Concord Supplies Blog

Selecting an office pen is a difficult choice.  With so many varieties, brands and styles, there are literally thousands to choose from.  To help make this process easier on you, we’ve compiled the following overview detailing the various pen types that are available today.

Ballpoint Pens

Ballpoint pens dispense oil-based pen ink by rolling a small hard sphere across paper.  The ballpoint is usually 0.7 mm to 1.2 mm in size and is typically made of brass, steel or tungsten carbide. The ballpoint pen automatically dispenses ink onto the paper via a little ball. The pen ink dries almost immediately on contact with paper given its consistency and chemical makeup. Ballpoint pens are generally inexpensive and reliable. Currently, ballpoint pens are the most popular tool for everyday writing.

Rollerball Pens

Rollerball pens dispense a water-based pen ink or gel ink through a ball tip.  In many respects, these are similar to that of a ballpoint pen. The thicker ink is more-easily absorbed by paper than oil-based ink, and the pen moves more easily across a writing surface. Rollerball pens were initially designed to combine the convenience of a ballpoint pen with the smooth writing effect of a fountain pen. Gel pens are available in a range of pen ink colors and point sizes.

Fountain Pens

Fountain pens use water-based pen ink delivered through a nib at the tip of the pen. The pen ink flows from a reservoir through a feed slot to the nib.  Then, the ink flows through the nib driven by capillary action and gravity. The pen tip nib has no moving parts and delivers ink through a thin slit to the porous writing surface. A fountain pen ink reservoir can be refillable or use a disposable ink cartridge.

Markers & Highlighters

Markers or felt-tip pens have a porous tip that is constructed of a fibrous material. The smallest (finest-tipped markers) are used for writing on paper or other writable services. Medium-tip markers are often used by children for coloring. Larger markers made by brands such as Expo, are used for writing on other surfaces such as cardboard boxes or large post it boards. Markers with wide tips, bright ink and a transparent color are called highlighters.  These are used to mark existing text and sold by names such as Hi-Liter.

Summary of How to Pick a Pen

Don’t forget, Concord Supplies carries a very wide selection of pens, featuring numerous colors pen styles and pen types.  Whether you’re looking for ballpoint pens, rollerball pens, highlighters (hi-liters), markers, or gel pens, we have something that will meet your needs.

Check them out today.  And, if you can’t decide what is appropriate for your needs, give us a call or email and we’ll be glad to help.

Category: Printer Ink News Tags: ballpoint pens | highlighers | markers | office supplies | pens | rollerball pens