# Pens, Markers & Highlighters The ink decides almost everything. Thick oil ballpoint ink dries fast and survives water but drags; gel and liquid ink glide and look darker but dry slowly and can bleed. The size printed on a pen is the ball, not the line, and 'fine' means different millimetres at different brands. For markers, the surface decides the ink. ## How it works Every pen here is a reservoir, a tip and an ink. Ball-tip pens roll a tiny ball that picks ink up from the reservoir and lays it on paper. Ballpoint ink is a thick oil paste: it dries almost at once, resists water and works on cheap paper, but needs pressure. Hybrid ink is thinned with lubricants so it glides yet still dries fast. Gel ink is a water-based gel that can carry pigment, so lines are vivid but dry slower. Liquid rollerball and fountain ink is watery dye that flows freely and soaks into paper; a fountain pen feeds it to a split nib by capillary action. Fineliners, markers and highlighters wick ink through a porous fibre tip instead; the solvent decides the surface: water for paper, alcohol for glass, plastic and blended art colour, erasable ink for whiteboards, paint for opaque colour. [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [7] | Family | What it is | Suits | |---|---|---| | Ballpoint | Thick oil-based paste behind a rolling ball; quick-drying and water resistant, needs the most pressure. | Forms, receipts, cheap paper, fast and left-handed writers. | | Hybrid ballpoint | Low-viscosity oil ink with added lubricant; smoother than ballpoint and still quick to dry. | People who want gel smoothness without smudging. | | Gel | Water-based gel carrying pigment or dye; vivid, smooth, slower to dry, can skip. | Notes, journaling, coloured and metallic ink. | | Liquid rollerball | Watery dye ink through a ball; the lightest touch, but bleeds on absorbent paper and runs out soonest. | Long writing sessions on good paper. | | Fountain pen | Liquid ink fed to a split nib through a feed by capillary action; refilled from cartridges or bottles. | Enthusiasts and long-form writing on ink-friendly paper. | | Porous tip (fineliners, markers, highlighters) | Ink wicks through a fibre or felt tip; the solvent and pigment decide surface and permanence. | Drawing, colouring, labelling, boards and highlighting. | ## How an expert narrows the choice ```mermaid timeline section 1 · What it is for writing : ask Ink type, Line width, Permanence : skip Marker ink, Colouring marker ink, Tip shape, Highlighter type fine drawing or lettering : ask Line width, Permanence : skip Highlighter type colouring or art markers : ask Child safety seal, Colouring marker ink, Tip shape : skip Ink type, Marker ink, Highlighter type marking objects or boards : ask Marker ink, Tip shape : skip Ink type, Colouring marker ink, Highlighter type highlighting : ask Highlighter type, Tip shape : skip Ink type, Marker ink, Colouring marker ink, Line width section 2 · Ink type ballpoint / hybrid ballpoint : skip Quick-drying ink gel / liquid rollerball : ask Quick-drying ink fountain : ask How it refills section 3 · Line width Tiny precise writing, everyday, or bold lines? section 4 · Permanence Erasable, everyday, waterproof, or safe for checks and contracts? ``` 1. **What it is for.** Writing, fine drawing, colouring, marking objects or boards, or highlighting? The leaf bundles five product families that share almost no facets: ball and nib pens, fineliners, colouring and art markers, marking markers and highlighters. One answer sets aside four families and decides which facets mean anything afterwards. If writing: ask Ink type, Line width, Permanence; skip Marker ink, Colouring marker ink, Tip shape, Highlighter type. If fine drawing or lettering: ask Line width, Permanence; skip Highlighter type. If colouring or art markers: ask Child safety seal, Colouring marker ink, Tip shape; skip Ink type, Marker ink, Highlighter type. If marking objects or boards: ask Marker ink, Tip shape; skip Ink type, Colouring marker ink, Highlighter type. If highlighting: ask Highlighter type, Tip shape; skip Ink type, Marker ink, Colouring marker ink, Line width. Skip if already known: a query that names the family (gel pen, Sharpie, Copic, washable markers, highlighter, fineliner, whiteboard marker). 2. **Ink type.** Ballpoint, gel, felt tip, or fountain pen? Ink type is the mechanism split. It sets dry time, smudging, water resistance, paper tolerance and how long the pen lasts, and specialist retailers tag it, so it filters cleanly once hybrids are looked up by model. If ballpoint or hybrid ballpoint: skip Quick-drying ink. If gel or liquid rollerball: ask Quick-drying ink. If fountain: ask How it refills. Skip if already known: a query naming the ink type, an earlier answer that the job is not writing. 3. **Line width.** Tiny precise writing, everyday, or bold lines? Every ink family comes in several standard sizes, so the answer narrows each one. Asking in words avoids brand labels, since Pilot calls 0.7 mm Fine on one pen and medium on another. Skip if already known: a query naming a tip size in mm or a nib grade. 4. **Permanence.** Erasable, everyday, waterproof, or safe for checks and contracts? Erasable and document-grade inks exclude each other, and the answer decides between dye and pigment ink. It matters for signatures, cheques, forms and journals that must last. Skip if already known: a query saying erasable, fraud-resistant, waterproof or for cheques. ## What to surface ### What it is for Which of the five product families the buyer needs: a writing pen, a fine drawing or lettering pen, a colouring or art marker, a marker for objects or boards, or a highlighter. The families share a shelf but not a mechanism. Writing pens are judged on ink type and tip size; fineliners on stated line width and pigment; colouring markers on whether the ink washes out or is alcohol for blending; markers on which surface the ink holds to; highlighters on bleed-through and smearing. Mixing them in one result set buries the answer. [12] [13] [18] [27] [28] Values: writing, fine drawing or lettering, colouring or art markers, marking objects or boards, highlighting. Question to ask: Writing, fine drawing, colouring, marking objects or boards, or highlighting? Used as: top-level split, filter. Data: derived from listing fields, backfill cost low. Look for it as: Not a field. Derive from the product type word in the title (gel pen, ballpoint, fineliner, brush pen, marker, highlighter) or a retailer sub-category such as Cult Pens' Sub_Category tag (Colouring Pens, Brush Pens, Graphic Markers, Marker Pens). Map title words. Fineliners, technical and calligraphy pens go to fine drawing; colouring pens, brush pens and graphic or alcohol markers to colouring; permanent, paint, dry-erase, wet-erase and chalk markers to marking. Overlaps: a product sold as a pen or marker stays in this leaf even when crafts Paints, Inks & Dyes (paint markers), crafts Brushes, Stamps & Marking Tools (brush, calligraphy and fabric markers) or Play Dough, Putty & Drawing (children's drawing sets) also lists it; dry highlighter pencils stay here as highlighters while Pencils has no highlighter value. ### Line width How thick the written line is, in three bands with no gaps: tiny (ball under 0.45 mm, fountain EF, fineliner under 0.3 mm), everyday (ball 0.45 to under 0.9 mm, fountain F or M, fineliner 0.3 to under 0.6 mm), bold (ball 0.9 mm and up, fountain B or broader, fineliner 0.6 mm and up). Small handwriting and narrow ruling need a fine line; bold lines feel smoother and show ink colour but smear, dry slower and bleed more. The labels on the pen do not help: Pilot calls 0.7 mm Fine on the G2 and medium on the FriXion, and Japanese fountain nibs write finer than Western ones of the same letter. [8] [14] [11] [26] [17] [23] [18] Values: tiny, everyday, bold. Question to ask: Tiny precise writing, everyday, or bold lines? Used as: top-level split, filter. Data: derived from listing fields, backfill cost low. Look for it as: Derive from tip_size_mm and ink_system; for fountain pens from the nib grade letter. Sourced edges: Goulet links a 0.38 mm G2 to EF, 0.5 mm to F and 0.7 mm to M. Ours: the 0.45 and 0.9 mm ball cut-offs, bold as B, and every fineliner edge, set from the 45 to 70 percent ball-to-line ratio so a fineliner lands in the band of a ball pen drawing a similar line. For Japanese fountain nibs, shift one band finer when in doubt. Chart: Line width ladder. ### Ink type The ink and delivery system of a writing pen: oil ballpoint, hybrid ballpoint, gel, liquid rollerball, fountain nib, or a felt (porous fibre) tip. Thicker ink dries faster and needs more pressure. Ballpoint is smudge resistant, water resistant and fine on cheap paper; hybrid adds smoothness and still suits left-handers; gel is vivid and smooth but slow to dry and can skip; liquid rollerball and fountain ink flow with the least pressure but bleed through absorbent paper. Rollerballs run out faster than ballpoints. [7] [8] [9] [10] [18] [27] [19] [17] Values: ballpoint, hybrid ballpoint, gel, liquid rollerball, fountain, felt tip. Question to ask: Ballpoint, gel, felt tip, or fountain pen? Used as: top-level split, filter. Data: on the listing, backfill cost low. Look for it as: Specialist retailers tag it (Cult Pens Ink_Type: Gel Ink, Liquid Ink, Hybrid Ink; Tip_Type: Porous for felt tips). Title words are unreliable: Cult Pens titles the hybrid Jetstream SXN-150 and the gel G2 'Rollerball Pen'. Marketplace titles were seen only for gel pens. A 'ballpoint' answer covers both ballpoint values and a 'gel' answer covers gel and liquid rollerball; offer hybrid when smudging matters. Classify by ink, not by the word rollerball (Pilot G2, Pentel EnerGel). Hybrid needs a model lookup (Jetstream, Acroball, Schneider Viscoglide); one table of models covers it. Dip pens take fountain (a nib fed from a bottle); multi-pens take the ink of their refills; a fineliner bought for writing is felt tip. Chart: Ink thickness ladder. ### Permanence How well the dried line survives water, light and tampering, from least to most durable: erasable, standard, waterproof and fade resistant, or document grade. Document-grade ink is tested to stay visible after water, light, bleach and erasure; ISO marks ballpoints and rollerballs that pass with DOC. Pigment gel inks such as uni Super Ink claim resistance to check washing. Erasable thermal ink is the opposite: Pilot says FriXion must not be used for signatures or legal documents. Pigment fineliners such as Pigma Micron are sold as waterproof and fade resistant. [3] [9] [10] [24] [26] [18] Values: erasable, standard, waterproof and fade resistant, document grade. Question to ask: Erasable, everyday, waterproof, or safe for checks and contracts? Used as: top-level split, filter. Data: needs research, backfill cost medium. Look for it as: Titles sometimes say 'Fraud-Resistant', 'waterproof' or 'erasable'; the ISO DOC marking is on the refill or the brand spec page, rarely in a listing. Filter at or above the answer: waterproof keeps waterproof and document grade; checks and contracts keep document grade; everyday drops only erasable. Document grade here means the brand claims ISO DOC or fraud resistance (check washing, alteration), not a test we saw passed. Wikipedia says most rollerball refills meet ISO 14145-2 DOC without listings saying so, so an untagged pen is unknown, not standard. 'Archival' or 'acid-free' alone is not a waterproof claim: Cult Pens calls the ordinary Pilot G2 archival. Backfill the top of the catalog from brand pages first. ### Marker ink The ink base of a marker for objects or boards, which decides the surfaces it marks: water-based, permanent alcohol or solvent, dry-erase, wet-erase, liquid chalk, or paint. Permanent alcohol ink marks glass, metal, wood and most plastics but wipes off non-stick and some polypropylene. Dry-erase ink lifts off whiteboards; wet-erase stays on non-porous boards until wiped damp. Liquid chalk is opaque water-based chalk ink for blackboards, mirrors and glass. POSCA's water-based paint is permanent on porous surfaces and removable from most non-porous ones. [12] [21] [25] [18] [27] [29] Values: water-based, permanent alcohol or solvent, dry-erase, wet-erase, liquid chalk, paint. Question to ask: Paper, whiteboard, chalkboard, glass and plastic, or craft painting? Used as: filter. Data: on the listing, backfill cost low. Look for it as: In the product name on brand pages and Cult Pens (permanent marker, dry erase, wet-erase, chalk marker, paint marker; Cult Pens Ink_Type: Chalk). No marketplace marker listing was readable, so marketplace coverage is unconfirmed. Map answers: paper keeps water-based and permanent; whiteboard keeps dry-erase and wet-erase; chalkboard keeps liquid chalk; glass and plastic keeps permanent; craft painting keeps paint. Colouring and art markers use art_marker_ink instead. ### Highlighter type Liquid fluorescent ink through a felt tip, a solid gel stick, or a dry pencil or tape. Liquid fluorescent ink can bleed through thin pages and dry out in the pen. Gel sticks do neither. Dry highlighter pencils and tape lay colour with no wet ink at all. Smearing printed text is the other risk; STAEDTLER sells its liquid Textsurfer as inkjet safe. [13] [22] Values: liquid, gel stick, dry pencil or tape. Question to ask: Thin pages like a Bible, or ordinary paper? Used as: filter, shown on the card. Data: on the listing, backfill cost low. Look for it as: Gel and dry highlighters say so in brand and Cult Pens names; plain 'highlighter' is liquid. Marketplace titles untested. Map answers: thin pages to gel stick or dry; ordinary paper to liquid. The gel half is sourced; for dry, Wikipedia says only that dry mark highlighters are sometimes advertised for thin pages. ### Quick-drying ink Whether a gel or liquid ink is sold as fast-drying, so the line does not smear under a moving hand. Water-based gel and liquid inks stay wet longer, which smears under a left hand or right-to-left script. Some gels are sold as quick-drying for this reason (Pentel EnerGel, uni 207 Plus). Oil ballpoint and hybrid inks already dry fast, so the claim only separates gel and liquid pens. [8] [7] [17] [24] [19] Question to ask: Left-handed, or do your notes smudge? Used as: filter, shown on the card. Data: needs research, backfill cost low. Look for it as: Often a title or first-bullet claim: 'Quick Dry', 'Faster-Drying', 'perfect for right or left-handed writers'. Take the brand's claim; no common dry-time test is published, so do not rank by it. ### Child safety seal The Art and Creative Materials Institute seal on a marker, colouring pen or drawing pen: AP (non-toxic for children), CL (needs cautionary labels), or none stated. ACMI says children in sixth grade or younger should use only AP products and never CL ones. US law (LHAMA, enforcing ASTM D-4236) requires art materials to be reviewed by a toxicologist and labelled for chronic hazards. Single-colour office pens are not art materials, but pens marketed for sketching and drawing likely are, and multi-colour marker packs are presumed to be unless promoted for other uses. [5] [6] [4] Values: AP seal, CL seal, none stated. Question to ask: For a child in sixth grade or younger? Used as: filter. Data: needs research, backfill cost medium. Look for it as: Printed on the package and sometimes named in bullets ('AP certified non-toxic'); ACMI publishes a certified product search tool. Backfill colouring and art markers, then fineliner and drawing-pen sets, via the ACMI search tool. A yes answer filters to AP seal; it says nothing about single-colour office pens. ### Colouring marker ink The ink of a colouring or art marker: washable for children, water-based brush and felt pens, or alcohol-based illustration markers. Children's fibre pens are sold as easily washable. Water-based brush pens such as Tombow ABT are odourless and acid free and blend like watercolour. Alcohol-based markers such as Copic Sketch and Winsor & Newton ProMarker are translucent and blendable, and illustrators and designers use them. Retailer tags slip here: Cult Pens tags the water-based Tombow ABT as alcohol based. [27] [28] [12] Values: washable, water-based, alcohol-based. Question to ask: Washable for kids, water-based brush pens, or alcohol markers? Used as: filter. Data: on the listing, backfill cost low. Look for it as: Brand and Cult Pens names say washable or alcohol-based (Cult Pens Ink_Type: Alcohol Based); water-based brush pens say so in the description. Marketplace titles untested. Map answers directly. Where a retailer tag and the brand description disagree, take the brand description. ### How it refills What happens when the ink runs out: throw it away, fit the brand's refill, take a cartridge, or fill from a bottle. Refills are where running cost and lock-in live. A fountain pen that takes standard international cartridges accepts many brands' ink; a proprietary one (LAMY, Pilot) takes only its own cartridges or converter. Ball-pen refills fit by model and sometimes not across a range, as with uni 207 refills and the 207 IMPACT. Some highlighters and permanent markers refill from ink too. [15] [18] [24] [20] [22] Values: disposable, brand refill, standard international cartridge, proprietary cartridge, bottled ink, marker refill ink. Question to ask: Refill it for years, or use and toss? Used as: filter, shown on the card. Data: needs research, backfill cost low. Look for it as: Brand pages name the refill code (Pentel LRN5, Lamy T10); specialist retailers tag it (Cult Pens Refill_Type). Marketplace titles say only 'refillable'. One lookup per pen model, shared across colours and pack sizes. The refills themselves belong to the Refills, Leads & Ink Cartridges leaf. ### Tip size The number printed on the pen: the ball diameter for ballpoint, gel and rollerball pens, but the line width for most fineliners and markers. On ball pens the line is roughly half the ball: Pentel's 0.5 mm EnerGel writes about 0.25 mm and its 1.0 mm about 0.5 mm. Fineliners such as Pigma Micron and STAEDTLER pigment liner state the line itself, so a 0.5 mm fineliner writes much bolder than a 0.5 mm gel pen. [8] [7] [17] [18] [27] [23] [19] Range: Ball sizes run from about 0.3 mm to 1.4 mm. Fineliners and markers state the line width instead. Used as: shown on the card, sortable. Data: on the listing, backfill cost low. Look for it as: Ball pens usually put the mm in the title ('Fine Point 0.7mm'). Markers often give only a word ('Sharpie Fine'), with the mm in the body ('approx. 1mm line width'); fountain pens give a nib letter, not mm. Fineliners use a code (Pigma 01, 03) that the brand maps to a line width. Store whether the number is a ball diameter or a line width, since the two do not compare. When only a word label is given, look up the model's mm on the brand page; never infer mm from the word. Chart: Line width ladder. ### Tip shape The shape of a marker or highlighter tip: bullet (even line), chisel (broad and thin from one tip), brush, or fine. A chisel highlights a full line of text and underlines with its edge: STABILO BOSS gives 5 mm and 2 mm. A bullet gives an even line for labels. Double-ended markers pair them, such as STAEDTLER's Lumocolor duo at about 0.6 mm and 1.5 to 4 mm. [20] [21] [22] Values: bullet, chisel, brush, fine. Used as: shown on the card, filter. Data: on the listing, backfill cost low. Look for it as: In brand and Cult Pens names ('Chisel Tip', 'Fine Point', 'Brush'); also visible in the product photo. Marketplace titles untested. If absent from text, the image pipeline can read it from the photo. ## Numbers worth computing | Metric | Formula | Why | |---|---|---| | Approximate line width (mm) | `tip_size_mm x 0.45 to 0.7 when ink_system is ballpoint, hybrid ballpoint, gel or liquid rollerball; tip_size_mm itself when it states a line width (fineliners, felt tips, markers)` | It puts gel pens, ballpoints and fineliners on one axis. Eight ball pens with published line widths wrote 45 to 70 percent of their ball size, most near half. [17] [18] [27] [26] [8] | ## What you give up - Thinner ink needs less pressure and looks richer, but it stays wet longer and smears under a moving hand. Ballpoint paste is the reverse. [7] [8] [9] Board branch: "See more quick-drying pens". - Liquid rollerball and fountain ink soaks into absorbent paper and feathers or bleeds through; ballpoint barely notices the paper. [9] [16] [7] Board branch: "See more pens for cheap paper". - Pens that put down more ink feel smoother and run out sooner: rollerballs before ballpoints, and JetPens finds the hybrid Jetstream runs out faster than other ballpoints. [9] [7] - Finer tips and nibs put down less ink, so they dry faster and smear less but feel scratchier and show less of the ink's colour. [14] Board branch: "See more smooth bold pens". - Heat-erasable gel lets you fix mistakes cleanly, but the same property disqualifies it for signatures and legal documents. [26] Board branch: "See more permanent pens". - Liquid felt-tip highlighters are the classic fluorescent stroke but can bleed through thin paper; gel sticks and dry highlighters do not. [13] Board branch: "See more bleed-free highlighters". ## How to draw it **Ink thickness ladder** (scale, shows Ink type). One axis from thick oil paste to watery ink shows at a glance why a pen dries fast or glides, and where hybrid sits between them. Used today by Proposal. JetPens and Wikipedia describe the order but do not draw it.. [7] [8] **Line width ladder** (scale, shows Tip size, Line width). Drawn strokes at true relative width let a buyer compare a 0.5 mm gel pen, a 03 fineliner and an F nib directly, which the labels cannot do. Used today by Fineliner makers print line-width charts by size code (Sakura Pigma Micron, STAEDTLER pigment liner); writing samples are the specialist-retailer convention.. [18] [23] ## Words you will meet - **Ballpoint**. A pen that rolls a small ball through thick, oil-based ink paste. - **Hybrid ink**. Ballpoint ink thinned with lubricants so it writes smoothly but still dries fast. - **Gel ink**. Water-based ink thickened into a gel so it can carry pigment. - **Rollerball**. A ball-tip pen with watery liquid ink; some brands also call gel pens rollerballs. - **Nib**. The split metal tip of a fountain pen that lays the ink on paper. - **Nib grade**. The letter on a fountain pen nib for its line width: EF, F, M or B. - **Pigment ink**. Ink coloured by solid particles that sit on the paper, so it resists water and fading better than dissolved dye. - **Feathering**. Fuzzy edges on a line where ink has spread along the paper's fibres. - **Bleed-through**. Ink soaking through to the back of the page. - **DOC**. The ISO designation for ballpoint and rollerball pens whose lines pass tests for water, light, bleach and erasure resistance. - **Erasable ink**. Gel ink that turns clear when rubbed, because friction heats it. - **Standard international cartridge**. A fountain pen ink cartridge size shared by many brands. - **Converter**. A small refillable piston that takes a cartridge's place so a fountain pen can fill from a bottle. - **Fineliner**. A porous-tip pen sold by the width of the line it draws. - **Chisel tip**. A flat, angled tip that draws a broad stroke or, turned on its edge, a thin one. - **AP seal**. ACMI's mark that a toxicologist found the product non-toxic, including for children. - **CL seal**. ACMI's mark that a product carries the cautionary labels it needs; not for children in sixth grade or younger. - **ASTM D-4236**. The US standard, made law by LHAMA, for labelling chronic health hazards on art materials. - **Felt tip**. A pen tip of pressed fibres that ink soaks through, as in fineliners and markers. - **Alcohol marker**. A marker whose dye is dissolved in alcohol, sold to artists for translucent, blendable colour. - **Wet-erase**. Marker ink that stays on a shiny board until wiped with a damp cloth. - **Liquid chalk**. Opaque water-based chalk ink in a marker, for blackboards, mirrors and glass. ## Where we made a call - The mm printed on a ball pen is the ball diameter; the written line is roughly half of it. (confidence high). Wikipedia states the ball does not equal the line. Pentel and Cult Pens publish both numbers for six pens: 45 to 70 percent. [8] [17] [18] - Point words like fine and medium do not compare across brands; compare millimetres. (confidence high). Pilot calls 0.7 mm Fine on the G2 (Goulet) and medium on the FriXion (Pilot). Pentel calls its 1.0 mm medium. [14] [26] [17] - Japanese fountain pen nibs write finer than Western nibs with the same letter, especially EF and F. (confidence high). Goulet and Wikipedia agree. Goulet attributes it to Japanese ranges adding a medium-fine grade. [14] [11] - Erasable thermal gel ink should not be sold for signatures, contracts or exams. (confidence high). This is Pilot's own instruction for FriXion, the best-known erasable range. [26] - 'Archival' and 'fraud-resistant' are brand claims; ISO DOC is the published test, and listings rarely say whether a pen passes it. (confidence medium). Ours. ISO 12757-2 lists the DOC tests. uni and Sakura claim resistance without citing a test, Cult Pens calls the ordinary G2 archival, and Wikipedia says most rollerball refills meet ISO 14145-2 unlabelled. [3] [9] [24] [18] - For children in sixth grade or younger, filter markers and art pens to the ACMI AP seal; never offer CL products. (confidence high). ACMI's own guidance. The legal floor is LHAMA labelling, which covers drawing pens and multi-colour marker packs but not single-colour office pens. [5] [4] - Capped pens that children up to 14 may foreseeably use should meet ISO 11540: a vented cap or one too large to inhale. (confidence high). The scope is foreseeable use, not marketing. Only pens designed for adults, such as expensive fountain pens, are excepted, and those must be labelled so. ISO prefers capless pens where possible. [1] [2] [8] - Calling a gel pen a rollerball tells you nothing; classify by ink. (confidence medium). Sources disagree. Wikipedia treats gel pens as one type of rollerball; JetPens and most retailers keep them separate. We split them because they behave differently on paper. [9] [7] [18] - Alcohol and water-based art markers are both sold as blendable, so blending alone does not choose between them. (confidence medium). Ours, from brand copy: Winsor & Newton calls ProMarker alcohol ink blendable and Cult Pens says Tombow's water-based ABT blends like watercolour. No tested comparison was read. [27] ## References 1. [ISO 11540:2021 Writing and marking instruments: caps to reduce the risk of asphyxiation (preview)](https://cdn.standards.iteh.ai/samples/81889/9c3d070a4cea43d5af38070f80582924/ISO-11540-2021.pdf) (standards body). Supports: Covers capped instruments children up to 14 may foreseeably use; adult-only pens excepted, and must be labelled; Caps pass by size (16 mm gauge) or airflow of at least 8 l/min; Prefers products without caps where possible. 2. [ISO 11540:2014 (preview)](https://cdn.standards.iteh.ai/samples/56728/1242fdf4b4aa4dd089fc75d172f7a966/ISO-11540-2014.pdf) (standards body). Supports: Same 8 l/min airflow and 14-year scope in the previous edition. 3. [ISO 12757-2:1998 Ball point pens and refills, Part 2: Documentary use (DOC) (SIS preview)](https://www.sis.se/api/document/preview/612121/) (standards body). Supports: DOC pens resist erasure, ethanol, acid, ammonia, bleach, water and light; DOC lines are harder to falsify than general-use lines. 4. [16 CFR 1500.14(b)(8), art materials (LHAMA and ASTM D-4236), via Cornell LII](https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/16/1500.14) (regulator). Supports: Art materials need toxicologist review and chronic-hazard labelling under ASTM D-4236; Single-colour pens and markers are not art materials unless marketed as such; Pens for sketching and drawing, and multi-colour marker packs, are likely art materials. 5. [Art and Creative Materials Institute, Materials safety](https://acmiart.org/materials-safety) (standards body). Supports: AP seal: toxicologist-certified non-toxic, including for children; Sixth grade or younger: AP only, never CL. 6. [Art and Creative Materials Institute, Regulations](https://acmiart.org/regulations) (standards body). Supports: LHAMA enacted ASTM D-4236 and lets CPSC bar chronic-hazard materials for grades pre-K to 6. 7. [JetPens, Ballpoint vs. Rollerball vs. Gel Pens (Internet Archive copy)](https://web.archive.org/web/2025/https://www.jetpens.com/blog/Ballpoint-vs.-Rollerball-vs.-Gel-Pens-What-s-The-Difference/pt/167) (specialist review). Supports: Ballpoint ink is smudge resistant, quick drying, water resistant; needs more pressure; Gel inks dry slower and skip more; rollerballs bleed on cheap paper; Hybrid Jetstream runs out faster than other ballpoints. 8. [Wikipedia, Ballpoint pen](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ballpoint_pen) (primer). Supports: Ball diameter does not correspond to line width; standard sizes 0.3 to 1.4 mm; More viscous ink dries faster; hybrid ink suits left-handers; Bic Cristal cap has a hole to meet safety standards. 9. [Wikipedia, Roller ball pen](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rollerball_pen) (primer). Supports: Liquid-ink rollerballs bleed more; neither liquid nor gel lasts as long as a ballpoint; Gel ink is one rollerball type; ISO 14145-2 is the rollerball DOC standard. 10. [Wikipedia, Gel pen](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gel_pen) (primer). Supports: Gel ink suspends pigment in a water-based gel; Fraud-resistant gel ink resists check washing. 11. [Wikipedia, Fountain pen](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fountain_pen) (primer). Supports: Feed delivers ink to the nib by capillary action; Japanese nibs are often thinner. 12. [Wikipedia, Marker pen](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marker_pen) (primer). Supports: Permanent ink is alcohol-based today; not permanent on Teflon or polypropylene; Dry-erase ink is made for non-porous boards. 13. [Wikipedia, Highlighter](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Highlighter) (primer). Supports: Gel highlighters do not bleed through or dry out; Dry highlighters lay tape or pencil instead of ink. 14. [Goulet Pens, Fountain pen nibs explained](https://www.gouletpens.com/blogs/fountain-pen-blog/fountain-pen-nibs-explained) (enthusiast community). Supports: Japanese EF and F nibs are ground finer than Western ones; G2 0.38 to EF, 0.5 to F, 0.7 to M nib equivalents; Finer nibs smear less but feel less smooth. 15. [Goulet Pens, Cartridge/converter compatibility guide](https://www.gouletpens.com/blogs/fountain-pen-blog/cartridge-converter-compatibility-guide) (enthusiast community). Supports: Standard international cartridges are shared across brands; many brands are proprietary. 16. [Goulet Pens, Why paper matters](https://www.gouletpens.com/blogs/fountain-pen-blog/why-paper-matters) (enthusiast community). Supports: Absorbent paper causes spread, feathering and bleed-through with liquid ink. 17. [Pentel UK, EnerGel Xm BLN75 (0.5 mm) and BL80 (1.0 mm) product pages](https://www.pentel.co.uk/product/0-5mm-energel-xm-retractable-rollerball-bln75/) (spec sheet). Supports: 0.5 mm tip gives about 0.25 mm line; 1.0 mm gives about 0.5 mm, called medium; Quick-drying ink sold for left-handed writers; refill code listed. 18. [Cult Pens product pages (Pilot G2 05, Pilot BXSV5RT refill, Pilot FriXion Point refill, uni Jetstream SXN-150, Sakura Pigma Micron, Sharpie Fine, LAMY safari, Pentel LRN5)](https://cultpens.com/products/pilot-g2-05-gel-ink-rollerball-pen-blg205) (retail listing). Supports: Ball-to-line pairs: G2 0.5 to 0.32, V5 0.5 to 0.25, Jetstream 1.0 to 0.45 mm; Pigma Micron sizes map to line widths, 01 is 0.25 mm; Retailer tags ink type, tip size, refill type and mechanism. 19. [Amazon.com search results for 'gel pens'](https://www.amazon.com/s?k=gel+pens) (retail listing). Supports: Gel-pen titles carry ink type, a point word and mm, such as 'Fine Point 0.7mm'; Titles carry quick-dry and fraud-resistant claims. 20. [STABILO, BOSS ORIGINAL highlighter](https://www.stabilo.com/us/products/highlighting/highlighter-stabilo-boss-original-neon-pastel/) (spec sheet). Supports: Chisel tip with 2 and 5 mm line widths; Water-based ink, refillable. 21. [STAEDTLER, Permanent markers](https://www.staedtler.com/intl/en/products/markers/permanent-marker/) (spec sheet). Supports: Permanent markers write on glass, wood, metal, plastic; fast drying, waterproof; Lumocolor duo: about 0.6 mm bullet and 1.5 to 4 mm chisel. 22. [STAEDTLER, Highlighters](https://www.staedtler.com/intl/en/products/markers/highlighters/) (spec sheet). Supports: Textsurfer classic is inkjet safe and refillable from a refill station; Range includes chisel, fine bullet, gel and dry highlighters. 23. [STAEDTLER, Artist fineliners and drawing pens](https://www.staedtler.com/intl/en/products/art-supplies-materials/artist-fineliners-drawing-pens/) (spec sheet). Supports: Pigment liner sold by line width from 0.05 to 1.2 mm. 24. [uniball, 207 gel pen range (brand store)](https://www.unibrands.co/collections/207) (spec sheet). Supports: uni Super Ink claims resistance to check washing, water and fading; 207 refills do not fit 207 IMPACT pens; 207 Plus claims faster drying. 25. [uni POSCA paint markers (brand store)](https://www.unibrands.co/collections/posca) (spec sheet). Supports: Water-based paint, permanent on porous surfaces, removable from most non-porous ones. 26. [Pilot Pen Europe, FriXion erasable pens](https://www.pilotpen.eu/frixion) (spec sheet). Supports: FriXion ink erases by friction heat; Must not be used for signatures, legal documents or exams; 0.7 mm FriXion tip gives a 0.35 mm medium stroke. 27. [Cult Pens product pages (Copic Sketch, Winsor & Newton ProMarker, Tombow ABT Dual Brush, Giotto Turbo Giant, edding 4095, Schneider Slider Memo XB, Paper Mate Flexgrip Elite)](https://cultpens.com/products/copic-sketch-marker-pen) (retail listing). Supports: Copic Sketch and ProMarker: alcohol-based, blendable; Tombow ABT: water-based, blends like watercolour; Giotto children's fibre pens are 'easily washable'; edding liquid chalk suits blackboards, mirrors and glass; 1.4 mm ballpoints are sold; Paper Mate's 1.4 mm ball writes a 0.8 mm line. 28. [Copic official site, What is Copic?](https://copic.jp/en/about/) (spec sheet). Supports: Copic markers are alcohol-based, first released in 1987 as a drawing tool for designers. 29. [MyBinding knowledge base, What are some good chalkboards?](https://www.mybinding.com/a/knowledge-base/chalkboards/what-are-some-good-chalkboards) (other). Supports: Liquid chalk markers hold water-soluble chalk-based ink and work on most smooth chalkboards.