When it comes to fingerprint or signature guest books, your choice of ink pads and pens can make all the difference. Whether you're planning a wedding, baby shower, or retirement party, the right tools will help guests leave a clear, beautiful mark—and ensure your keepsake lasts a lifetime.
At BonjourEmma, we’ve designed hundreds of personalized guest books, and we’ve tested many ink pads and pens along the way. In this post, we’re sharing what truly works best—based on real use, not sponsorships or affiliate links.
🖐️ Why Ink Pad Quality Matters for Fingerprint Guest Books
Fingerprint guest books are a fun, interactive way to capture memories. But not all ink pads are created equal. Cheap ink can bleed, smudge, or fade—ruining the look of your artwork and your guests’ prints.
Here’s what BonjourEmma recommends looking for in an ink pad:
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Fast-drying to avoid smudges
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Non-toxic and acid-free (especially important for baby showers)
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Vibrant, true-to-color impressions on light cardstock
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Archival quality to ensure your guest book lasts for years
🎨 BonjourEmma’s Favorite Ink Pads (Tested and Loved!)
1. Pure Palette Pigment Ink Pads ⭐ Our Top Recommendation
After testing many brands over the years, our favorite choice for fingerprint guest books is our own Pure Palette Pigment Ink Pads.
Why we love them:
- Water-based ink
- Easy clean-up with wipes
- High-quality, vivid colors
- Nice large size: 3.0 × 2.0 inches
- Crisp, detailed fingerprint impressions
- Ideal for fingerprint trees, balloons, hearts, thumbprint art, and guest book alternatives
Unlike many traditional crafting ink pads, Pure Palette ink cleans off fingers quickly, making the guest book experience much more enjoyable for your guests.
2. Tsukineko Memento Ink Pads (Dew Drop & Full Size)
Memento ink pads produce sharp, vibrant impressions and dry relatively quickly on paper. They remain a popular choice for paper crafting and guest books.
However, in our own testing, we found that Memento ink can be more difficult to remove from fingers compared to Pure Palette ink pads, often requiring additional wiping or hand washing.
3. Distress Ink Pads (Mini or Regular)
Distress inks are known for their beautiful vintage-inspired colors and artistic effects. They're especially popular for rustic weddings and watercolor-style projects.
That said, we have found Distress inks can also be more difficult to clean from fingers and may leave more residue on guests' hands than Pure Palette ink pads.
4. Let’s Color Ink Pads
Let’s Color ink pads offer bold, punchy colors that really pop. They’re budget-friendly and easier to clean off fingers compared to Memento or Distress inks. While they don’t have archival quality, they’re still a great option for casual events or colorful themes. We love using them for rainbow or pastel palettes, especially with designs like our Up House or Tandem Bicycle fingerprint balloon guest books.
💡 BonjourEmma Tip: Avoid bulk-pack ink pads with generic branding—these often fade, smudge, or feel watery on smooth paper.
🎯 How Many Ink Pads Do You Really Need?
Here are our recommendations:
- Up to 50 guests: 2–3 ink pads
- 50–150 guests: 3–6 ink pads
- Large events: 4–7 coordinated colors create a beautiful finished look
For fingerprint balloon, tree, and heart designs, multiple colors often create the most eye-catching keepsake.
✍️ Best Pens for Signature Guest Books (Or Writing Over Fingerprints)
Many of our guest books have space for guests to write their names beside a fingerprint or sign directly on the page. For a smudge-free, beautiful result, BonjourEmma recommends these tried-and-true pens:
Top Pen Recommendations:
1. Sakura Pigma Micron 05 Pen ⭐ Our Top Choice
The Sakura Pigma Micron 05 is our favorite pen for guest books.
Why we recommend it:
- Archival-quality ink
- Fade resistant
- Smudge resistant
- Waterproof once dry
- Consistent, clean writing
- Perfect for signing fingerprint and signature guest books
It's the same pen we recommend and use for many of our guest book designs.
👉 Shop Sakura Micron Guest Book Pen.
Other Good Options
- Uni-ball Signo Gel Pens
- Sharpie Fine Point Pens (test before your event to make sure it doesn’t bleed on your paper type)
For dark-colored guest books, white, gold, or silver gel pens can create beautiful contrast.
🛠️ BonjourEmma’s Setup Tips
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Provide a test card so guests can try the ink or pen before signing the guest book
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Provide wet wipes or tissues for easy cleanup, and place a small trash bin nearby for used wipes
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Place ink pads in small trays or containers to keep things neat
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Print a small instruction sign (e.g., “Please leave a fingerprint and sign your name”) to guide guests—for fingerprint guest books only.
At BonjourEmma, we include a pre-printed instruction card with all physical fingerprint guest book orders, and a free printable sign with all digital orders.
💬 Final Thoughts from BonjourEmma
The ink pads and pens you choose may seem like a small detail—but they help transform your guest book into a truly lasting keepsake. With the right tools, your guests will leave colorful, heartfelt marks that you’ll treasure for years.
We hope our tested recommendations help make your event extra memorable.
🎁 Looking for a Guest Book That Guests Will Love Signing?
Browse our hand-illustrated fingerprint and signature guest books—personalized for weddings, baby showers, birthdays, retirements, and more:
👉 Shop All Guest Books at BonjourEmma
