When was gel pens invented

Our recommendations follow. Take your pick and distribute generously. Most of us have committed some sort of childhood transgression, wittingly or not. For some among us, that may have been completing a homework assignment in light blue, sparkly pink, or light green gel ink—driving a hapless teacher to near distraction and surely to delivery of a lower mark.

In times of yore well, a few years ago , gel ink was the bane of any self-respecting teacher. But times have changed, and gel ink is not what it was.

Here are two winners. As you can see, gel pens have come a long way and have achieved rock star status in the writing instrument world.

Check out these situation-specific offerings:. Pick the custom gel ink pen that speaks to your brand and to your target audience. Then, distribute with the confidence that the gel ink deserves. Check washers, beware! Blow out the candles and make a wish. If you wished for… Leather vs. Leatherette vs. However, Sharpies — and every other permanent marker available in the ensuing decades — used dye-based ink, which was susceptible to UV rays, chemical degradation, and pollution from other kinds of oils or chemicals often found on paper.

Pigma ink pens are still a favorite of comic book artists today for their brightness and opacity. Meanwhile, the first water-based rollerball pen had been developed by a different Japanese company, OHTO, in Instead, they looked at the invention as a springboard: Knowing that this new pen technology existed, what could they do with it that was different from everything else on the market?

The answer turned out to be gel ink. You can see where this is going, right? Why gel ink? Because it solved an issue commonly encountered in oil- and water-based ink, particularly when used in a ballpoint or rollerball pen. Instead of marketing the Ballsign as simply a variety of rollerball pen, however, marketing research encouraged them to introduce it as an entirely new kind of pen — which meant coming up with a new name for it.

Then, one of the core members of the research team accidentally came across a newspaper ad where he read about the additive — Xanthum Gum. Xanthum gum was a popularly preferred additive in commercially prepared soups, jellies, and jams.

Sakura brought in Xanthum and experimented with it successfully. Without further delay, they filed the patent for it in , and in came the first gel pen by Sakura.

Even today, in , Sakura is hailed as the top seller of Gel Pens in Japan. Today, when technology has encroached on almost all aspects of our lives, we still have a few facets where we love to get the 'rustic feel'. Pens can never be obliterated from our lives entirely, even when we are highly dependent on digital typing.

Writing with an excellent quality gel pen has its share of perks, many of which we will be highlighting in this point.