What is the difference between a roller ball and a ball point pen?
Both the roller ball and ball point pen are fantastic for everyday use but personally here at Luxury Pen Advice we prefer the roller ball pen, for its smooth writing style you almost feel you are using a fountain pen.
There are subtle differences between the two pens with roller ball pens;
Foremost is the type of ink they use – the roller ball uses a water based ink, similar to that used in fountain pens, which gives the writer a much more smooth and fluid, and we think, more enjoyable writing experience. Your ball point pen is filled with a thicker oil based ink, and whilst this is not so prone to drying out can often provide the writer with a more ‘sticky’ experience and sometimes can leave blobs of ink on the paper, spoiling the appearance. It can also be harder to get the pen to write if it has not been used for some while. On the plus side oil based inks will last longer than water based one; regardless of how they have both been stored.
Appearance on paper – the quality of your paper will of course affect the quality of the writing and appearance of the finished correspondence. Some bleeding may be experienced by roller ball pens due to the consistency of the ink and the pressure exerted by the writer also be taken into account. Smudges may also be more common as the ink is wetter as it is delivered onto the paper. It is often recommended that a ball point pen be used for completion of forms and official documents.
The structure of your roller ball or ball point pen will affect the amount of time before either dries out. In particular we recommend you keep the pen cap on your roller ball pen which is more prone to drying out. The click or twisting mechanism of the ball point pen normally exposes the writing tip and many such pens are not provided with a cap.