Same-day dispatch
on most orders before 3pm
What’s the difference between a gel pen and a rollerball?
The difference is the ink - and a gel pen is really a specific type of rollerball. So a gel pen could be described as a gel-ink rollerball, while the term ‘rollerball’ on its own will *usually* refer to a rollerball with liquid ink.
Gel ink is thicker than liquid ink, and it’s *thixotropic* - fairly solid at rest, but more like a liquid when force is applied to it. Think of ketchup, staying put in the bottle until you shake it, then far too much falls out at once. Or solid emulsion paint - rolls on, but then stays put while it dries.
The result is ink that feels nice and smooth to write with, but without the tendency to leak out if left touching paper, and because it’s thick when its at rest, it can suspend all sorts of particles in it for special effects.
What sort of ink does a gel pen use?
Gel ink - thick at rest, but flows easily when it’s moved. That’s ‘thixotropic’ if you want to get fancy. It makes for very stable ink that will sit in place without moving, but flows nicely when you start writing. And it can suspend particles of pigment or glitter, or various other things.
This all means the ink can quite easily be pigmented and opaque, so pale inks can write on dark surfaces. Artists often use white gel pens to add tiny highlight details.
Why were gel pens so popular in the 90s?
Sometimes it’s best not to think too hard about what was popular in the 90s, but gel pens were pretty understandable. For one, they were new, and new things are always exciting. But because gel ink can hold suspended particles, we suddenly had pens that could write in white on black paper; pens that could write sparkly, glittery lines. Even fluorescent inks, or inks that would puff up with a 3D effect. Such excite!
Like many things, they had their time of being super-popular, when they seemed to be everywhere. But they didn’t really disappear. They aren’t *everywhere* any more, but like the yo-yo and the hacky sack, they still exist, and still have their fans.