Pen Inks Tips
Read these 6 Pen Inks Tips tips to make your life smarter, better, faster and wiser. Each tip is approved by our Editors and created by expert writers so great we call them Gurus. LifeTips is the place to go when you need to know about Pen Pencils tips and hundreds of other topics.
Rollerball and Ballpoint
Rollerball pen ink refills and ballpoint pen ink refills may look identical, especially when compared to fountain pen ink and fountain pen India ink refills. The exception is the gel rollerball ion pen inks, which are colored. Even ballpoint pen refill cartridges look different from each other. In general, ballpoint ink pens have a broader tip. Rollerball ink pens have a smaller tip.
Refill Ink Cartridges
Cartridge ink pen refills are user-friendly. The downside of fountain ink pens is that unlike cartridges, ink pots are not readily portable. Also, the liquid fountain pen inks tend to be messier than cartridges. You can buy refillable ink cartridges for use with India ink. Fountain pen inks in pots may be more charming, but for the pen enthusiast on the go, cartridge ink pen refills are the only option.
Ion Gel Ink
Cross Ion Ink Pens take ion gel pen inks, and as the name suggests, the ink is more like a gel than the liquid in an ink pot. The colored ink pen refills add more of a bold look to your writing. The Cross Ion Pen is a rollerball pen. The gel pen inks aren't as paintlike as India ink or as potentially messy as fountain pen ink pots. The translucent window displays the ion gel refills, so you can see exactly how much ink you have remaining and whether the refill is inserted properly.
India Ink Pens
The India ink variety of fountain pen ink is more like paint than regular pen inks, and may dry more easily. In addition, India ink contains acid and some fountain pen enthusiasts advise against using it. You should check your model of fountain pen to see if India ink is recommended. In most fountain pens, India ink flows well and is ideal for writing, sketching, lettering, calligraphy and freehand drawing. Faber Castell pens, especially artist's pens, accept black India pen inks. We highly recommend India pen ink refills for your Faber-Castell pens. You can also buy pigmented or colored India inks. Montblanc pens accept India ink.
Keeping Pen Inks from Drying Out
Ion gel pen inks need to be kept sealed away from air, preferably in a desk organizer box or in your pen case. Make sure the caps on the ion gel ink pens are firmly in place between uses. Keep cartridge fountain pen ink refills stored in original packaging and tighten the caps on the fountain pen ink pots. India ink particularly dries out fast, so keep the cap screwed tight on the bottle. Also, particularly with fountain pens, clean your instrument regularly to keep pen inks moist.
No Spill Refill
When you draw fountain pen ink from the bottle through the nib, say from your Graf von Faber Castell pen, you need to blot the ink off the nib. You may leak a few drops of your pen inks here and there. Although bottle ink for ink pens offers an old-fashioned genteel character, these types of ink pen refills can be messy. Make sure that the inks are kept most, since water in the inks can dry out and clog the pen, creating a potential accident. Also, remember India ink dries faster than other pen inks and is more difficult to wipe off in the event of a mishap.
| Guru Spotlight |
| Lynne Christen |
