| Pens are ranked high among the most often and | | | | A nib is the writing point in fountain pens. Nibs are |
| widely used writing instruments. In the United States | | | | made in a triangular like form and are usually made of |
| alone, about 2 billion pens are manufactured annually. | | | | gold or stainless steel. The ink is carried from the |
| There are many different kinds of pens but the | | | | pen’s reservoir to the nib by a system of |
| most common ones are 1) ballpoint pens, (2) fountain | | | | narrow tubes known as the feed. Fountain pens use |
| pens, (3) soft-tip pens, (4) roller ball pens, and (5) | | | | a highly fluid ink and a property called capillarity is |
| specialty pens. | | | | what draws the ink into the feed. The feed includes |
| Ballpoint pens have a tiny brass, steel or tungsten | | | | a number of air passages which allow air to fill the |
| carbide ball as the writing tip. The ink reservoir is the | | | | top of the reservoir as ink is drawn from the |
| compartment in the pen that holds the ink and a | | | | bottom. The ink flows easily as the air pressure in |
| narrow tube connects the reservoir to the ball. The | | | | the pens is the same as the pressure outside the |
| ball that is fitted into a socket turns as it rolls across | | | | pen. |
| the paper carrying the ink from inside the pen. Most | | | | Roller ball pens use a combination of features from |
| ballpoint pens have a cap made or plastic that is used | | | | the ballpoint, fountain and soft tip pens. The roller ball |
| to close the tip and prevent the ink from drying on | | | | has a tiny ball that turns in a socket at the tip just |
| the ball. Several modifications have seen the ball point | | | | like a ballpoint would but the ink used in roller ball |
| pen have a push-button mechanism that automatically | | | | pens use highly fluid ink, just like the fountain. This will |
| pushes out the body of the pen as the button is | | | | ensure a smooth write like soft tip pens. Roller ball |
| clicked or pushed. | | | | pens are made with either a capillary reservoir such |
| The effect of gravity pushes out the ink to the ball | | | | as the ones used in soft-tip pens or a reservoir like |
| and makes it flow smoothly, so because of this, | | | | that of ballpoints. The ink is drawn from the reservoir |
| using a ballpoint pen to write sideways may prevent | | | | using a wick made of absorbent material which |
| the ink from flowing out properly. To prevent this, | | | | carries the ink to the ball and only a limited amount |
| some ballpoints are designed to ensure that slight | | | | of ink can be carried from the wick at a time. This |
| pressure is applied behind the ink column. With this | | | | mechanism allows the ink from leaking out. Specialty |
| design, the ink from the reservoir will be able to | | | | pens are made for specific purposes and most of |
| move constantly forward and the pen to write even | | | | them are like gel pens. Gel pens are commonly used |
| when its point is higher than its back end. The ink in | | | | among artists and mechanical drafters. Another |
| ballpoint pens is made to be sticky ink because if it | | | | specialty pen is called a lettering pen which is used to |
| was thinner ink, it might leak out of the ball. Sticky | | | | write calligraphy styled writing. |
| ink results in a less smooth write than most pens. | | | | |