What Pen Would Complement Diary Gift?

[TechnicGeek]

Good day

 

I have found good diary to gift for someone but I also want to include complementary pen. Diary has this vintage theme so I want pen to have it as well. It would not make it special if I include a mere cheap pen, right?

 

My question is what typ of pen it should be to make impression because I don't want this gift to to appear as commodity. Maybe add something a bit special like pen that is not common. While fountain pen is a good idea I don't think person would want to tinker with it so I thought about rollerball pen due to it's similarity to fountain pen and easy to care for or gel pen which has more visconsity and is less likely to bleed-through and feather except it will be not as slick in writing as rollerball.

 

Do you know what type of paper is best for ballpoint pens? I actually saw journal that has ballpoint pen made of bamboo which I think fits vintage theme but a couple folks reported that it does not write well. I checked sheets and it says they are thicker than normal sheet, have 55 brightness and are matte. Sheets are C6 size reminding envelope and are yellow colored. Can it be kraft paper and is kraft apper card stock?

 

Diary sold is offered in yellow (kraft?), white and creamy (ivory paper?) so I wonder what is most preferred and used?

Edited August 14, 2015 by TechnicGeek

[msolok]

Ballpoint will write on just about anything. The only things they really have troubles with are really slick, glossy papers. Kraft paper? No problem at all. The main thing that will effect how a ballpoint writes is the quality of the refill rather than the paper. A good quality refill will write (relatively) smoothly, without globbing or smearing, and will last a good long while. Ballpoint use a sticky oil like material for ink.

 

A Gel pen works in a similar fashion to a ballpoint, but with a slightly more liquid ink. This makes gel pens much smoother than ballpoint with nice lines, but can be a bit more picky than ballpoint as to what they write on, and how they last.

 

Rollerball are the most like fountain pens of the lot. They have the most liquid ink (very similar to fountain pen ink). They are much more picky as to what they will write on, are more likely to bleed and feather, and have a fairly short writing life span. But they are also the smoothest of the ball writers.

 

Then you have Fineliners, which are my favourites of the non-fountain pens. These use liquid ink through a fibre tip. Very smooth writing, but with the same cons as rollerball.

 

The most important things to consider when buying such pens is that the refills are easily available, and that they will write fine on the paper you choose. For ballpoint I would aim for something that takes Parker refills, as you have a huge range of refills and brands that fit, including gel refill options. In Rollerball go for something that takes a Pilot G2 refill, and just about all refills will fit (with very slight modifications). They will even take the fineliner refills that are out there.

 

As for which to choose, this is a personal preference. Without knowing how much you want to spend, who the gift is for (in relation to you), the occasion, etc. There is no real way to answer. I personally would lean to the Ballpoint/Gel option if you don't know the quality of the paper they use (to avoid disappointment if the pen bleeds through).

As for paper colour, this is a very personal thing as well. I would personally always go for a cream colour paper if I am going to use it for writing. Yellow, for me, is just too difficult to look t for longer periods.

[TechnicGeek]

Hello msolok. Just had time to read your reply and written my responses which I bolded:

 

  On 8/17/2015 at 8:13 AM, msolok said:

Ballpoint will write on just about anything. The only things they really have troubles with are really slick, glossy papers. Kraft paper? No problem at all.

 

 

Then I guess matte paper suits ballpoint pens better than creamy/ivory paper?

 

 

The main thing that will effect how a ballpoint writes is the quality of the refill rather than the paper. A good quality refill will write (relatively) smoothly, without globbing or smearing, and will last a good long while. Ballpoint use a sticky oil like material for ink.

 

 

By good quality refill you probably assume Parker refills? The ballpoint pen I have eye on is made in China and brand is Jinhao though there's Baoer which looks good too. Do these ballpoint pen brands have compatible refills sold in US? I don't want gift recipient to know that only Chinese refills are compatible. The gift pen is intended for long-term use.

 

 

A Gel pen works in a similar fashion to a ballpoint, but with a slightly more liquid ink. This makes gel pens much smoother than ballpoint with nice lines, but can be a bit more picky than ballpoint as to what they write on, and how they last.

 

 

I heard Gel pens have pigments in their ink increasing it's viscocity so they are less likely to smudge as their absorbency is faster than rolelrball pens. By "smoother" you mean ease of writing due to reduced friction? Although it makes those smoother than ballpoints, rollerballs are smoother and slicker. I find it strange why Gels are pickier on paper than ballpoints because ink they have has less viscocity and should write easier on smooth and coated paper. I remember in school I had paper with some areas that were "oily" and ballpoint pen refused to write on those...

 

 

Rollerball are the most like fountain pens of the lot. They have the most liquid ink (very similar to fountain pen ink). They are much more picky as to what they will write on, are more likely to bleed and feather, and have a fairly short writing life span. But they are also the smoothest of the ball writers.

 

 

When you say "picky" do you refer to successful laying down of ink i.e. no intermittent writing or bleedthrough and feathering? I will assume it's the latter with rollerballs but how was it for gels when you compared them to ballpoints? Gels do not feather and bleedthrough as much as rollerballs so it must be gel's intermittent writing? You said that gels are smoothest of the ballwriters but you must be referring to reduced friction here? If so, I heard opposite if we compare gels with rollerballs because rollerballs are the closest to pleasant and smoothest writing exprience which fountain pens ultimately provide.

 

 

Then you have Fineliners, which are my favourites of the non-fountain pens. These use liquid ink through a fibre tip. Very smooth writing, but with the same cons as rollerball.

 

 

I used fineliners when was young and I think it was Pilot's fineliners. They smooth to write with but what I didn't like about them is ink that even after long time becoming washed out if you spill water on paper. I guess since then tech has improved and has water-resistant ink to offer?

 

 

The most important things to consider when buying such pens is that the refills are easily available, and that they will write fine on the paper you choose. For ballpoint I would aim for something that takes Parker refills, as you have a huge range of refills and brands that fit, including gel refill options. In Rollerball go for something that takes a Pilot G2 refill, and just about all refills will fit (with very slight modifications). They will even take the fineliner refills that are out there.

 

 

Let me understand better. As long as I pick Chinese pen that is compatible with Parker refills I can rest assured it will compatible by most refills from other brands because they are similar to Parker's refills? And same is true for Gel refills that I can switch with ballpoint refills making ballpoint pen gel pen? With rollerball pens same thing compatibility-wise if I make sure to get Chinese one that is compatible with Pilot G2 refill? Can you elaborate on slight modifications because what is slight for you can be messy task for me.

 

 

As for which to choose, this is a personal preference. Without knowing how much you want to spend, who the gift is for (in relation to you), the occasion, etc. There is no real way to answer. I personally would lean to the Ballpoint/Gel option if you don't know the quality of the paper they use (to avoid disappointment if the pen bleeds through).

As for paper colour, this is a very personal thing as well. I would personally always go for a cream colour paper if I am going to use it for writing. Yellow, for me, is just too difficult to look t for longer periods.

 

 

I am intending to get Chinese rollerball pens Jinhao Dragon Offspring ~$17 more likely than Baoer 8 Horses ~$8. Is it possible to replace their refills with gel and/or ballpoint refills? If person is disappointed with feathering and bleedthrough? I also heard that rollerball ink dries quicker and some folks who ordered from China complained that part of refills arrived dry.

 

About paper color I think most prefer lined paper than blank paper while to me it depends on person's purpose. I know that it's going to be gift for someone who writes but also likes to sketch and can add lines by herself using pencil and ruler. Doing this with ruled paper will be not good because you can't erase lines. I know that blank unruled kraft paper gives this antique theme to diary but I wonder how blank creamy paper would be in that regard.

Edited September 4, 2015 by TechnicGeek