years I have lived with the ongoing frustration of unsatisfactory inkpad storage - all my Distress Inks and Distress Oxides, and the few larger inkpads that I have, were kept in Really Useful Boxes on a shelf in my studio. This was a pain, hauling them out and rummaging to find what I wanted. I discovered this Spectrum Noir system on Amazon recently and knew this was the answer.I bought four sets, and glued the trays together in two vertical stacks, which I then glued back to back. I bought the revolving base from Amazon (https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01N959WDQ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1) and stuck the assembled unit onto this. I used Humbrol Poly Cement to glue everything - this worked perfectly. I labelled each slot with a one-inch square removable label (https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0077809L8/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1) which I had inked with the respective colour and written its name. These can be moved if I add more trays and new colours. I labelled the front of each inkpad with free printables from Lou Collins' blog.A very neat feature of this storage unit is the raised ridge towards the back of each slot. Distress Inks butt up against this so that their edges are flush with the front of the unit. If you want to store rectangular inkpads, you just lay them on top of this ridge and their edges will be flush.This is the best storage system ever. I have been searching for this for years. People have made revolving tower units from foam board and other materials (really complicated|) but this has the great advantage of being modular so that you can add more trays as you acquire more inks. Please visit my blog (shoshiplatypus) for full details of how I constructed the unit.Highly recommended! One of the best purchases I have made for years.

This product is a great and sturdy, easy use for storage

I was told by an artist friend that if I wanted one of the best things to put your markers in these were the way to go and honestly I agree the idea of paying extra to potentially build a rack as big as you want both vertically or horizontally is a really good point these have compared to getting something fixed size and at 12 markers per tray you can hold a respectable amount with this set alone. Its not something that strongly stacks on each other but as long as you keep it safe on a side its certainly sturdy enough to not shake apart or anything (plus the weight of the markers tends to keep it in place once you fill it). The fact they can be stacked in a way that effectively makes steps so each row is easier to pull out is also an interesting option if you have the room to do so. I personally find them quite recommendable as of now and will definitely aim to acquire more once I get around to also increasing how many markers I own.

I assume from a hasty production line, the quality of the plastic at the joints, where you connect the trays horizontally adjacently to one another, is rather poor. Some edges and joints were so mangled, unclean, and deformed it made it had to assemble. But with some forcefulness, I was able to combine these with an existing set I had to build a bridge of sorts so plenty strong enough once together. I imagine it to be quite difficult to pull the mangled trays apart from one another so make sure you are happy with your layout. Vertically, they stack wonderfully so besides the above, they are excellent marker storage that fit not only Spectrum Noir but also POSCA pens 5M or smaller (note the POSCA 1M and 1MR are significantly shorter so sit further back on the trays so maybe hard to get out if in a veritcal stack).

Bought this for my expanding Copic marker collection. As you can add individual tiers you can customize the height depending on the quantity of pens you have. The individual racks themselves are sturdy but as they just slot into each other when they stack. You just have to be mindful that they are not locked together if you have a need to move them from one location to another. I have them out on my desktop and they look attractive when stacked in the order of their color families against the black of the trays. I've bought a second set as my Copic collection has grown so can recommend if you are after an alcohol marker storage solution.

Perfect for storing my markers! I originally bought one of these trays to try out, I was so pleased with it I bought another set. Although these trays are meant for storing Spectrum Noir markers, I'm using them to store my Winsor and Newton Pro & Brushmarkers and they fit perfectly. I love the way the trays can be stacked upwards, or attached at the sides. The trays fit together well and feel nice and sturdy, even when two sets have been stacked on top of each other. The set also looks sleek, professional and not cheap at all.Decent quality and at such a great price, I can't recommend these trays enough to anyone looking for an inexpensive way to store their markers!

Highly recommend brilliant for me pens

Really good set let’s you see end cap of colours and select easily.