Pens and the inks they use.

Pens and ink make the perfect partnership. Both needing each other to create a complete product. Different pen types use different types of ink, below are the different inks and the types of pens that they are used in.

The humble ballpoint pens use an ink that is a thicker, paste type ink which is created using a dye solute in an alcohol solvent. This ink is then applied to the paper through the ballpoints rolling ball mechanism at the tip of the pen. The ink relies on gravity and pressure in the chamber for coating the ball.

Fountain and rollerball pens use a dye solute in a water-based solvent. This is a thinner more liquid type ink. The fountain pen uses a nib and a feed system to draw ink from the reservoir through to the paper. The rollerball pen was initially designed to combine the convenience of a ballpoint pen with the smooth "wet ink" effect of a fountain pen.

The newer gel pens uses an ink in which the pigment is suspended in a water based gel. Gel pens are very similar in design to that of a rollerball pen. With the barrel containing the ink reservoir and pen tip, that is covered and protected by a cap. The main advantage of gel inks is that it has a much higher viscosity, which in turn helps to support a higher amount of pigments in the gel.

Inks come in a variety of colours and depending on the type of ink is dependant on the colours you can get. In fact the gel inks can even include metallic and glittery colours. The most common colours are blue and black for most pen types, with red also being very popular for ballpoint pens.

Happy handwriting, in which ever ink you choose…