3 ms·

If by "ballpoint" you mean something like a Bic pen or a Fisher Space Pen, it's an easy answer for me. In a typical day I cover several pages with text and sket

If by "ballpoint" you mean something like a Bic pen or a Fisher Space Pen, it's an easy answer for me. In a typical day I cover several pages with text and sketches. I want a pen that works well for both. I don't believe that ballpoints have better ink properties. Quite the reverse. I believe they make more predictable marks on low-quality paper, but that's one of only a few benefits. Ballpoints tend to have large balls and produce a fat line. I like finer lines with more detail. Ballpoints tend to have thick ink. It doesn't dry quickly on the page. Ballpoint ink tends to accumulate on the edge of the ball, and leave periodic ink turds on the paper. Ballpoints tend to require a lot of pressure to produce a line. I want to use as little pressure as possible. Put another way, I want a pen that with little pressure produces a fine line that is easy to modulate (thick or thin, dark or light) and dries fast. I've yet to find a ball point that comes close to those properties.

foobarian 6y ago
It is what I mean, but I am fascinated that I find that ballpoint works better for me for those purposes. To be fair the ballpoint I use took me a while to find - Parker Jotter case with refills they now call "QuinkFlow." They write smoothly without requiring much pressure, with quite a thin line. The only pen I found that can produce a thinner line is a Pentel Needle Tip with a 0.3mm ball. The thing I love about any ballpoints though is that they are pressure-sensitive - they produce a lighter line with less pressure, which is great for sketches and shading. I find that rollers are either on or off. I never experienced the ballpoint ink not drying, in fact the opposite - ballpoint is usually dry instantly, while with rollers I have to be mindful and wait a few seconds or more with pooled ink. The only issue I found ballpoint has that roller doesn't is the "ink turds" you mention. These happen especially when I try to draw long straight lines (maybe even with a ruler). At the end of the line if I'm not careful I can end up with a giant drop of ink that can turn into an unsightly smudge. But, I found a way around it - I need to keep rotating the pen so that different sides of the ball enclosure collect the ink, letting the collected ink get pulled into the paper.

foobarian 6y ago

It is what I mean, but I am fascinated that I find that ballpoint works better for me for those purposes. To be fair the ballpoint I use took me a while to find - Parker Jotter case with refills they now call "QuinkFlow." They write smoothly without requiring much pressure, with quite a thin line. The only pen I found that can produce a thinner line is a Pentel Needle Tip with a 0.3mm ball. The thing I love about any ballpoints though is that they are pressure-sensitive - they produce a lighter line with less pressure, which is great for sketches and shading. I find that rollers are either on or off. I never experienced the ballpoint ink not drying, in fact the opposite - ballpoint is usually dry instantly, while with rollers I have to be mindful and wait a few seconds or more with pooled ink. The only issue I found ballpoint has that roller doesn't is the "ink turds" you mention. These happen especially when I try to draw long straight lines (maybe even with a ruler). At the end of the line if I'm not careful I can end up with a giant drop of ink that can turn into an unsightly smudge. But, I found a way around it - I need to keep rotating the pen so that different sides of the ball enclosure collect the ink, letting the collected ink get pulled into the paper.