# Different types of pens



## VazLube

Anyone can describe in detail of each pen types?

Fountain Pen
Ballpoint Pen
Rollerball Pen
Fineliner Pen
Quill

Etc

What are characteristics of each type and pro/cons etc.


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## Shangas

Quill. 

Feather of a bird stripped of its barbs. Point sharpened and cut to make a writing-tip. 

Pro - Flexible point. Allows for artistic writing styles. 
Con - Requires constant resharpening. 
- Good quills can be hard to find. 

Steel dip-pen. 

The successor to the quill. 

Pro - Cheap to manufacture. Relatively long-lasting. 
Con - Prone to rusting. Pen-points can be fragile & prone to breakage. 

Fountain pen. 

Sucessor to the dip-pen. Pen with a nib and self-contained ink-supply. 

Pro - Very long lasting. Provides effortless and relaxed writing. Refillable, customisable. Fairly easy to use. Unique. Can be used for long periods of time without hand-fatigue (This is why I recommend them for school and university students). 
Con - Can be delicate. Can be expensive. Requires regular cleaning & maintenance. 

All three of the above pens work through capillary action and gravity. There is no need to press down on the page, or push or poke the pen-point into the paper (in fact, if you do that, you stand a good chance of breaking the nib). The pen should be able to write entirely under its own weight. Because of this, you don't need to exert any excess pressure, which means that you can write more comfortably for longer. Because a fountain pen is refillable, you can use the same pen for years and years and years and years...Some pens are nearly 100 years old and still being used. 

Ballpoint pen. 

Sucessor to the fountain pen. 

Pro - Cheap. Dead easy to use. 
Con - Due to the way it works, it requires a LOT more effort to use than either of the three previously mentioned pens. Can cause wrist-strain when used for long periods of time. Intense use can cause calluses and cramps. A ballpoint pen is only as good as its refill - An expensive one writes no better than a cheap one. 

A ballpoint pen works through friction. You press the point into the paper and push the pen across. The friction between the tip and the page causes the ball to roll, pick up a pastey ink, and transfer it to the page. Friction is necessary - the ball will not roll of its own accord. 

Rollerball. 

Sort of a cross between a fountain pen and a ballpoint pen. 

Pro - Cheap. Smooth and easy to use. Requires less friction and effort than a ballpoint pen. 
Con - Like the ballpoint pen - an expensive one will write no better than a cheap one. 

Works much like a ballpoint pen. Only, a rollerball uses a more fluid ink. It still requires friction to get the ball rolling, but due to a more fluid ink, the ball rolls smoother and more freely.


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## VazLube

Excellent info! Thanks, this should be a sticky post here!

What about Fineliners? Highlighters?

Can you explain different ink types? Let's say there are regular ballpoint inks and recent ones gel inks, most notablity thost Pilot's G2 pens. Gel inks are nice but they are messy and longer to dry out!


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## Shangas

Basic ballpoint pen ink is the same no matter where you look. The only thing that varies is the colour. It has to be a consistent thickness, otherwise it won't work. Gel ink and rollerball ink is more fluidy, so that it can flow around the ball-point of the pen. Highlighters and all that, fall under the realm of felt-tip pens. Not sure about the ink characteristics there. 

Fountain pen ink is mostly water.


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## CMSgt Bo

VazLube said:


> Anyone can describe in detail of each pen types?
> 
> Fountain Pen
> Ballpoint Pen
> Rollerball Pen
> Fineliner Pen
> Quill
> 
> Etc
> 
> What are characteristics of each type and pro/cons etc.


Either Google was down today or this is a pop-quiz. ;-)


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## Icbn

VazLube said:


> Excellent info! Thanks, this should be a sticky post here!
> 
> What about Fineliners? Highlighters?
> 
> Can you explain different ink types? Let's say there are regular ballpoint inks and recent ones gel inks, most notablity thost Pilot's G2 pens. Gel inks are nice but they are messy and longer to dry out!


They now make highlighting inks for fountain pens and also highlighting pens with felt tips that take special refillable highlighting inks. In either case, you can get ink that is absolutely permanent, unlike the office-supply-store highlighters.

Not sure what you mean by fineliners, but fountain pens come with all kinds of nibs: fine, extra fine, medium, bold, extra bold; italic in just about any width, stub; and also flexible (for expressive writing) or rigid.


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