Ballpoint and Gel Pens: Best Practices

Tips and Tricks for Ballpoint & Gel Pens

Gel and ballpoint pens are the reliable worker bees of classrooms, homes, and businesses everywhere. People use them for everything from taking notes to signing documents. As you can imagine, we receive a lot of questions about how to troubleshoot pen problems and which pens to choose. In this guide, we’ve compiled ballpoint and gel pen tips and tricks based on common customer questions. We’ll cover six major categories in this article: Pen Differences, Refill Installation, Common Pen Problems, Pen Care, Pen Selection, and Special Pens.

Frequently Asked Questions

WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN GEL, BALLPOINT, AND HYBRID INKS?

Gel Ink

Gel ink formula.

Gel ink consists of pigment suspended in a water-based gel. Their composition makes gel pens precise, smooth, and vibrant. Though smooth, they do occasionally skip. This is because their tips are not as evenly coated with ink as ballpoint tips. Ballpoint inks generally have fatty acid additives, which lubricate tips more than water-based gel solutions. Gel pens also smudge more and run out faster than ballpoint pens because of their fluidity.

Ballpoint Ink

Ballpoint ink formula.

Ballpoint ink consists of dye dissolved in a mixture of alcohols and fatty acids. Alcohols promote smooth ink flow and fatty acids lubricate the ballpoint tip for skip-free writing. Ballpoint inks are generally smudge resistant, quick drying, and waterproof. Because they are thick, less comes out as you write, so ballpoints generally last longer. Their thick formula also requires you to apply more pressure when you write. The amount of ballpoint ink actually used depends on writing pressure. Someone who presses down on a pen uses up more ink than someone who writes with a light hand.

Low-Viscosity Ballpoint or Hybrid Ink

Low-viscosity ballpoint ink formula.

Hybrid ink is a misnomer for low-viscosity ballpoint inks. They usually have lubricants that make the ball at the tip rotate smoothly. They combine the smooth flow and vibrancy of gel inks with the quick drying quality and waterproofness of ballpoint inks.

Low-viscosity ballpoint pens have different names under different brands. Some examples include Uni’s Jetstream Ballpoint Pens, Zebra’s Surari Emulsion Ink Pens, Dong-A Cronix’s Ballpoint Pens, Pilot’s Acroball Ballpoint Pens, and Parker’s Quinkflow Ballpoint Pen Refills.

How do I install a refill?

How do I refill a pen?

Open the grip of a Sarasa gel pen to refill it.

Refilling a pen is fast and easy. Simply disassemble it and insert a refill.

Unscrew the grip section to open the pen.
Put the refill into the grip section with the tip pointing outwards.
Screw the grip back onto the pen body.
The pen is ready to use.

Refill the Hi-Tec-C by opening its nose.

Some pens open at the nose or tip as opposed to the grip. Examine the pen to find its opening.

How do I refill a multi pen?

Multi pens streamline pen collections by combining two or more components in one pen body. Many multi pens come pre-filled, such as the Pilot Dr. Grip 4+1 Multi Pens or the Uni Jetstream Multi Pens. Other multi pen systems sell body components and refills separately, like the customizable Uni Style Fit. If your pre-filled multi pens run low on ink or if you need to manually install refills, follow these steps to start writing in a jiffy.

Refilling a Retractable Multi Pen

It's easy to refill a retractable multi pen such as the Uni Style Fit.

To refill most retractable multi pens, open the pen and insert the refills.

Unscrew the grip. Inside the barrel, there are a number of circular holders or refill slots.
Place the non-tip side of the refill into the desired slot, holding the corresponding tab of the refill for extra stabilization.
Screw the body back to the grip.
The pen is ready to use.

Refilling a Twist Pen

Refilling a twist pen like the Zebra Sharbo X is similar to refilling a retractable multi pen.

For twist multi pens, the tube slots sometimes protrude out of the barrel. Insert the refill into a tube just as you would into a holder in a retractable multi pen.

Refilling from the Cap: Pilot Hi-Tec-C Coleto Multi Pen

The Pilot Hi-Tec-C Coleto features a unique refilling method.

The Pilot Hi-Tec-C Coleto Multi Pen features a different refilling method than most multi pens. Refill it by opening the cap on top of the barrel as opposed to opening the middle of the barrel.

Flip open the top cap.
Put the refill into the pen with the tab pointing outwards.
Close the cap.
The pen is ready to use.

HOW DO I APPROACH COMMON PEN PROBLEMS AND ACCIDENTS?

How do I revive a gel or ballpoint pen that stops working?

Encourage ink flow by exposing the pen tip to heat from a blow dryer or by putting the refill in hot water.

Poor ink flow occurs due to a variety of reasons, commonly temperature change. Try scribbling on scratch paper with the pen to regain ink flow. If scribbling doesn’t work, try the following methods.

Expose the pen tip to heat from a blow dryer for 8-10 seconds, scribbling intermittently.
If this doesn’t work, we recommend heating water to just below boiling point and leaving the refill in it for 10-15 minutes to warm up the ink and encourage flow.

How do I remove ballpoint marks from clothing? Gel ink marks?

Depending on the specific ink formula and fabric, the following methods may or may not work. Before any stain treatment, consider the fabric. Some fabrics are more prone to damage with treatment from substances like soap and alcohol. With any stain removal method, do a small test spot before tackling the entire stain. Whatever you do, avoid putting ink-stained clothes in the dryer before treatment since heat can set the stain.

General

Rinse with soap and water.

Small gel and ballpoint marks usually come off when you gently rub them with soap and water. With big stains, rubbing the stain might spread it, so try the following methods.

Ballpoint

Clean ballpoint stains with hairspray.

Use an alcohol-based hairspray or rubbing alcohol for ballpoint stains. Ballpoint ink is dissolved in an alcohol solvent, so additional alcohol dilutes the dye and eventually cleanses the stain. Place a towel beneath the stained fabric and saturate the stain with hairspray or rubbing alcohol. Dab and blot the stain with a rag. Repeat as needed.

Gel

Clean gel ink stains with all-purpose cleaner.

For gel ink, try an all-purpose cleaner. Saturate the affected article of clothing with the all-purpose cleaner and keep a towel underneath to prevent transfer. Blot the stain out with a rag, repeating as necessary.

What should I do if my pen leaks?

Insert a new refill if your pen leaks.

Leaks occur due to a variety of reasons, including temperature changes, pressure changes, and manufacturing defects. You can contact our customer service team for any purchased pen that arrives leaking. This may be a manufacturing defect. If a pen leaks after some use, we recommend removing the leaking refill and cleaning up the pen body with a mild household cleaner. Then, insert a new refill.

HOW CAN I TAKE CARE OF MY PENS?

How do I prevent my pens from drying out?

Cap your pen.

Always cap or retract a pen when not using it. Ink dries out because it contains volatile solvents that evaporate if exposed to air. Capping the pen slows this down. Solvents still eventually evaporate but will stay inside the cap if it is sealed. Retractable mechanisms also reduce air exposure when the tip is retracted, although they are not as protective as capped pens. Additionally, keep refills in their packaging until they’re needed. Packages are air sealed, so air can dry out the refills if you break the seal.

How should I store my pens?

Store your pen in a pen case such as the Lihit Lab Smart Fit Double Pen Case.

Keep pens inside a pen case to prevent them from getting damaged or misplaced. Our pen case selection has a wide range of options that suit different needs and styles. Here are a few approaches to how you can position different pens:

Store gel pens horizontally to keep pressure off of the tip and prevent leaking.
Ballpoints rely on gravity to get the ink to flow. Keep them vertical and tip down so the slower moving ink is at the tip of the pen and ready for writing.

How do I clean the rubber grip section on my pen?

Use tape to remove dirt and dust from the grip section of your pen.

We've found the following techniques can help with cleaning rubber or silicone grip sections:

If the grip section is dirty or dusty, we like to apply tape and remove it. It picks up the dirt and dust, just like a lint roller for your pen. We recommend clear packing tape, but most tapes should be fine. If that doesn't work, you can try cleaning it with olive oil or any other vegetable oil you have available.
If the grip section feels sticky, try cleaning it with rubbing (isopropyl) alcohol.

These suggestions aren’t foolproof and depend on the temperature, humidity, altitude, and pressure levels of where you store a pen as well as the pen’s ink formula.

WHICH PEN SHOULD I SELECT?

I need a fraud-resistant pen for official documents. Which pen should I select?

Sign documents with a fraud-resistant pen such as the Uni-ball Signo.

In general, we recommend using a gel pen. There are three main solvents used in check washing: polar aprotic, polar protic, and nonpolar. In our Fine-Tip Gel Pens guide, we tested gel inks under each type of solvent, using nail polish remover, rubbing alcohol, and paint thinner. Most of our fine-tip gel pens perform well—take a look at our guide for more details. Ballpoints, on the other hand, are dye based and dissolve easily with check washing solvents, so many are not fraud resistant.

Which pens last the longest?

Ballpoints generally last longer than gel pens.

Ballpoints like the Uni Jetstream generally last longer than gel pens.

Ballpoints tend to last longer than gel pens. Of course, how long a pen lasts ultimately depends on a few different factors: how frequently it’s used, writing pressure, refill volume, and ink formula. Ballpoint ink is thicker than gel ink. Less of it comes out as you write, which means your refill will last a while. In contrast, gel pens have thinner inks that flow out faster and get used up quicker. In general, multi pen refills contain less ink volume than single pen refills so they get depleted faster.

Which refills are compatible with my pen?

Use our Recommended Refills section to see which refills fit in your pen.

Refills are eco-friendly and economical because they allow you to reuse the pen body. To find out which refills fit into a pen, find the pen’s product page on our website. Look at the description box and click the hyperlinked “Recommended Refills/Parts” page to see all compatible refills.

WHAT ARE SOME SPECIAL PENS TO CONSIDER? HOW DO I TAKE CARE OF THEM?

How does a heat-sensitive ink like FriXion work? Why should I avoid storing FriXions in hot places?

FriXions are erasable.

Pilot FriXion pens use a thermo-sensitive ink that erases by friction. FriXion ink uses 3 types of chemical compounds that rely on acid-base and temperature sensitivity:

Special dyes that change color upon reaction with acids
Compounds that act as acids to produce color change
Compounds that regulate the temperature at which color transition takes place

When you rub FriXion ink with a hard rubber eraser, heat produced by friction causes the temperature sensing compound to activate acid compounds. This reaction neutralizes the dye and makes the ink disappear.

Because of its heat reacting properties, erased FriXion ink may reappear when temperatures reach below - 10 C (14 F). When the ink reaches 60 C (140 F) or higher, the ink disappears. Don’t leave the ink out in hot cars or conditions that may subject it to vigorous friction. Learn more about FriXion ink in our Pilot FriXion Erasable Pens guide.

What is a pressurized ink pen? What are its special applications?

Pressurized ink pens like the Tombow AirPress write under a variety of different conditions.

Ballpoint pens rely on gravity to dispense ink from the tip, which is why they can’t write at certain angles. Horizontal surfaces suit the typical ballpoint pen, but what if you need to write vertically or upside down? Pressurized ballpoint pens compress air inside the ink cartridge to force ink out. This is done by 2 methods.

The first method uses pre-compressed air in the ink cartridge that continually pushes ink towards the tip. Ink is more viscous in the cartridge than it is in regular ballpoints or in the second method. This prevents unwanted leaks because the ink only liquefies when you apply pressure and write.
In the second method, air is injected into the ink cartridge. Energy from each push of the pen cap forces air into the cartridge and pushes ink towards the tip.

Their advanced technologies allow pressurized ink pens to work well under intense conditions, such as zero gravity, wet surfaces, greasy surfaces, and extreme hot and cold temperatures. We have tested our pressurized ink pens by simulating these conditions in our Guide to Pressurized Ink Pens.

CONCLUSION

Gel and ballpoint pens are relatively low maintenance, but it helps to have tips and tricks up your sleeve when selecting or fixing one. Now that we’ve answered some of our most frequently asked questions, we want to hear from you. Do you have any tips for us? Let us know in the comments below!