Zebra Rollerball Pens

Zebra rollerball pens glide smoothly over paper for neat, even coverage. These writing utensils are useful for many applications, including school work, paper editing, business applications, and general home use. Check out Staples® for all types of pens, pencils, markers, and highlighters.

How Zebra Rollerball Pens Work
Rollerball pens use a tiny metal ball at the tip of the pen that moves and rolls around freely. When a user presses the pen to paper, the ball pushes inside just enough to let ink from the reservoir flow out. As the user moves the pen over the paper, the ball turns, becomes coated in ink, and distributes it on the paper in a fine line.

Using a ball for a pen tip has a few benefits. The pen only requires slight pressure on the paper to release the ink. This lessens stress on the hand for people with arthritis or who write for long periods of time. It also makes the ink flow faster and increases writing speeds. Finally, since the ink flows better, the writing looks clear and bright.

Types of Zebra Rollerball Pens
Zebra makes a few types of rollerball pens with different features that affect use. Some are retractable pens, releasing and retracting the pen tip with the click of a button, which is fast and eliminates cap loss. Writing utensils with Z-grip have a section of rubber near the front of the pen that provides a soft grip and lessens stress on the fingers. Some writing instruments have translucent bodies that let users see the ink inside to determine if a refill is needed. Most rollerball pens have tips that are 0.5mm or 0.7mm for precise lines.

What Type of Inks Are Used in Zebra Rollerball Pens?
Rollerball pens use one of two types of ink: water-based or gel based. Water-based pens use ink suspended in water that mixes inside the pen reservoir. This type of ink is thin and releases onto the paper easily with little pressure for smooth writing. Gel pens use ink suspended in water-based gel. The gel ink inserted in the pen is actually hard and becomes liquid when pushed by the rollerball. Gel inks are thick and viscous so they create dark, clean lines.

What Colors Do Zebra Rollerball Pens Come In?
Traditionally, Zebra roller pens come in either blue or black ink. They are also found in red or violet for editing purposes. The gel ink in gel-based roller pens is thick enough to allow lots of pigments to mix in easily and users can find pens in an array of colors, some with special effects like metallic and glitter.

Are Zebra Rollerball Pens Refillable?
Zebra water-based rollerball pens are usually refillable so users can reduce waste and keep hold of a favorite pen. Change the ink by unscrewing the barrel of the pen by twisting in a counterclockwise movement. Remove the old ink cartridge and place the new one inside. Press lightly to make sure the ink snaps into place. Twist the barrel back into place and the pen is ready to use. Add new Zebra rollerball pens to your next office supplies order.