| A pen is a writing implement with the help of which it is possible to leave a trace of ink on the surface of something (usually paper). The following types of pens are available:
* Fountain pens;
* Ball-point pens;
* Capillary pens;
* Markers;
* Engineering pens;
* Gel pens.
Ball-point pens, fountain pens and gel pens sometimes have “erasable” inks.
The term and history:
Writing quills were long ago, approximately around 3000 BC and were made from reed stems. The English word "pen" (pen, bird's feather) originated from the Latin "penna" (feather of a bird) since widespread popularity was acquired by goose feathers, which were squared at the root. Since the 16th century BC, the quill was used for more than a thousand years by many civilizations. The best pens were the swan quills, turkey quills and goose quills, which had big-sized feathers in the wings. Archeological findings in the ruins of Pompei include bronze variants of feathers; however, quills gained popularity only at the end of the 18th century. After 100 years, fountain pens appeared a capillary system for which was invented by L.E. Waterman, New York’s seller of stationary goods. Relying on the latest manufacturing methods of ball bearings for machines and weapons, Laszlo Biro added a ball bearing mechanism to the capillaries and thus the ball-point pen was introduced to the world around 1944. The felt-tip pen was introduced for the first time in 1960 by Tokyo’s stationary company “Pentel”. |
