Ballpoint pens
Trouble in use ：What to do when the ink does not come out
■ Is there any ink left?
The amount of ink can be seen from outside of the lead, but it may be difficult to see if the lead is made of metal.
■ Ink Life
Ballpoint pens have a lifetime of four to five years. The ink might become too hard and heavy that it cannot be written. Please refer to the manufacture date printed on the lead body.
■ Is there any scratch on the tip?
Try writing freely on paper to see if the ink sometimes gets heavy and light. The tip is made precisely, so be carefully not to drop or bump it, for the tip might get deformed and cannot turn back to its original position, or the ball might fall out.
■ Writing in upward direction
If you write the tip of the ballpoint pen upwards, air goes into the the tip and the ink might be interrupted. When the ink is interrupted, it might not be able or difficult to write anymore. Please be careful that the ink may flow from the end of the lead.
*Note: When writing ballpoint pens on paper or wall, or writing with a hand holding the clipboard, the tip might face upwards horizontally without awareness.
■ Is the cap well closed?
Please note that if you leave the ballpoint pen open, the ink may get too dry to write.
■ Paper stains
Ballpoint pens write because the ball rotates by friction with the paper. If the surface of the paper has oil from hands, the ball might get so slippery that it cannot write without rotation.
■ Paper quality
Ballpoint pens write because the ball rotates by friction with the paper. When the surface of the paper is too smooth, the friction is too little.
It is the same for glass and the plastic surface. Since the glass and the plastic do not absorb ink, ink stays as tiny link balls on the surface and does not become a line.
Soft PVC desk mats can be written because they absorb ink.
■ Angle
More than half of the ball is buried in the holder as not to fall out. Therefore, it cannot be written on the edge of paper holder. Even for small balls, there is always a limit to the thickness of the paper edge. The smaller the ball is, the easer it is to write on the paper.
