yep, it is MUCH sturdier than other acetates, 
although gwen over at darksidemillenium.com on 
the forum said she had something better (and it 
doesn't rip, either!) so you might wanna check 
that out.

as for pens, i tried to use sakura micron pens 
but i've found that they fade over time.  so now 
i use scrapbooking pens because they're made not 
to smudge and to last and not fade.  the brand i 
use is Memory brand ZIG pens.  they're a little 
thicker than others, but not too thick and they 
last forever! hope that helps,

haruna