Stick Highlighters

Stick highlighters are pen-like tools used to add a pop of color to text and to draw the eye to important passages. They contain a translucent, usually fluorescent ink that users apply over existing printed matter without obscuring it. Staples® carries office supplies and highlighters from brands like Sharpie®.

Stick Highlighter Styles and Options
Highlighters function like felt-tip pens or markers and come in many styles. Tank barrels with wide tips are good for quickly marking large areas while pen-style barrels can be more comfortable and precise. Staples carries retractable highlighters, refillable, and those that come with adjustable tips.

Most highlighters contain a liquid ink that covers evenly and dries quickly. Liquid highlighters are great for most office and school work, as well as crafts. Gel highlighters are less likely to smudge text or bleed through, and won't dry out like liquid highlighters. These are a good option for highlighting ball point or fountain pen texts, or for use on more delicate paper.

Yellow is the primary color used in highlighters, but it can irritate eyes. Using a variety of colored highlighters can ease eye tension, as well as aid in color-coding organization.

Consider the Project While Choosing a Stick Highlighter
While tip size determines what kind of mark a stick highlighter makes on paper, the paper itself helps to determine which highlighter is the most appropriate. A chisel tip liquid highlighter is ideal for rough, absorbent paper such as in notebooks and paperbacks. Glossy paper featured in textbooks or poster board cannot absorb ink as well, so a quick drying highlighter gives better, more resilient results. A highlighter with a fine or adjustable tip imparts less ink onto paper, making it a good choice for books with fine print or thin paper. Use a dry or gel highlighter to avoid smearing inks on print outs, faxes, and handwritten pages.

Which Stick Highlighter Won't Show When Faxed or Copied?
Depending on the sensitivity of the copier, any color could show. To avoid the highlight appearing on the copy, chose a yellow or light blue highlighter and adjust the machine to the lightest or 'black and white' setting. If you'd prefer the highlight to remain, any color highlighter will work, but the darker the hue, the greater the risk of obscuring the text under the highlighter ink.

Why Does Stick Highlighter Ink Glow Under a Blacklight?
Highlighters owe their vivid color to an ingredient in the dye called phosphors. Phosphors turn UV (invisible) light from a black light into visible light. To add this exciting incandescence to arts and crafts, look for a highlighter with dye-based ink.

What Style of Stick Highlighter Is Best for Use With Thin Paper?
Large books like dictionaries, encyclopedic tomes, or philosophical and belief-system texts feature small print and extremely fine paper. Look for a dry or gel highlighter with a fine tip that won't bleed through or cause the page to wrinkle to successfully highlight important passages.

Can Stick Highlighters Be Erased?
While most highlighters are semi-permanent, Staples offers specialty erasable highlighters by trusted names like Pilot and DriMark®. These writing supplies are ideal for temporary marks on precious or original documents, or for use by children.