For the smoothest writing experience, gel pens, rollerball pens, and hybrid ballpoints are generally the best, offering a "glide" with less pressure than traditional ballpoints, thanks to their liquid or hybrid inks. Top contenders for smoothness include the Uni-ball Jetstream (hybrid) and Pentel EnerGel (gel), known for their rich, fast-drying ink and low resistance. Fountain pens also offer ultimate smoothness but require a different feel.
Smoothness of Writing (Winner: Rollerball)
The oil-based ink formulas cause the ball in a ballpoint pen to be less responsive which can result in a scratchy sensation when writing. The thinner ink found in rollerball reservoirs is much thinner and results in a much smoother writing experience.
A 0.5mm pen offers a fine, precise line ideal for small handwriting, detailed notes, and technical work with less ink bleed, while a 0.7mm pen provides a balanced, versatile medium line that's smoother and clearer for general, everyday writing, journaling, and lectures, offering better flow and durability than the finer 0.5mm. Choose 0.5mm for precision and compact writing; choose 0.7mm for a comfortable, all-purpose experience.
Ballpoint Pen
It's the most versatile of writing styles and works for pretty much any writing surface. They tend to be the least expensive, easily accessible, and ready to write at any moment.
Gel pens offer smooth writing but have downsides like slow drying time leading to smudging (especially for lefties), potential for skipping or clogging if unused, shorter ink life, higher cost, and ink bleeding through thinner paper due to its water-based nature, making them less ideal for exams or slick surfaces compared to ballpoints.
The biro pen, which is the British term for the ballpoint pen, got its name from its inventor – Laszlo Biro. Loud was the first one to patent the pen, but his idea wasn't good enough at the time. However, Biro's patent was commercially successful and he took most of the credit.
For the smoothest writing, top contenders include gel pens like the Pentel EnerGel (especially the 0.7mm) and Uni-ball Signo DX, known for effortless glide and quick drying, and hybrid ballpoints like the Uni-ball Jetstream and Pilot Acroball, offering gel-like smoothness with ballpoint convenience. Rollerball pens also excel with their thin, fast-flowing ink for a fluid feel.
How to fix a skipping ballpoint pen
It was introduced in 1950 and is the best-selling pen in the world, with the 100 billionth sold in September 2006. It has become the archetypal ballpoint pen and is considered ubiquitous, to the extent that the Museum of Modern Art has made it a permanent part of its collection.
Fine is especially suitable for people with small handwriting. Medium (M) is the most popular nib width. Although this does vary this is usually around 0.6mm in width. This is also the standard nib width on most brands.
Manufacturers tend to denote the tip size in millimeters (or tenths of a millimeter) as opposed to the arguably more descriptive "fine,” "medium,” and “broad” or “bold” typically used in fountain pens and rollerballs.
Fine ballpoint pens have tips made to write a line that is 0.8 mm thick or less. Medium ballpoint pens have tips made to write a line that is between 0.9 and 1.2 mm thick. Lastly, broad ballpoint pens produce a line that is 1.3 mm or thicker.
Here, we'll explore various ways to do this so you can get a better writing experience from your favorite ballpoint pen.
Ballpoint pens use oil-based ink, which is thicker, more controlled, and quick to dry, making it a clean and dependable choice. The writing experience requires slightly more pressure, but offers excellent feedback and crisp, uniform lines across a wide range of papers.
A well-tuned fountain pen nib is smoother than any rollerball or ballpoint pen. The use of liquid ink provides for a more comfortable and effortless writing experience that modern pens can't replicate.
On average, ballpoint pens have enough ink to write on about 300 legal-sized pages. If you write a lot regularly, a ballpoint pen can last you anywhere between one to two years. People who don't write as often can, of course, expect their ballpoint pen ink to last longer.
J.K. Rowling uses the pen name Robert Galbraith for her popular Cormoran Strike detective series, a pseudonym she chose for separation and to avoid bias, though it was leaked by a legal firm in 2013. While she's also known for using Parker pens, like the Parker 51, for writing, Robert Galbraith is her primary authorial pen name for crime fiction, distinct from her work as J.K. Rowling.
Writing. The fluidity of ink translates to a rollerball pen generally having a finer writing line, which is good for people with smaller handwriting or for detailed drawings. On the other hand, a ballpoint pen does have a more controlled action and is deemed suitable for completing official forms and documents.
The best pen for this purpose is a rollerball or gel pen. These bad boys are smooth as molasses, enabling you to write with less pressure compared to ballpoints. My favorite is the Cross Bailey Medalist Selectip Pen, a best seller for its luxe chrome barrel and lifetime mechanical warranty.
A ballpoint pen is widely referred to as a "biro" in many countries, including the UK, Ireland, Australia and Italy. Although the word is a registered trademark, in some countries it has become genericised.
Name Game: BIC doesn't stand for anything! It's simply the initials of founder Marcel Bich's last name. Talk about keeping it personal! Disposable Pioneer: BIC launched the iconic Cristal pen in 1950, the first-ever mass-produced, disposable pen.