Today, the stationery market is so diverse that the consumer sometimes simply cannot cope with the choice. He is torn between gel and ballpoint pens, rollerballs and liners, often not even understanding how one product differs from another. Let's try to figure this out together.

Differences in ink

Recently, oil inks have become very popular. In fact, they are a variation of the classic ballpoint ink, but they differ in softer writing and economical consumption of material (due to lower viscosity).

A set of colored pens is indispensable
for schoolchildren or students

Rollerball pens are a cross between ballpoint and fountain pens. They write easier and more clearly, they do not dry out and the ink lasts longer, while also being consumed less.

Gel pens are the next stage in the "evolution" of stationery. Their main feature and the advantage is the extreme softness of the writing, inaccessible to previous models. It is achieved through the special consistency of gel ink, which minimizes friction between the pen tip and the ball. Another advantage of such writing devices is a rich color palette.

It is worth noting that this version of writing instruments is distinguished by a brighter and richer writing compared to ball-point counterparts.

Differences in design

The design of the gel and ballpoint pen is not much different. They both consist of a rod, a tip (writing unit), an ink tank, a body and a cap. The effect of soft, extremely light, even sliding writing is achieved by the special structure of its tip. The ball in the writing unit of the gel rod is not on the outside, as in ball models, but on the inside. At the same time, it is securely fixed in a thin steel tip, which ensures evenness and clarity of lines (without the characteristic “groove” from the ball).

Pens available in the brightest colors

Gel pens have other benefits as well. For example, they have the unique ability to write on almost any surface. They are clearly visible not only on paper, but also on the skin, glass, iron, wood and even nails.

Gel ink always leaves an evenly colored line every time it touches the paper. At the same time, there are no blots and gaps - a clear trace remains only where it is needed. The disadvantages of such pens include their durability, when random “strokes” on a particular surface have to be wiped off. However, this is a relative disadvantage, which in another situation can become a plus.

It doesn’t take much effort to smoothly glide a gel pen on paper - accordingly, the hand gets tired less even after several lessons or lectures. In addition, there is no need to circle the written several times.

Choosing a pen, first of all, you need to decide on its purpose. If it will be used every day, then it is better to give preference to an inexpensive model with the possibility of replacing the rod. For more important matters (for example, to sign documents and contracts), you can use original models with exclusive design. They are often covered with silver and gold, inlaid with rhinestones and various stones. Such a pen emphasizes the status of its owner.

It is worth remembering that a low-quality copy of a gel pen can easily leak. And this is fraught with the fact that at one fine moment you will find a bunch of smeared notebooks, books or documents in your portfolio. Therefore, you can evaluate all the advantages of these pens only by purchasing a quality product from a well-known manufacturer.

All modern pens can be divided into two large classes:fountain pens and traditional pens.

According to the design of the writing knot handles are divided into:

• ball (include a ball made of metal);
• capillary (work on the principle of a felt-tip pen, supplying ink through the fibers);
• feather.

"Liners" are called pens, in which the writing unit is represented by a needle. "Liners" are similar to a rapidograph.

It is not so easy to say exactly which pens are called "rollerballs". Often the term "rollerball" refers to any ballpoint pens from European manufacturers. In fact, a "rollerball" is an ordinary ballpoint pen with various types ink supply.

Another division of pens is based on the type of ink composition and ink supply method. Absolutely all pens, except for capillary ones, have a writing element made of a hard and compact material. The ink of these pens also has an impenetrable composition. The ink of most pens cannot pass directly through the nib, but must flow slowly over the surface of the writing element.

If you select from all modern pens the one that is closest to traditional pens, then the choice should be stopped on a fountain pen. The main innovation of the fountain pen compared to its predecessors is the absence of the need for constant use of the inkwell. Fountain pens contain ink inside a special reservoir or inside a cartridge. Fountain pens require the simplest ink to work.

Ballpoint pens, the writing element of which is represented by a metal ball, differ from fountain pens in that they are not capable of scratching paper. As the ball rotates, it takes on the ink in the pen body and gently releases it onto the paper. The ink is either placed in a tube, which ends with a ball-shaped tip, this design is called a “rod”, or in a special cartridge. The presence of a cartridge is typical for modern scooters.

ink for ballpoint pens significantly differ in composition from "pen" inks. Such inks necessarily include various resins that impart durability and low flow properties to the ink.

In recent years, ink called "oil" has become very popular. These inks are used for ballpoint pens, and they differ from traditional "ballpoint" ink by the need to use a writing element of a very small diameter. Reputable writing instrument manufacturers produce special "oil" pens for their oil ink.

Rollerballs have absorbed all the advantages of both fountain pens and ballpoint pens. Rollerballs have a ball for smooth writing. But rollerball ink is water-based, which makes it similar to ink for fountain pens. However, despite being water-based, rollerball ink does not dry as fast as fountain pen ink.

Due to the special design of the ink accumulator in contact with the ball, rollerballs can write in almost any position. Some models work effectively not only on vertical surfaces, but also in the “end up” position.

Most experts attribute the future of writing supplies to gel pens. Gel ink has the consistency of a real gel, which allows you to significantly reduce the amount of friction of the ball on the tip and make writing extra easy. Gel ink is in no way inferior to ballpoint pen ink in terms of gloss and color depth. At the same time, they are significantly more water and lightfast than rollerball inks. At the moment, the production of gel pens and inks for them is rapidly gaining momentum.

There are also pens on the market of writing instruments equipped with ink supply systems, bearing the names “ink-reservoir” and “free-ink”. At its core, these are rollers. The "ink-reservoir" system is characterized by the presence of an ink accumulator having a fibrous structure. This structure is used in felt-tip pens. The "ink-reservoir" system allows you to use ink very economically, but at the same time, the slow flow of ink makes writing much more difficult.

The free-ink system is a direct ink supply system that guarantees smooth and easy writing. The negative side of "free-ink" is the high ink consumption.

What handles do you use?

If you need to make a gift, and the person is unfamiliar to you or you cannot think of original gift- Give me a pen.

You can always find a model that matches the status, appearance, price or design. Many people have several working pens - one for signatures, another for cursive writing, some are fond of calligraphy. To understand which pen to choose for a gift, you need to imagine the parameters and designs of the pens.

Handle types

Modern pens can be divided according to the type of writing knot into 3 (4) classes:

• ink
• Ball
• Capillary (liners)
• rapidograph

In addition to the type of writing unit of pens, the main characteristic is the thickness of the line.

According to the thickness of the line, most manufacturers of ink / ballpoint pens are divided into seven main categories with the following markings:

• UF-Ultra Fine
• EF - Extra Fine
• F-Fine
• M-Medium
• B-Bold
• EB(ВВ) - Extra Bold
• EEB(BBB) ​​- Extra Extra Bold

The thickness of the line depends on the manufacturer and ink, and sometimes, for example, the thickness F - of one manufacturer can almost coincide with the thickness M of another manufacturer.

Approximate line thickness of German manufacturers:

I will briefly describe the features of writing knots.

ink pens

The oldest type of pens. It began with an inkwell and a sharpened reed or pen. In the 19th century, the "pouring pen" was invented, which, gradually evolving, turned into a modern ink pen.

The ink pen can be divided into three parts:

1. Block feeder/pen
2. Ink tank (disposable or refillable)
3. Pen body with cap

Let us dwell on the main part of the fountain pen - the pen and the feeder.

For a classic fountain pen with an open nib, this block looks like this

The diagram needs a little explanation. We all know a can of condensed milk. And probably everyone knows the scheme of drinking condensed milk from a can - you need to punch 2 holes, through one of which you need to drink. What is the second hole for? If it is not done, a reduced pressure is created in the jar without air flow and the liquid (condensed milk) stops flowing out of the jar.

The ink pen is usually done a little differently. To simplify the design, the air intake channel and the ink intake channel were combined into one. And the ink flow rate (and for different types pens - for example, F and B need a different amount of ink when writing) is regulated by the width or, more correctly, by the cross-sectional area of ​​​​the channel. The ink goes at the bottom of the channel and is brought to the pen. Air through the air hole in the pen enters through the channel into the ink tank and compensates for the pressure difference. Therefore, the combination of the air inlet, pen type, ink/air channel and the normal supply of ink depends.

In addition, two more elements of the pen play a significant role in this - this is a collector in the feeder and ... ink.

The manifold is commonly used in open nib pens. Its function is interesting - it is a buffer, a microreservoir between the pen and the ink tank. These slits hold a small amount of ink that the pen needs to compensate for writing speed.

Different writing speeds require different ink feed rates. You can "set" a certain average speed, but then with a slow letter the pen will write boldly, with an average speed it will be optimal, and with a high speed there will be gaps in the letters. The collector in this case, at a slow speed, draws excess ink into its system of ribs, and at a high writing speed, with the help of a capillary effect, it releases the accumulated ink.

Ink also has a significant effect on the character of the letter. Too thick ink in an EF nib simply won't let you write, while too thin ink and a B nib can result in smudges and very thick lines.

In addition to density, a significant role is played by the wettability coefficient, which is regulated by adding certain surface-active substances (surfactants) to the ink recipe.

And to finish with the pen for now. The body of the pen is made of alloy steel, gold, titanium, sometimes platinum. In very cheap pens, the nib and pen tip (ball) are made of steel; in more expensive pens, the ball is made of iridium or other materials that are difficult to abrade.

Ballpoint pens

Ballpoint pens are a military invention, originally used by pilots instead of pencils. As a rule, the writing unit and the ink container are one piece (and in cheap disposable pens - the body and the container are one) and are thrown away after use. We'll talk about exceptions later. A ballpoint pen is a fairly simple object from a mechanical point of view that uses complex physical laws. Capillary effect is used to feed to the writing node. The writing unit itself is a combination of a tube and a rolling bearing. Ink is fed into a thin tube with an inner diameter of about 0.5 mm on one side, and a small hard ball is rolled on the other side, which scrolls quite freely in its socket.

Ink falls on the ball, and when we pass the ball over the paper, it rotates and transfers the ink from the tube to the paper. Thanks to special ink and a very small gap between the ball and the walls of the tube, the ink is dosed and evenly distributed. Now ballpoint pens are divided into 3 classes according to the type of writing unit / ink:

• Ballpoint - classic ballpoint pen
• Gel (Gel rollerball) - gel
• Rollerball - roller

A regular ballpoint pen uses thickened ink, sometimes oil-based. This type of ink and the simplest writing unit is used in cheap disposable and reusable pens. The disadvantage is a rather "tight" letter, which eventually spoils the handwriting and strains the writer.

Gel - use ink with a gel consistency. Thanks to the new ink, it was possible to reduce the size of the ball, the pen began to write softer. Sometimes gel ink is combined with a rollerball nib.

Rollerball - the most advanced model of ballpoint pens. The writing unit is spring-loaded, usually a ceramic ball is used (more wear-resistant). The ink used is ordinary liquid ink. In terms of cost, the pen is comparable to a regular fountain pen, and in terms of writing quality, it approaches it. There are rollerballs in which regular fountain pen ink cartridges are inserted, but such pens, due to the design, can withstand 5-10 refills. The disadvantage is expensive rods.

Capillary pens

Capillary pens and ink liner are mostly used by graphic artists and draftsmen.

The design of a capillary pen practically coincides with a felt-tip pen and most often happens with a line thickness of 0.05 mm to 0.8 mm. In the body of the pen there is a fibrous material impregnated with ink, and with the help of a "wick" (it is also a writing unit), the ink is removed from this material and transferred to paper.

Capillary pens are disposable and not very cheap.

rapidograph

The rapidograph consists of a tip - a hollow pen, inside of which there is a needle with a weighting agent and a plastic case with an ink cartridge.

Under the action of the weighting agent, the needle goes up and down while drawing. Since the tip of the needle has a rounded shape, it is easy to draw lines in any direction.

According to the standard, the line thickness is indicated by color on the body of the rapidograph

At junior schoolchildren fatigue in the hands quickly occurs, since they have not yet developed the muscles of the hand and coordination of the fingers. Therefore, the first tool of a first-grader should not be too heavy and long for a small hand (no more than 13 cm), and have a trihedral surface that is easy to grip.

The hygroscopic rubber corrugated stop prevents slipping of the fingers, often sweaty from the tension and diligence of the handle. Comfortable soft grip prevents the formation of calluses on the fingers, helps to develop the technique of writing and even promotes correct posture.

The ink in a ballpoint pen should not be too contrasty, which can distract the student and lead to visual fatigue.

And redundant bright colors plastic pens are always suspicious for the presence of dyes, which can easily remain on wet children's palms, provoking allergies and absorption of the chemical components of paints through the skin.

Ball or gel?

Ballpoint pens

Advantages

• Writes at any angle (and it is still difficult for a junior high school student to clearly observe the desired position)
• A large number of options on the market - you can choose for every taste and budget
• As a rule, inexpensive, you can buy different ones and experiment

Flaws

• Different ballpoint pens write very differently. The baby will have to get used to each model again.
• Cheap models do not write well (hard pressure is required, the color fades periodically, and so on)
• "Bold" ink can smear if you run your hand over freshly written

A simple ballpoint pen is an inexpensive, versatile and common choice.

Gel pens were very popular at one time, but at the same time, a fairly limited number of models can be found on the market, and they are all generally similar.

Most often, they have a fairly comfortable and reliable case, and the nuances can be selected to suit your needs (for example, choose either a rubber gasket or a case with ribs).