Pen Buying Guide

December 25, 2021

Selecting the right pen is no easy task. There are myriad styles and attributes to consider, including point type and size, ink color, budget, and even the impression you hope to make on others.

Signing an important contract or piece of business correspondence? You might want to use a special pen that carries the weight and conveys the gravitas appropriate to the task. Want to organize your notes with color or add interest or fun to note-taking? Colored pens can add a little flair and help certain things stand out. 

When selecting a pen for a gift — such as for a graduation, promotion, or retirement — you may want to take into account the aesthetic tastes of the recipient and how they’ll be displaying and/or using the pen.

And, of course, there are the day-to-day functional requirements for a good, sturdy pen. Your go-to writing implement should sit comfortably between your fingers, be consistent and reliable, and have a price point that makes sense for you.

The reasons for buying a pen are eclipsed only by the options available. The goal of this article is to act as a helpful guide. The following will introduce you to pen buying options to help you narrow down your choices and find the right pen for your particular purpose. 

Different Types of Pens

The first step when deciding what pen to buy is understanding the different types of pens available, what each type is typically used for, and the types of tips and ink color choices each offers.


Ballpoint Pens

Since its invention in 1888, the ballpoint pen has become the most-used writing instrument in the world. As the name implies, the ballpoint pen uses a rotating ball — made of brass, steel, or tungsten carbide — at its point. When dragged across the writing surface, this ball leaves behind the ink that is drawn from the pen’s reservoir.

What makes the ballpoint pen so popular is its versatility coupled with its widespread availability. You can find ballpoint pen tips in all sizes — fine point to needlefine, medium point to extra bold, chisel point to conical shape, and bullet point to broad. The ink used in ballpoint pens is typically oil-based, which means there is less smudging during writing. You can find ballpoint pens in many ink colors, too. While many people choose black and blue ink pens for their daily writing tasks, you can find a ballpoint pen in a variety of hues, including popular shades of red and green.

Adding to their versatility, ballpoint pens can be single-use, refillable, retractable, and/or erasable pens. Many businesses can save money by purchasing single-use ballpoint pens in bulk. BIC pens, Paper Mate pens, and Pilot pens are all offered in various packages, ranging from a pair to a dozen to five dozen or more. For longer-lasting options, some people opt for refillable ballpoint pens. Cross pens are gift-worthy refillable ballpoints that are popular with pen collectors. 


Gel Pens

Gel pens are a type of ballpoint pen filled with gel ink, an opaque ink created when pigment is suspended in a water-based gel. Because of the thickness created by the gel, the ink in these pens is great for writing on slick surfaces, such as the paper used in some greeting cards and gift wrapping. Using a gel pen can also cut down on check fraud. Because the gel ink is water-resistant and can’t be dissolved with acetone and other solvents, checks and other legal instruments signed with gel ink pens are not easily altered.

 

Gel pens were first introduced in Japan in the 1980s and have been a popular choice for artists and others ever since. They are available in various colors and can even be found in fluorescent, metallic, and glittery varieties. While gel ink can smudge if not given ample time to dry, one of its biggest advantages is that it shows up clearly on the dark, light, and textured surfaces often used for illustrations and other forms of artistic expression.

 

Because gel pens operate like ballpoint pens, you can find all the same variations in tip sizes, colors, and styles, including retractable, refillable, and erasable. Depending on your needs, you can buy a single gel pen on its own or choose from an assortment of colors packaged together. TUL pens and Paper Mate InkJoy gel pens, for example, come in several gel pen variety packs of assorted standard and bright ink colors in different point and barrel sizes.


Rollerball Pens

Rollerball pens have a lot of similarities to ballpoint pens, but there is one very important difference: Where ballpoint pens use oil-based ink, rollerball pens use water-based ink, similar to what is used in fountain pens (discussed later).

 

Pen aficionados agree that the water-based ink in the rollerball pen allows for a smoother writing experience, but the rollerball is not without its drawbacks. For instance, the tip of a water-based ink rollerball pen must be capped — or retracted — when not in use to help keep the ink from drying out, a problem that you don’t have with oil-based ink pens.

 

Some people find using a capped rollerball pen inconvenient, as it takes two hands to cap and uncap before and after use. Fortunately, some brands of rollerball pens — such as Pilot G2 pens — come in both capped and retractable styles. They are typically available in standard blue, black, and red ink colors and in medium tip sizes, but can also be found with tips as fine as 0.2 mm or as thick as 1.5 mm, as well as packaged individually or in two-, four-, and 12-count bundles.


Felt Tip Pens

Felt tip pens — sometimes referred to as felt markers — come in a variety of tip sizes and ink types, including permanent, oil-based, alcohol-based, and water-based ink. What distinguishes these pens from other types is that the absorbent pressed fibers that form the nib of the felt tip pen allow the ink to flow freely. This typically results in a smooth ink application to all types of surfaces.

 

While the thick black permanent markers made by Sharpie and other brands might come to mind when you think of felt tip pens, the fact is that many people use fine felt tip pens, including several types of Sharpie pens, for everything from note-taking to letter-writing to art-making. Felt tip pens come in every color imaginable and are packaged as art supplies, architect drafting pens, and office supplies. Paper Mate Flair pens come in a felt tip variety that features a smear- and fade-resistant formula.


Calligraphy Pens

If you’re looking for calligraphy pens, you can choose between several options. Traditional calligraphers use ink dip pens — think of a modern version of the quill tip pen and ink used until steel tip pens replaced them. Today, you can use an ink dip fountain pen or even a more traditional fountain pen. Some calligraphy pen sets offer interchangeable nibs to allow for variances in lettering thickness.

Beginning calligraphers may want to choose pre-filled calligraphy pens to avoid the hassles — and inevitable ink spills — that come with having to purchase and use separate supplies of ink. Calligraphy sets can be purchased in a variety of pen barrel weights, nib sizes, and ink colors.

For example, the Sheaffer Calligraphy Maxi Kit comes with three water-based ink-filled calligraphy pens with stainless steel nibs in fine, medium, and broad point sizes.


Fountain Pens

The fountain pen has come a long way since the first one was made with a swan’s quill in the 1800s. Today’s fountain pens boast barrels made from fine wood, stainless steel, and even plastic. They use cartridges filled with water-based ink that are easily disposed of and replaced once empty or refilled with a converter that sucks up ink from a bottle.

 

Fountain pen nibs come in all sizes. Zebra pens, for example, come in a refillable fine-point model suitable for the scribe with a lighter touch, and Parker pens’ medium-point Parker Jotter Fountain Pen works well for those with a slightly firmer hand. While usually made of stainless steel, fountain pen nibs also come in iridium, a material designed to withstand the force of heavy-handed penmanship.

 

You can purchase fountain pen ink cartridges and refill bottles in a variety of colors, with black, blue, and red being the most popular. You can choose a number of inexpensive fountain pens for everyday use or go for one of the more refined — and expensive — models, like Monteverde Invincia fountain pens.


Which Pen Should You Use?

Deciding which pen to use depends on a number of factors, including which hand you write with, what kind of paper you’ll be writing on, and how much you want to spend on just the right pen.

Right-Handed vs. Left-Handed Writers

One of the most significant factors impacting pen choice is which hand you write with. Right hand-dominant people have more choices. Right-handed writers use a pulling motion, which means they won’t be leaving smudges or the equivalent of pen ink contrails as they write. Pretty much any type of pen can work for them. Lefties, on the other hand, must write from left to right using a push of the pen, upping the odds that a mess will be made.

Ballpoint pens are favored over fountain pens for left-handed folks. There are pens that come with fast-drying, water-based gel ink, such as the Zebra Sarasa. While comfortable pen grip is important for everyone — nobody wants calluses or blisters from holding the wrong-sized pen — it is of paramount importance for lefties. Pens that have a rubber grip can help ease hand strain, a common problem for lefties.


Type of Paper

Consider the type of paper you’ll be using when making your pen selection or you could end up with problems like smudging, seeping, or uneven lines.

If primarily using a lighter weight of copy paper — 20-lb. weight or less — notebook paper, or legal pads, you may want to use a pen that won’t bleed through the paper or smear if you’re moving your hand across the paper while quickly taking notes. A ballpoint or fast-drying gel pen is likely a good choice.

If you’re writing on glossy paper — signing a photograph or making a notation on a greeting card — consider a gel pen or even a felt tip pen. You need to be aware of smudging with each of these, but they’ll give you the most fluid and consistent result. The options for using vibrant or unusual colors make felt tip pens a particularly good choice.

The right pen to use with graph paper is going to be one with a fine point that allows you to plot your graphs with precision. Any type of ballpoint, rollerpoint, or gel pen that comes with a fine point may serve you well.

For artists and calligraphers using felt tip pens and markers, fountain pens, and/or calligraphy pens, 65-lb. card stock paper can be a good choice.

Budget

Just as pens come in different styles, weights, dimensions, and ink types and colors, they also come at different price points. While there is nothing like holding a high-end Cross designer pen in your hand, you don’t need to pay top dollar to have a satisfying experience with just the right pen.

With the vast selection of pens available in every style and at every price point, you should be able to find a pen that fits your hand, your purpose, and your budget. Before you start your quest for the pen that works best for you, set a budget and search within it. There are enough options out there for you to get what you need without breaking the bank.

Find the Right Pen for You


To find the right pen for you, try to seek out the best available information about the different types and sizes of pens on the market and the different types and colors of ink available for each type of pen. This can help you decide which pen is most likely to achieve your desired result.

About the Author
Nancy Wollin is a Florida-based freelance writer who still handwrites thank-you notes and holiday cards with the rose-colored Cross ballpoint pen she received as a high school graduation present in 1976.
All content provided herein is for educational purposes only. It is provided “as is,” and neither the author nor Office Depot warrants the accuracy of the information provided, nor do they assume any responsibility for errors, omissions, or contrary interpretation of the subject matter herein.