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| P2P Magazine | Spring 2013
8
Autumn 2016
01732 759725
GEL PENS
...continued
writing on a sheet of paper and then
soaking it with water. Black ink written
with a normal EnerGel feathered, grew
thicker and yellowed slightly, while text
written with the EnerGel Permanent
remained unchanged.
Pilot FriXion Ball
Pilot Pen has a number of gel pens in
its portfolio, including the G2, one of
its oldest and best selling gel pens,
now available in more than 40 colours
and designs; the G Tech C4 featuring
a microtip that produces an ultra-fine
0.2mm line; the B2P retractable pen
made from recycled drinks bottles; and
the FriXion Ball erasable pen, which Pilot
introduced in 2006.
This very clever pen uses thermo-
sensitive ink that
disappears when rubbed
with the eraser on the end
of the barrel. This was my first experience
of heat-sensitive ink and it impressed
me greatly – rubbing really does make
the ink disappear. You have to go over it
a few times to get rid of all the ink but
once it’s gone you can write over the
blank space with no problem. A neat
alternative to crossings out.
Pilot G-Tec C4
I also tested out the Pilot G-Tec
C4. This pen took a couple
of seconds to get going and
felt a bit scratchy at first, but
once the ink starts flowing it is
surprisingly smooth considering
how fine the tip is. Capable of
producing a line 0.2mm thick,
this pen is ideal for applications
that require precision, such as
technical drawings. I liked it so
much that I used it for note-
taking in a press conference. It
worked brilliantly to start with
but after an hour or so the ink
flowed less smoothly – perhaps
the tip needed cleaning.
Gel
Ink type
Dye-based (water-based) ink
Oil-based ink
n
Richness of colour
n
Smoothness of writing
n
Consistent ink flow and colour until the last drop
n
Wide range of colours including special effects such
as metallics
n
Does not usually bleed through paper
n
Sometimes slow drying time can lead to smudging
on hands and paper
n
Lays down a lot of ink, so often does not last long
n
Not suitable for shiny paper
Advantages
Disadvantages
n
Smooth writing feel
n
Writes at any angle
n
Longer lasting than gel ink
n
Ink is usable to the last drop
n
Can sometimes bleed through the paper
n
Generally does not last as long as oil-based ink
n
Usually longer lasting than gel or dye-based ink
n
Can write on a wide variety of paper
n
Cannot write at any angle, because ink is gravity-fed
n
Sometimes feels scratchy
n
Ink can blob and coverage is sometimes inconsistent
Wendy Vickery, marketing manager at Pentel, explains how a gel pen
differs from other everyday writing instruments
We need to clear up a misconception
first: ‘gel’ refers to the type of ink
used in a pen and not specifically to
the style of tip, although gel ink is
commonly used in rollerball pens.
The tip technology in a ballpoint
and a rollerball consists of a metal cone
supporting a metal ball, which transfers
ink to the page. In a rollerball pen the ball
tip tends to be more spherical, delivering a
smoother writing feel to that of a ballpoint
pen, which, depending on the quality of
the ball, can feel a little scratchy.
Gel ink uses a pigment suspended in a
water-based gel. This makes the ink thick
and opaque and results in dense, rich
colour that shows up well on most paper,
especially dark coloured media. Gel ink
is often used to carry special additives,
such as metallic flakes that give the ink a
sparkly effect.
Erasability tests
In addition to its vivid colour and
smooth, non-skipping quality, gel ink is
acid-free, waterproof and fade-resistant.
Some pens are archive-quality.
Rollerball pens are also available
with dye-based (water-based) ink. This
is slightly thinner than gel ink, but still
extremely smooth to write with. The metal
ball tip picks up the ink and rolls it on to
paper to give smooth, even coverage.
When rollerballs first became popular
in the 1970s they caused a sensation,
because the ink flowed smoothly, like
water-based ink in a fountain pen, but
without the scratchy feel of some of
those nibs.
Both gel pens and dye or water-based
ink rollerballs require very little pressure
to write and, because the ink is not fed
by gravity, they write at any angle.
Ballpoint pens use oil-based ink,
which is thick, like a paste. Because
the tip lays down less ink than either a
gel pen or a water-based rollerball the
ink in a ballpoint pen can last much
longer. However, ink coverage over the
ball tip is not always consistent, which
can result in skipping or blobbing,
particularly towards the end of a refill.
More pressure is required to press the tip
to the surface and deliver the ink to the
paper. As a result, some users find writing
with a ballpoint over long periods less
comfortable than using a gel or water-
based rollerball.
Gel ink is often
used to carry
special additives,
such as metallic
flakes that give
the ink a sparkly
effect
