Pen and Pencils

Pens and Pencils Guide Content
Product Guide Introduction

Pens and Pencils Introduction

Types of Pens

Mechanic Pencils

Line widths

Pencil Leads

Related Products

New Products

Common Misspellings

Further Resource

FAQs
Introduction to our Pens and Pencils Guide
Our Pens and Pencils product guide will show you the different types of pens commonly available to buy, so that you can choose the one most suited to your needs. Our range includes Ballpoint pens, Highlighters, Rollerball pens, Gel Ink pens, Fountain pens and Permanent markers. Euroffice supply pens from well known manufacturer brands including Parker, Stabilo, Pentel and Uni-ball.

View our full range here.

Introduction to Pens and Pencils
New products in writing instruments generally concentrate on improvingthe writing comfort for the user. Writing smoothness is also an area of development and can be found in pens with smoother style inks.

The writing systems all perform in unique ways and can differ depending on the writing conditions. Additionally, the quality of the paper thatis being written on can affect the performance of the ink system.

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Types of Pens
Ballpoint

Ballpoint's write by using a ball to feed the ink from the cartridge to the page. Ball pens are made with an oil-based ink which can resist extreme temperatures and can write on most surface types. The main character of a ball pen is the writing length - these highly efficient pens generate between 1500-3000 metre's.

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Purchase Ballpoints
Rollerball

The roller ball pen is similar to the traditional ball pen tip however theway in which the ink is stored can be different. There are three types of roller ball, the main points of which are outlined below;

The traditional roller ball pen barrel or cartridge feeds ink to the ball from a fibre reservoir that is soaked in ink. The disadvantage to thisis that you will not know when the ink has run out!

liquid ink roller ball (free ink) uses a water basedink that ensures a regular flow to the tip or nib and as the ink is liquid this allows you to see the remaining ink level in the barrel.

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RollerBall Pens
Gel Ink

Gel Ink Pens are thicker than the previous two ink products. When pressure is put onto the ball, this thick ink liquefies and places more ink onto the page. The colours also tend to be brighter.

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Gel ink pens
Fineline Pens

Fineline pens are ideal for precision work and stenciling and also suitable forusers with small handwriting as the ink is laid down in a smaller line width. Fineliners are usually in a fibre tip or plastic tip format, however there are some fineline rollerballs available.

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Fineline Pens
Fibre Tipped

Fibre tipped Pens have tips made of fine nylon and other synthetic fibres ground to a point.Fibre tipped pens provide smooth writing and a consistent line.

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Fibre Tipped Pens
Fountain Pens

Fountain pens can deliver some of the smoothest writing performance of all pen modes. Ink flow is controlled by a precision-engineered feed and collector system.

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Fountain Pens
Highlighters

Filled with water-based ink, highlighters can also be refilled. Chisel tips allow for both broad and thin lines. Perfect for any desk at home, school or in the office. Free ink highlighters usually have a more even ink flow, and the remaining ink level is always visible.

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Highlighters
Markers

Markers are available as two types of nibs, chisel or bullet. Chisel tipgives wide and thin lines and bullet a consistent same width line. Permanent markers for use with flip charts, dry markers for use white boards. Also Write-for-all markers, for shiny surfaces like CD/DVD’s

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Chisel Tip MarkerBullet tip marker
Mechanic Pencils
Mechanic pencils are available as two types of nibs, chisel or bullet. Chisel tip gives wide and thin lines and bullet a consistent same width line.

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Mechanical Pencil
Line Widths
Line width refers to the thickness of the line that the pen writes. For example a medium point ball pen with a 0.1 tip gives a line width of 0.4mm.
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Pencil leads
Line width refers to the thickness of the line that the pen writes. For example a medium point ball pen with a 0.1 tip gives a line width of 0.4mm.

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Related Products
Choose from Euroffice's large range of Products and Accessories:

Pen and Pencil Products:

Full Range

Executive Pens

Highlighters

Ink & Refills

Markers

Pencils

Pens (Recycled)

Pens (Standard)

Accessories:

Correction Products

Erasers

Labels

Notebooks

Notepads

Paper & Card

Rulers & Drawing Aids

Sharpeners

Sticky Notes

Correction Products Labels Notebooks Paper and Card Sticky Notes
Newest Products
Bic Cristal Grip Ball Pen

Clear Barrel 0.7mm

Bic Cristal Grip Ball Pen Clear Barrel

Sharpie Permanent Marker

Fine Tip 1.0mm Line Black

Sharpie Permanent Marker

Common Pens and Pencils Related Misspellings
Calligraphy -Caligraphy

Fountain Pen -Fountain pen

Highlighters -Highlighers Higlighters

Paper -Papre Papaer Pape Papper Papr Pper Aper Ppaer Paer Papre

Pentel -Pental

Staedtler -Staedler Staedtler

Stationery -Sationery Staionery Stationary

Further Resources
Follow the links below to find more information about Pens and Pencils:

Answers.com - Ballpoint Pens

Wikipedia Pens -The free Encyclopedia.

Wikipedia Pencils -The free Encyclopedia.

PigPog Pen Types - Creativity Anywhere.

Frequently Asked Questions
General QuestionsPen Types General

How do I get the most comfort and least strain when writing?
At Euroffice we supply a wide range of ergonomically designed pensfor added comfort and reduced strain. The Staedtler Triplus and PilotDr Grip ranges feature rubberised triangular barrels for effortless fatigue free writing.

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Can I find a pen that will help improve my handwriting?
Yes, there are several pens available from Euroffice specifically designed to improve handwriting including the Berol Handwriting pens range which features a strong, specially designed plastic tip that gives resistance to paper, aiding better writing. We also supply the Edding 2182 Crystaliner. This pen has been specially selected by The Handwriting Interest Group as a handwriting pen. For a more elegant finish you can also choose from a range of dedicated Calligraphy and Italic pens.

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How can I help the environment with my choice of pen?
Yes, at Euroffice we offer you a range of refillable ball pens, markersand mechanical pencils. When you refill our products you increase their useful life and reduce waste. And as well as helping the environment, you save money. We avoid solvents, and even our permanent laundry markers are environmentally friendly and absolutely safe for normal use.

We now have a range of recycled pens which can be viewed here.

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Is there any risk of SOLVENT abuse?
You may be aware that some brands of pens and markers use solvents and chemicals like Xylene, which may be abused by some users, particularly children. If you would like to learn more about Xylene you can visit the website of ATSDR (Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry).

You are safe from this risk when you use pens and markers that do not contain xylene.

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Which pens should I use for VISUAL AIDS such as Whiteboards and Flip charts?
We offer a range of flip chart markers in bullet or chisel tip that have been specially designed to avoid bleed-through on flip chart and other papers.

Our xylene-free, alcohol based drywipe markers are ideal for all types of whiteboard surfaces.And for clear, colourful, skip-free writing, directly on to OHP film, we have water soluble or permanent OHP markers in three tip widths.

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Why is there a hole in some writing instrument’s cap?
All caps have a small air hole to comply with international safety standards that attempt to minimize the risk of children choking should they accidentally swallow a pen cap.

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What is a retractable pen?
Retractable pens feature a spring loaded mechanism activated by a button (usually on the top or side of the pen barrel) which cause the nib or tip nib to retract into the barrel or casing of the pen protecting the tip from damage without the need for a lid.

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Can I buy coloured pens for sketching and art?
Yes, we have a range of water-based, odorless coloured pens suitable for sketching. We also have a fun range of Glitter Glue Pens for creative kids and coloured pens suitable for use on greeting cards and gift tags. View all Art & Craft products.

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What does “cap off” time mean?
This term is referred to pens where the ink can dry out if the cap is left off for any length of time. Some products such as highlighting pens and flip chart pens are particularly vulnerable if the cap is left off for any length of time. In many cases the manufacturer will state the amount of time a cap may be left off the pen before drying out.

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Can I get refills for my Pens?
Many of the less expensive models are throwaway and therefore cannot be re-filled. However our prestige range of pens, for example, parker, cross and waterman pens are re-fill able.

View all Inks & Refills for prestigious pens.

View all Refill Pencil Leads.

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Other questions and enquiries?
If you have any other questions please click here and fill out our online form. We will get back to you within 48 hours with the answer, plus we will also update our website with your question.

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