Pen refills – The eco-friendly and cost-effective writing option

If you are passionate about pens, then you should know that pens are more than just writing tools that you use and discard when they are no longer functional; they can be great instruments that help you work and get your creative juices flowing. That said, many people don’t want to spend hundreds of dollars on pens if they don’t have to. That is where pen refills come in.

Disposables versus pen refills

Some people argue that it is nearly impossible to find refills for pens these days, implying that pen manufacturers only make disposables, which is not the case. Any pen collector knows that refills are readily available for these supposed “disposable’ pens. Some pen makers are even easy to find with attractive bulk packages, like Elkos Pens.

Obviously, disposable pens are the easiest type of pen to use and maintain, and also the cheapest, because you simply replace them when you’re done. They can be very good quality and ideal for those who value ease and convenience, but tend to lose pens a lot. However, they can be costly in the long run, especially if you use them heavily, since replacing a full pen is generally more costly than replacing a refill.

Refillable pens, on the other hand, are not only more environmentally sound, but also more attractive, because the barrels are made to last through multiple refills. Refillable pens are also cheaper to run compared to disposables, plus the maintenance process is fairly simple.

How to refill a gel pen

There are different ways to refill different pens. Some require you to replace the nib and refill unit in one (the entire center of the pen is the refill), while others allow you to replace the nib units separately (messy) – so you don’t have to replace a perfectly good nib, plus you don’t throw away usable ink if the nib wears out first.

For the latter process, you have to be careful to prevent air bubbles and any disturbances to the gel. Different inks also need to be matched to a pen, but if working with the same brand, this should not be a problem.

Why you should consider pen refills

Disposable pens have an obvious appeal: you don’t have to worry about losing them because of their low replacement cost. Indeed, these pens are freely given way as advertising for hotels, businesses, meetings, and conferences. But like many other disposable items, there are implications that may not necessarily be reflected in the cost of acquisition. In the US, more than 1.6 billion pens are discarded, and only a small fraction get recycled or donated. So, most of them contribute to the growing landfills.

So, using a refillable pen that you can keep with you for years seems like a great alternative. Pen makers now have refillable ballpoint, gel, fountain, and roller ball pens are prices that are competitive with disposable versions, so you can certainly get something that appeals to you.

Elkos Pens are one of the leading manufacturers of refillable pens in the world. To check out our collections of pen refills, visit our website at: www.elkospens.com

Gel Pens – The Right Pen to Develop your Cursive Penmanship

Gel pens offer a myriad of benefits compared to other pens and paint markers, plus they offer an economical alternative to the conventional dip pen and ink envelopes while delivering a beautiful, distinct look. This makes it one of the best pens for people looking to bring back cursive penmanship.

A brief history of cursive penmanship

Ever since the invention of written text, there has been a group of individuals who took more interest in the art of handwriting – like penmen and scribes. Additionally, every age has introduced its own distinct handwriting style. The Monks, for instance, created the Carolingian script in the 8^th century, with its bold, easy-to-read words.

The legibility of the Carolingian script let to the invention of the more indecipherable “black letter” script during medieval times. Afterwards, the Italic script was born – a variation of the Carolingian script where the renaissance scribes and writers in Italy slanted and connected some of the letters with lines to make it more ornate.

Other styles of handwriting emerged, including:

·Copperplate – an ornate style that incorporates different kinds of loops and capital letters with distinct flourishes developed in the 16^th century

·Spencerian Script – developed in the 19^th century to provide a more systematic way of teaching handwriting as literacy levels in America rose.

·The Palmer modification of the Spencerian Script to make the writing less tiring, and more efficient and practical for the increasing amount of bureaucratic paperwork faced by accountants, businessmen, and bookkeepers in early and mid-twentieth century.

·D’Nealian script – developed by Donald Thurber in the 1970s to help children transit from manuscript writing (block letter) to cursive.

Teachers in schools across America dedicated a great amount of time to penmanship, up until the 1990s when computers started to become popular. Today, many schools don’t even teach cursive handwriting, as children have to spend more time preparing for standardized tests.

So, why should cursive handwriting be re-introduced?

While people are increasingly relying on their digital devices – computers, laptops, and tablets – for all their communication needs, there are still a few reasons why people should not completely abandon old-fashioned cursive handwriting, and possibly try to improve their penmanship. Here are a few good reasons:

1.                   Writing by hand makes you smarter – Studies show that writing things by hand, or manually manipulating and drawing out 2D shapes (or letter) aids in learning comprehension. Writing facilitates letter recognition during early childhood, and activates brain regions associated with language, thinking, and working memory.

2.                   Helps with knowledge integration – Cursive writing helps to train young brains to integrate visual and tactile information, as well as fine motor dexterity.

3.                   You learn better when writing down – since writing is slow, you cannot note down everything you hear. So, you have to be attentive, summarize, paraphrase, use keywords, and even ask questions for clarification, which stimulates your Reticular Activating System (RAS).

4.                   May be beneficial for individuals with special needs – studies show that cursive is a good exercise for using kinesthetic skills

5.                   Keeps your brain active in old age – handwriting provides great cognitive exercise, reducing the rate of cognitive decline.

Cursive writing is also easy on your hand, convenient, and simple, as it does not require an extra source of power. If you’re going to improve your cursive penmanship, you need some guidance, a notebook, and a pen – preferably a gel pen.

Gel pens have fine tips that create fine, controlled lines, work well on smooth materials, and are less likely to bleed through to the other side of your papers. When using Elkos gel pens, you have a selection of pen colors to choose from, plus they’ve long lasting refill and feather-flow system with Japanese ink.

Elkos Pens are one of the leading global manufacturers of gel pens. If you would like further information on gel pens manufactured by Elkos Pens, visit our website at: www.elkospens.com

How to write faster with your ball pen

Many people who still enjoy cursive penmanship tend to have two sets of pens: a signature pen and a working pen. Your signature and the few personal notes you write to your friends and family are the most important words you write, so you need a good pen with a medium or broad point, preferably in blue color so your writing stands out from copies.

There’s more flexibility in picking a working pen, but considering that you use it heavily on a daily basis (even if you still use a computer), it should offer certain qualities. It is recommended that you choose of the right type and point size that feels most comfortable for you. Many people find that ballpoint pens are the best for taking notes, since you can write smaller and achieve more from a single page.

If you have a small handwriting, you should get a fine point. But the bigger and faster you prefer to write, the more you should shift to medium or broad points that enable faster flow of ink.

Here are a few things that affect how fast you write:

Tip friction and pressure: There are some pens that drag on paper more than others, increasing friction, reducing your writing speed, and increasing wrist strain. Cheap pens that use viscous ink and require you to exert more downward pressure are the worst, because the more force you need to apply to write, the sooner you will exhaust your muscles. If you’re exhausted, you cannot write as fast as you want to.

Line thickness: Pens with thick tips (0.7 – 0.9mm) are generally easier to write with, though they facilitate heavy handed / large-stroke writing patterns. Conversely, pens with thinner tips require less downward pressure, making it easier for you to write. You’re also able to write smaller, with more detailed letters.

Grip: The more comfortable you are when holding your pen, the faster you can write. A comfortable grip gives you good form, better technique, and faster writing speeds. Pens with wider barrels and padded grips are not only easier to grip, but they also don’t force your fingers to squeeze around a tiny barrel.

Maintenance: Any type of cheap, non-branded pen is more likely to malfunction. You have probably had one of these, trying to scribble like crazy to get the pen working. Using a better pen will save you time and money. Also, never use your pen on wet white-out because it will clog the tip of your pen.

Ballpoint pens are the most affordable and easiest pens to use (smudge-free), but they are not as fast as fountain pens, unless you’re using Elkos pens. They are not only uniquely designed for ultra-smooth writing, but they also feature a rubberized grip, so you can write as fast as you need to.

Elkos Pens are one of the world's leading manufacturers of ball pens. You have three choices for fill and body colors, plus you can make huge savings by purchasing in bulk. If you would like further information on ball pens manufactured by Elkos Pens, visit our website at: www.elkospens.com

Common Challenges of Gel Pens and How to Overcome Them

Compared to ball pens, gel pens are still relatively new to the market, but they have been well received by artists for sketching purposes. They can be lots of fun, and come in a wide selection of colors, including metallic, acid-free archival pens. They are sold in a wide variety, like soufflé, pastel-colored pens that puff up a little on the page when dry; moonlights that are neon colored and more opaque; Gelly Roll Stardust; Gelly Roll Metallic; Glaze; and even some smear-resistant options. Generally, gel pens leave great color on pages, and are a favorite for filling doodles.

Modern black gel inks contain a blend of dye-based and pigment coloring, and consumers can easily identify the color of a pen by checking through the semi-transparent barrel. Not all varieties are suitable for arts and graphics, though their color diversity makes them very popular among artists and children. Like roller ball and ball-point pens, the ink in gel pens is delivered using a housed metal ball. Consumers can easily differentiate its ink line from that of other writing instruments by tracking the effect along the outer edges of the ink stroke. This effect is not always visible for the entire writing process though it is a common occurrence which indicates that the ink is being pushed by the ball to the outer edges of the stroke.

Gel pens are great for artwork, but like many other things, there are a few complaints. Some people claim that their pens skip a lot and don’t make nice lines, or they are not visible enough, and attribute the inconsistency to a poor brand. What they don’t realize is that good results can only be achieved under certain circumstances:

Faded lines are influenced by the surface. The darker the surface you are working on, the better and shinier the drawing will be. Generally, drawing over too transparent watercolor layers will make the lines less visible, and cause you to riffle the paper.

Skipping is a common occurrence among most types of pens, including gel pens. It will definitely happen. So, when it does, carefully overdraw the riffle to make your line continuous. Before starting the painting, it is recommended that you scribble on a piece of paper to get the ink flowing.

When you experience too little or too much ink, it is probably because you changing the drawing direction too frequently. Gel pens don’t like this. The best way to draw a continuous line is to move the pen in one direction, and then clean the nib before starting another line. Changing the direction causes skips, while drawing too many lines in the same direction without cleaning the nib causes ink blobs.

A new pen usually works well with few or no skips. But the more it is used, the tougher it gets to work with it. It can be very frustrating to have a pen with just a little ink left, and the nib is barely able to let any ink out. To avoid such challenges, you should consider having a few nibs at hand when working on an important painting to ensure that you see it through with minimal challenges.

Now that you know how to use your gel pens, all that is left is to get a reliable vendor to buy from. Elkos Pens are one of the leading global manufacturers of gel pens, and provide a wide variety of colors and sizes to suit your art needs. For more information on their varieties, visit their website at www.elkospens.com 

Pens you can rely on: Ball Pen versus Fountain Pen

With over one billion sales of ball pens a year, they have successfully replaced fountain pens in everyday use in homes, schools, offices, banks, and stores. Ball points are not refillable, so one has to replace it once the ink ends, or when it just refuses to work. So, how can a consumer be certain that the next ball pen they buy will not cause them any trouble?

Ball-point pens have many benefits over fountain pens. They are not only more affordable than their better-grade counterparts, but are also not as delicate when it comes to handling. Users can press down on their pens harder to produce a better carbon copy compared to most fountain pens. A well-made ball point also offers months of service without ink running out, plus the ink dries out on the paper instantaneously, which eliminates the need for blotting. Users also find themselves jiggling a fountain pen that has not been used for a long time, but a ball pen can be used promptly, even when it has not been used for an extended period.

The pen also has one or two shortcomings, with the most notable one being that it occasionally leaves an uneven and pale line. It is also difficult to write over greasy smudges with a ball-point, plus they tend to leave a blob or dot of ink when the rotation of the ball is reversed, like the top of a script “h”.

Despite being in the market for many decades, ball-point pens vary widely in their longevity and writing quality. Some models skip, blob, and falter, while others run out of ink too soon. There is a lot more to consider when buying one, beyond the attractive shell and luring advertisements, if you don’t want to face the annoyance of a short-lived pen.

A certain study performed by a laboratory that tests products for the procurement agents who purchase office equipment and supplies for various institutions and companies sought to compare the performance attributes of popular ball-point throw-aways, as well as some expensive, gold-plated choices. In the tests, the laboratory used a machine that holds the pen at a writing angle while strips of paper were made to move slowly beneath the point in various patterns until the pen was incapable of making a solid line, or the ink ran out.

According to the study, the “gift” pens (gold-plated) provided longer service, though the fact that they were refillable made them a less economical choice compared to the short-lived throw-aways. As for the writing quality, it was found to be consistent among all types, though there was some blobbing. In addition, no feathering was detected with the machine, though it was reported in ordinary use, especially if the point was not clean. With regard to prompt start-up, the results were inconsistent, with some writing immediately and others experiencing momentary delays.

The results were consistent with what one would expect from a ball pen, including the lower quality when writing over wet spots or invisible oily smudges. That said, ball-points are still your best choice: they are affordable, reliable, and an excellent choice for typical daily writing needs. Since not all ball-point pens are alike, it is best that you buy from a reliable company that ensures consistency of performance. For more information on this, consider Elkos Pens by visiting their website on www.elkospens.com.

Common Challenges of Gel Pens and How to Overcome Them

Compared to ball pens, gel pens are still relatively new to the market, but they have been well received by artists for sketching purposes. They can be lots of fun, and come in a wide selection of colors, including metallic, acid-free archival pens. They are sold in a wide variety, like soufflé, pastel-colored pens that puff up a little on the page when dry; moonlights that are neon colored and more opaque; Gelly Roll Stardust; Gelly Roll Metallic; Glaze; and even some smear-resistant options. Generally, gel pens leave great color on pages, and are a favorite for filling doodles.

Modern black gel inks contain a blend of dye-based and pigment coloring, and consumers can easily identify the color of a pen by checking through the semi-transparent barrel. Not all varieties are suitable for arts and graphics, though their color diversity makes them very popular among artists and children. Like roller ball and ball-point pens, the ink in gel pens is delivered using a housed metal ball. Consumers can easily differentiate its ink line from that of other writing instruments by tracking the effect along the outer edges of the ink stroke. This effect is not always visible for the entire writing process though it is a common occurrence which indicates that the ink is being pushed by the ball to the outer edges of the stroke.

Gel pens are great for artwork, but like many other things, there are a few complaints. Some people claim that their pens skip a lot and don’t make nice lines, or they are not visible enough, and attribute the inconsistency to a poor brand. What they don’t realize is that good results can only be achieved under certain circumstances:

Faded lines are influenced by the surface. The darker the surface you are working on, the better and shinier the drawing will be. Generally, drawing over too transparent watercolor layers will make the lines less visible, and cause you to riffle the paper.

Skipping is a common occurrence among most types of pens, including gel pens. It will definitely happen. So, when it does, carefully overdraw the riffle to make your line continuous. Before starting the painting, it is recommended that you scribble on a piece of paper to get the ink flowing.

When you experience too little or too much ink, it is probably because you changing the drawing direction too frequently. Gel pens don’t like this. The best way to draw a continuous line is to move the pen in one direction, and then clean the nib before starting another line. Changing the direction causes skips, while drawing too many lines in the same direction without cleaning the nib causes ink blobs.

A new pen usually works well with few or no skips. But the more it is used, the tougher it gets to work with it. It can be very frustrating to have a pen with just a little ink left, and the nib is barely able to let any ink out. To avoid such challenges, you should consider having a few nibs at hand when working on an important painting to ensure that you see it through with minimal challenges.

Now that you know how to use your gel pens, all that is left is to get a reliable vendor to buy from. Elkos Pens are one of the leading global manufacturers of gel pens, and provide a wide variety of colors and sizes to suit your art needs. For more information on their varieties, visit their website at www.elkospens.com 

Useful Tips for Drawing with Ball Pens

Fine drawings created from ball pens are simply magnificent. Unfortunately, many people don’t know how to go about creating the perfect images with ball points. It would probably be easier to learn with documented photos, close-up video capture, and narration, but the following tips can be just as useful to learn one or two things about the technique used.

First, artists should always have a variety of ball pens to create the details of fine drawings. So, one ballpoint can be used to fill areas, and another one for the half-tone detailed areas. Usually, the ink starts to flow out easily after using the pen for some time when filing areas, causing a build up to occur. This is not good for developing detailed areas since a blob of ink can appear on the paper without warning. On the other hand, the build ups may be advantageous for those looking to cover an area in that particular color.

Second, artists who want to create photo realistic effects should be willing to spend the extra time needed to work on a small area, beyond what it would normally take them on other effects. This particular task is time intensive, and artists should be well motivated to gather the needed energy. It would help a lot if the artist was able to create a vivid image in their mind.

Third, right-handed people should always start a drawing from the top left side. This is because the right arm will be brushing over the surface or paper as you work, and it could fade down or ware any ink already on the work surface under the arm. On the same principle, left people should start on the top right side, for the same reasons.

Fourth, it is recommended that artists start their drawing with the hardest or most critical part. For instance, eyes and central features draw a lot of attention, so they should be good starting points for a couple of reasons. If you leave it until you are done with other parts and make a serious error – it being the most challenging bit – you would have wasted a lot of time and effort to that point. However, if you make a mistake at the beginning, you can just start again without having advanced too much. Another reason to start with the hardest parts is to raise your confidence. You will appreciate your work as you proceed with the easier bits.

Fifth, avoid touching the paper or work surface as much as possible. Your hands and skin has natural oils that can easily transfer and be absorbed by the work paper, and over time, the buildup of grease and oils in the paper will impact the application of ball-point pen ink. So, only rest your hands on tissue or some other pieces of paper.

Last, but not least, choose your work surface carefully depending on the desired outcome. Many good artists use bleach white flat surface cards. Rough surfaced papers, like those intended for watercolor and charcoal artists, can interfere with the shading because of bumps in the paper, unless you are drawing something with that kind of texture, like brickwork. When doing solid colored drawings, you should consider card or thick paper that can absorb the pressure without damage.

There are many ball pen manufacturers, but if you use Elkos Pens, you won’t have to use any other pens for your art work. They are fine enough to allow sharp detailing, and loose enough to release ink at a steady rate when you need to fill certain areas. For more information on Elkos pens, visit www.elkospens.com.