Rollerball Pen
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Roller ball pens or roll pens are
pen PEN may refer to: * (National Ecological Party), former name of the Brazilian political party Patriota (PATRI) * PEN International, a worldwide association of writers ** English PEN, the founding centre of PEN International ** PEN America, located ...
s which use ball-point writing mechanisms with water-based liquid or gelled ink, as opposed to the oil-based
viscous Viscosity is a measure of a fluid's rate-dependent resistance to a change in shape or to movement of its neighboring portions relative to one another. For liquids, it corresponds to the informal concept of ''thickness''; for example, syrup h ...
inks found in
ballpoint pen A ballpoint pen, also known as a biro (British English), ball pen (Hong Kong, Indian, Indonesian, Pakistani, and Philippine English), or dot pen ( Nepali English and South Asian English), is a pen that dispenses ink (usually in paste form) ...
s. These less viscous inks, which tend to saturate more deeply and more widely into
paper Paper is a thin sheet material produced by mechanically or chemically processing cellulose fibres derived from wood, Textile, rags, poaceae, grasses, Feces#Other uses, herbivore dung, or other vegetable sources in water. Once the water is dra ...
than other types of ink, give roller ball pens their distinctive writing qualities. The writing point is a tiny ball, usually 0.5 or 0.7 mm in diameter, that transfers the ink from the reservoir onto the paper as the pen moves.


Advantages

There are two main types of roller ball pens: liquid-ink pens and gel-ink pens. The "liquid-ink" type uses an ink and ink-supply system similar to a
fountain pen A fountain pen is a writing instrument that uses a metal nib (pen), nib to apply Fountain pen ink, water-based ink, or special pigment ink—suitable for fountain pens—to paper. It is distinguished from earlier dip pens by using an internal r ...
, and they are designed to combine the convenience of a
ballpoint pen A ballpoint pen, also known as a biro (British English), ball pen (Hong Kong, Indian, Indonesian, Pakistani, and Philippine English), or dot pen ( Nepali English and South Asian English), is a pen that dispenses ink (usually in paste form) ...
with the smooth "wet ink" effect of a fountain pen. The "liquid-ink" type rollerball pens were introduced in 1963 by the Japanese company Ohto. The gel-ink type rollerball pens were patented in 1982 by Sakura Color Products. Gel inks usually contain
pigment A pigment is a powder used to add or alter color or change visual appearance. Pigments are completely or nearly solubility, insoluble and reactivity (chemistry), chemically unreactive in water or another medium; in contrast, dyes are colored sub ...
s, while liquid inks are limited to dyestuffs, as pigments will sink down in liquid ink (
sedimentation Sedimentation is the deposition of sediments. It takes place when particles in suspension settle out of the fluid in which they are entrained and come to rest against a barrier. This is due to their motion through the fluid in response to th ...
). The thickness and suspending power of gels allows the use of pigments in gelled ink, which yields a greater variety of brighter colors than is possible in liquid ink. Gels also allow for the use of heavier pigments with metallic or glitter effects, or opaque pastel pigments that can be seen on dark surfaces. Liquid ink roller ball pens flow extremely consistently and skip less than gel ink pens do. The lower viscosity of liquid ink increases the likelihood of consistent inking of the ball, whereas the higher viscosity of gel ink produces "skipping", that is, occasional gaps in lines or letters. In comparison to ballpoint pens, * Rollerball pens have a unique ink flow system for an even, high-performance writing experience. * Less pressure needs to be applied to the pen to have it write cleanly. This permits holding the pen with less stress on the hand, saving energy and improving comfort. This can also translate to quicker writing speeds. This is especially true of liquid ink pens. * The inks usually have a greater range of colors due to the wider choice of suitable water-soluble dyes and/or to the use of pigments. * They tend to write more clearly than ballpoint pens do.


Disadvantages

There are a number of disadvantages inherent to roller ball pens: * Roller ball pens with liquid-ink are more likely to "bleed" through the paper. Liquid ink is more readily absorbed into the paper due to its lower
viscosity Viscosity is a measure of a fluid's rate-dependent drag (physics), resistance to a change in shape or to movement of its neighboring portions relative to one another. For liquids, it corresponds to the informal concept of ''thickness''; for e ...
. This viscosity also causes problems when leaving the tip on the paper. The bleed-through effect is greatly increased as the ink is continually absorbed into the paper, creating a blotch. This does not affect gel-ink roller ball pens as much. This is one way through which the thickness of gel-ink gives it an advantage, in that it isn't as prone to being absorbed. Though the bleed-through effect of a gel-ink roller ball is greater than that of a ballpoint, it is usually not too significant. * Roller ball pens generally run out of ink more quickly than ballpoints because roller balls use a greater amount of ink while writing. This is especially true of liquid-ink roller balls, due to gel ink having a low absorption rate as a result of its thickness. Neither lasts as long as a ballpoint. * Uncapped roller ball pens are more likely to leak ink when, for example, placed into a shirt pocket, but most pens include caps or other mechanisms to prevent this from happening. * A roller ball tip is more likely to clog and jam when writing over
correction fluid Correction fluid can be written on after it has dried. Correction fluid bottle Correction fluid bottle A correction fluid (or correction liquid) is an opaque, usually white fluid applied to paper to mask errors in text. Once dried, it can be ...
that has not yet completely dried. This often renders the ink cartridge useless.


Standards

The
International Organization for Standardization The International Organization for Standardization (ISO ; ; ) is an independent, non-governmental, international standard development organization composed of representatives from the national standards organizations of member countries. M ...
has published standards for roller ball pens: ; ISO 14145-1:1998: Roller ball pens and refills – Part 1: General use ; ISO 14145-2:1998: Roller ball pens and refills – Part 2: Documentary use (DOC) To comply to the ISO 14145-2:1998 documentary use standard the following has to be established by an
ISO/IEC 17025 ISO/ IEC 17025 General requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories is the main standard used by testing and calibration laboratories. In most countries, ISO/IEC 17025 is the standard for which most labs must hold accr ...
accredited laboratory: * Erasure resistance – The surface of the testing paper shall show clear evidence of damage before the line is rendered invisible when tested. *
Ethanol Ethanol (also called ethyl alcohol, grain alcohol, drinking alcohol, or simply alcohol) is an organic compound with the chemical formula . It is an Alcohol (chemistry), alcohol, with its formula also written as , or EtOH, where Et is the ps ...
resistance – The line shall remain visible when tested with a 50% aqueous ethanol solution (volume fraction). *
Hydrochloric acid Hydrochloric acid, also known as muriatic acid or spirits of salt, is an aqueous solution of hydrogen chloride (HCl). It is a colorless solution with a distinctive pungency, pungent smell. It is classified as a acid strength, strong acid. It is ...
resistance – The line shall remain visible when tested with a 10% aqueous hydrochloric acid solution (mass fraction). *
Ammonium hydroxide Ammonia solution, also known as ammonia water, ammonium hydroxide, ammoniacal liquor, ammonia liquor, aqua ammonia, aqueous ammonia, or (inaccurately) ammonia, is a solution of ammonia in water. It can be denoted by the symbols NH3(aq). Although ...
resistance – The line shall remain visible when tested with a 10% aqueous ammonium hydroxide acid solution (mass fraction). *
Bleach Bleach is the generic name for any chemical product that is used industrially or domestically to remove color from (i.e. to whiten) fabric or fiber (in a process called bleaching) or to disinfect after cleaning. It often refers specifically t ...
ing resistance – The line shall remain visible when tested with an aqueous 3% freshly made solution of chloramine-T (mass fraction). * Water resistance – The line shall remain visible when tested with water. * Light resistance – The line shall remain visible when tested with light. Most roller ball refills comply to the ISO 14145-2:1998 standard and are approved for documentary use.


Uses

Former MI-6 agent Richard Tomlinson alleges that ''
Pentel is a privately-held Japanese manufacturing company of stationery products. The name comes from one of their first widely known products and is a portmanteau of the English words ''pen'' and ''pastel''. Pentel is also the inventor of non-perma ...
Rolling Writer'' roller ball pens were extensively used by SIS agents to produce secret writing (invisible messages) while on missions. The Ohto Model CB-10F Ceramic Roller Ball Pen was used at the 1990 Economic Summit of Industrialized Nations. The Supreme Leader of Iran has also frequently been observed writing with a Uni Ball UB-100 rollerball pen.


References


External links


Writing Instrument Manufacturers Association

OHTO Japan
– Manufacturer of the First Roller Ball {{Pens Pens