Which kit do you have?

I have a SneakPen I have a SneakPen Solo

What's in the box.

SneakPenSneakPen Solo
Pen✓✓
Paper roll✓✓
Tweezers✓✓
Pocket printer✓
USB-A to USB-C cable✓

Your pen.

SneakPen with five labels: the ballpoint at the bottom, the wheel in the middle, the window and the rotating cap on the top half, and the two rollers seen through the open window. SneakPen with five labels: the ballpoint at the bottom, the wheel in the middle, the window and the rotating cap on the top half, and the two rollers seen through the open window. ? demo strip. do not eat.turn the wheel. I'll move.75 lines. keep turning. Ballpoint Wheel Window Rotating cap Rollers

Write your strip by hand.

Step by step

Lay the paper flat, its length running away from you. Mark and write on top.

  1. Mark 21 cm from the end. Keep the full width.
  2. Mark a dotted fold line 2 mm from each end.
  3. At the top-right and bottom-right corners, mark a diagonal 1 cm along each edge.
  4. At each end, draw two lines across the strip, 3 cm and 3.5 cm from the end, and write STOP between them. This is your STOP band: it shows where to stop turning.
  5. Write small, across the strip, between the two STOP bands.
  6. Cut on your marks: both ends and the two corners.

You'll know it worked when

  • your strip is 21 cm long;
  • it has a STOP band at each end;
  • its two trimmed corners are both on the right, with your writing facing you.

Stuck?
  • Not enough room? Write smaller.

Use the cutting template

A4 (PDF) US Letter (PDF)
Next: fold, then load

Print your strip.

Four panels: typing in the SneakPen app, the PDF with its marks, the PDF opened in the printer app, the pocket printer printing a strip. Four panels: typing in the SneakPen app, the PDF with its marks, the PDF opened in the printer app, the pocket printer printing a strip. PDF STOP demo strip. do not eat. turn the wheel. I'll move. 75 lines. keep turning. 1 2 3 4

The SneakPen app lays out your strip, and FunPrint sends it to the printer.

Next: set up the apps

Set up the apps.

The SneakPen app runs in your browser. The only app to install is FunPrint.

Step by step

  1. Open the SneakPen app from our App page.

  2. Add the app to your home screen.

    • iPhone: in Safari, tap Share, then Add to Home Screen.
    • Android: in Chrome, tap ⋮, then Install app or Add to Home screen.
    Two phones side by side: on the left, the share button and the Add to Home Screen option; on the right, the browser menu and the Add to Home screen option. Two phones side by side: on the left, the share button and the Add to Home Screen option; on the right, the browser menu and the Add to Home screen option.
    iPhone: Share, then Add to Home Screen. Android: menu, then Add to Home screen.

  3. Open the SneakPen app from your home screen.

    Screen 1 of 5: the SneakPen app open, with a blank strip preview and its marks. STOP SneakPen PDF 1
    Open the SneakPen app: your strip starts blank.

Once open, it works offline.

Your notes and PDFs stay on your device: nothing is uploaded.

Changing phones? Export a JSON copy first, then import it on the new one.

You'll know it worked when

  • the app opens from your home screen, like any other app.

Stuck?
  • No Add to Home Screen option? Check that you opened the app in Safari on iPhone, or in Chrome on Android.
Next: make your strip, then print it

Make your strip, then print it.

Step by step

  1. Type your lines.

    Style your text as you like: size, bold, italic, lists, alignment.

    Up to 75 lines fit on one strip.

    Screen 2 of 5: the demo text typed on the strip preview, with the keyboard open. STOP demo strip. do not eat.turn the wheel. I'll move.75 lines. keep turning.both ways. no batteries.EXCUSES FOR NOT BUYING THIS1. I already own a pen2. I have a great memory3. what was I saying4. it's just paper (it is)none of these worked on me. SneakPen PDF 2
    Type your lines.

  2. Export your strip as a PDF: the app sizes it and adds the cut, fold and stop marks.

    Screen 3 of 5: the whole strip preview, with the cut, fold and stop marks at both ends. STOP STOP demo strip. do not eat.turn the wheel. I'll move.75 lines. keep turning.both ways. no batteries.EXCUSES FOR NOT BUYING THIS1. I already own a pen2. I have a great memory3. what was I saying4. it's just paper (it is)none of these worked on me. demo strip. do not eat.turn the wheel. I'll move.75 lines. keep turning.both ways. no batteries.EXCUSES FOR NOT BUYING THIS1. I already own a pen2. I have a great memory3. what was I saying4. it's just paper (it is)none of these worked on me. SneakPen PDF 3
    Check your strip: the app adds the cut, fold and stop marks for you.

  3. Share the PDF to FunPrint, or open it from inside FunPrint.

    Screen 4 of 5: the PDF button tapped, and the phone's share sheet with four app icons. STOP STOP demo strip. do not eat.turn the wheel. I'll move.75 lines. keep turning.both ways. no batteries.EXCUSES FOR NOT BUYING THIS1. I already own a pen2. I have a great memory3. what was I saying4. it's just paper (it is)none of these worked on me. SneakPen PDF PDF 4
    Export the PDF, then share it to FunPrint.

  4. When FunPrint asks how to open it, tap Original text, never self-adaption: it keeps the marks in place.

  5. Apply the settings above, one by one.

    Your printer comes with a roll already inside.

    Asked to connect the printer? Hold its button for 2 to 3 seconds, until the light turns green, then tap My Device.

  6. Tap Print.

    Screen 5 of 5: the printer app, blurred, with the strip preview in the middle. STOP demo strip. do not eat.turn the wheel. I'll move.75 lines. keep turning. 5
    Print it from FunPrint, at its original size.

  7. As it prints, hold the paper so it comes out straight and centered.

  8. When printing stops, tear the strip off against the edge of the slot.

  9. Cut on the solid lines, corners included.

    A printed strip lying flat, longer than 22 cm, with scissors on the solid cut line at the top; the corner lines at the top right and bottom right. Cut on the solid lines, corners included. STOPSTOPdemo strip. do not eat.turn the wheel. I'll move.75 lines. keep turning.both ways. no batteries.EXCUSES FOR NOT BUYING THIS1. I already own a pen2. I have a great memory3. what was I saying4. it's just paper (it is)none of these worked on me.STOPSTOP
    Cut on the solid lines, corners included.

On a computer? The SneakPen app works there too: export the PDF, send it to your phone and print it from FunPrint.

You'll know it worked when

  • nothing is cut off at the edges;
  • each end shows a solid cut line, a dotted fold line and a STOP band;
  • once cut on its marks, your strip measures 22 cm.

Stuck?
  • Blank strip? Turn the printer roll around: see Change the printer roll.
  • Faint or patchy? Check that Density is on Customized, at 100%.
  • Cut off, or the marks don't line up? Open the PDF again as Original text.
  • PDF not showing in FunPrint? Give it a few seconds: it sometimes loads in the background.
  • Still not right? Send us a screenshot.
Next: fold, then load

Fold, then load.

Step by step
  1. Fold each end over 2 mm, on its dotted line, onto the side with your text.
  2. Crease each fold sharply with a fingernail.
  3. Lay the pen flat, tip to the left, with the window facing you.
  4. Give the cap a quarter turn upward: the window opens.
  5. Turn the wheel until both roller slots face you.
  6. Hold the strip upright, your lines facing you, the trimmed corners on the right, toward the cap.
  7. Slide the top fold into the upper roller, square corner first, until you feel a slight resistance.
  8. Turn the wheel upward to wind the strip onto the upper roller, until only 1.5 to 2 cm sticks out of the window.
  9. Slide the other fold into the lower roller the same way.
  10. Turn the wheel back down: the strip moves past the STOP band, and your lines appear.
Close-up of a strip end folded 2 mm to make a small tooth, seen from the front and from the side. 2 mm, sharply creased: this tooth holds the strip in its roller. 2 mm2 mm
2 mm, sharply creased: this tooth holds the strip in its roller.
The open pen, its two rollers one above the other in the window: the strip's top fold going into the upper roller, the strip wound up with 1.5 to 2 cm left below the window, then its other fold in the lower roller and the strip taut between them, lines showing. The open pen, its two rollers one above the other in the window: the strip's top fold going into the upper roller, the strip wound up with 1.5 to 2 cm left below the window, then its other fold in the lower roller and the strip taut between them, lines showing. 12 1.5 to 2 cm12 12
Top fold into the upper roller, wind up until 1.5 to 2 cm is left, then the other fold into the lower roller and wind back down.

You'll know it worked when

  • each fold resists slightly as it goes in;
  • the strip sits taut between the two rollers;
  • turning the wheel moves it both ways.

Tip Your first strip may take a couple of minutes. With practice, a new strip loads in under a minute.

Stuck?
  • A fold won't stay in? Make it sharper: a real 2 mm crease.
  • A fold won't go into its slot? Turn the wheel until the slot faces you, slide the square corner in first, and check that the corners are trimmed.
  • Strip slipped or went crooked? Take it out and make a new one.
Next: read it, then close it

Read it, then close it.

Step by step
  1. Hold the pen flat, tip to the left, with the window facing you.
  2. Give the cap a quarter turn upward: the window opens.
  3. Turn the wheel to scroll: the strip moves the way you turn it, as slowly as you like.
  4. Stop turning when the first STOP line reaches the window.
  5. Give the cap a quarter turn back to close the window.

Cap closed, it's a plain black pen again.

The open window showing the last lines of a printed strip, then the first line of a STOP block arriving. The open window showing the last lines of a printed strip, then the first line of a STOP block arriving. now make yours.sneakpen.com sneakpen.com STOP
When the first STOP line reaches the window, stop turning.

You'll know it worked when

  • the lines move behind the window as you turn;
  • at the smallest text size, 3 to 4 lines show at a time;
  • the cap clicks into place.

Tip A strip is made for quick looks. On average, it lasts 4 to 6 full trips up and down before its folds loosen. Then make a fresh one.

Stuck?
  • Wheel turns but the strip doesn't move? It has slipped out of a roller: take it out and make a new one.
  • Cap won't turn or won't close? Don't force it: check that the strip isn't catching at the edge of the window.
  • Can't see the lines well? Like a page, it needs a little light.
  • Only one or two lines show? Use a smaller text size in the app, or write smaller.
  • Text upside down? Turn the pen end to end.
  • Only blank paper, whichever way you turn? The strip went in with your lines facing away from the window: take it out and make a new one.
Next: remove the strip Get used to it first

Remove the strip.

Step by step
  1. Give the cap a quarter turn upward: the window opens.
  2. This time, turn the wheel 1 to 2 cm past a STOP band, no more: that end stays slightly wound in its roller.
  3. Slide the tweezers flat under the strip, across its full width, through the window.
  4. Pull the tweezers gently away from that roller: the end slides out of it.
  5. Once that end is out, turn the wheel the other way while gently pulling the free end: the strip unwinds from the other roller and comes out in one piece.
  6. Load a fresh strip, as in Fold, then load.

You'll know it worked when

  • the strip comes out in one piece.

A used strip never goes back in: its folds are worn and it can get stuck inside the pen.

Printed strip? Your PDF stays in the app: print it again anytime.

Two crossed-out panels: a hand pulling the strip out by force, and a used strip going back into the pen. Two crossed-out panels: a hand pulling the strip out by force, and a used strip going back into the pen.
Never force it out.

Stuck?
  • Strip torn or stuck inside? Take it out the same way, gently. Then make a new one.
  • Still stuck? Write to us.
Make a new strip by hand Print a new strip

Get used to it first.

The pen is a small mechanism: handle it gently.

Load a few strips at home first: a shopping list, a recipe, song lyrics.

Want more lines? The Pocket Printer fits up to 75 on one strip. By hand, it's 20 to 30.

See the Pocket Printer

Change the printer roll.

Step by step
  1. Pull the cover open: it has notches for your fingers.
  2. Take out the empty core and keep its two small black rings.
  3. Fit a ring on each end of the new roll, then put it in.
  4. Feed a little paper out through the slot.
  5. Close the cover: it holds the paper in place.

You'll know it worked when

  • paper comes out of the slot with the cover closed;
  • your next print comes out dark and readable.

Stuck?
  • Print comes out blank? Turn the roll around.
  • Print drifts to one side? Check that there's one small black ring on each side of the roll.
  • Paper jammed? Turn the printer off. Open the cover and take the roll out. Cut off the crumpled paper, put the roll back and close the cover.
See Paper Refills

Still stuck?

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A short video or a screenshot helps us see what you see.

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