Pens Key Terms

Expand your knowledge of pens

Pens are as versatile as the writers who use them and the uses for which they are chosen. Every pen is different from the inside out. Even though the mechanism of the ballpoint pen is the same as the rollerball, why do they have different names? And concerning gel pens, why are they safer to use when you are writing important checks? These are all questions that can be answered just by taking the time to educated yourself on the most important key terms in the pen industry.

Ballpoint

The ballpoint pen is just a fancy name for the average, everyday pen. A roller mechanism inside the pen allows the oil-based ink to be released as the roller meets the paper. The ink dries immediately and can be replaced in only some styles.

Fountain, cartridge

The fountain pen contains a reservoir within the pen that is filled with liquid ink. In a cartridge pen, the entire ink cartridge is replaced inside of the pen rather than refilling the ink inside the pen as in a fountain pen.

Rollerball

The writing mechanism in a rollerball is the same as in a ballpoint pen. The difference, however, is in the ink. Rollerball pens use water-based ink that is designed to be absorbed deeper into the fibers of the paper than oil-based ink.

Gel

A gel pen contains a water-based substance that suspends the pigments to create a highly viscous ink. Gel ink can therefore be used on darker and harder-to-write-on surfaces. Gel ink is also safer to use on important documents because it cannot be tampered with; other types of ink are vulnerable to tampering.

Nib

The nib refers to the point of a fountain pen. Nibs come in various shapes and sizes depending on the writing style.

Piston filler

A piston filler is the type of reservoir inside of a fountain pen that is filled with ink. It has its own unique way to be re-filled.