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I'm not a professional cryptologist.
I'm not a professional cryptologist.
Neither am I.
I can use tools to encrypt and decrypt files but I don't have deep understanding of the underlying mechanisms.
You don't have to study cryptography to encrypt private keys. Just study the basics. https://github.com/bitcoin/bips/blob/master/bip-0038.mediawiki
Because of that should I avoid BIP38 and just be careful where I store the papers?
That's your choice. If you want to use BIP38 encrypted paper wallet, you can use it. Else, don't. Either way, store your paper wallet safe.
But the clients can scan the QR code and handle it seamlessly even with BIP38. What do you guys think?
Most of the clients now have option to sweep from or import BIP38 encrypted private keys. I would gp with it.
If I decide to encrypt it with bip38 then I could store the password elsewhere. Any other drawbacks of BIP38?
I don't think "storing password somewhere else" is a drawback of BIP38. If you are writing down your password, don't write it as a "password". Write something and along with it, write your password. So it is less obvious.
Of course it could be that I misplace or forget (Maybe a disease?) and then the papers would be useless.
That's not a drawback of BIP38.
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1. Paper wallets for 3-5 years storage without BIP38
1. Paper wallets for 3-5 years storage without BIP38
Paper wallets are good-to-go for long-term storage. But physical security is low. I highly recommend you to print/write private keys in a thick paper & make a few copies and try not to store it inside a plastic cover. If you are doing so, then you should take printed/written paper out once every few months and if you are in coastal area, take it out more frequently. For little more security, put one or two papers on both sides of the printed/written paper so that it does not touch plastic. By doing so, you don't need to take it out frequently.
2. Bitcoin android Wallet for android and Mycelium
. I want a cold storage that has "reasonable good" security.