When you’re in need of new pens for your business, you’ll find a whole lot of options available on the market. As you browse the available options in Woodward, OK, you might find yourself wondering, what’s the difference between rollerball and ballpoint pens? What do each of the various types of pens you find provide in terms of advantages and disadvantages? What is the best choice to purchase in bulk for your operations?
Here’s an overview of what you should know.
Ballpoint pens
Ballpoint pens feature a more viscous ink that’s ideal for writing on slick surfaces, like receipts. Other types of water-based inks might smudge on those surfaces, but ballpoint pens will create crisp and easily legible lines.
These pens are highly dependable, and are most commonly used as everyday pens for a wide range of circumstances and applications. They don’t just write well on slick paper—they are also used for note taking. Because you’ll need to use a bit of pressure to write with them, they also work well with carbonless copy paper so you can create dark marks.
The ink in a ballpoint pen is made from a blend of dyes, alcohols and fatty acids to ensure smooth ink, constant lubrication of the tip of the pen and a thicker ink coverage even on low-quality paper.
Rollerball pens
Rollerball pens feature liquid ink that is capable of creating flowing lines with a light touch. If you’re going to be taking a whole lot of notes, this type of pen is beneficial because it doesn’t force you to press the pen as hard to the paper, which can reduce the potential for hand cramps. Thus, this is a great type of pen to choose for students, or for people who use pens a lot throughout the day for more than just occasional signatures or note taking.
The liquid ink in these pens features dyes dissolved in water, similar to what you’d find in fountain pens. The ink flows very freely in comparison to ballpoint and even gel pens, requiring the least amount of pressure of the options on this list. Keep in mind that paper choice is important here—the ink will bleed through lower-quality paper, and you’re more likely to feel the paper through the tip of the pen.
Gel pens
Gel pens are also great for students and everyday note-taking in high volumes, because they don’t require a firm pressure against the paper and the liquid ink easily flows out of the pen. What’s great about gel pens is that they offer a wide range of colors, making it easy for you to color-code specific sections of notes.
Gel ink features pigments suspended in a water-based gel, which offers precision and vibrancy of colors. The ink has longer dry times, which increases the potential for smudging if you don’t take the appropriate level of care.
To learn more about what the differences are between a ballpoint and rollerball pen, and when you might consider using a gel pen, visit Devine’s Office Supplies in Woodward, OK.