Marker pen
A marker pen, fine liner, marking pen, felt-tip pen, felt pen, flow marker, sign pen, vivid, flomaster, texta, sketch pen, koki or simply marker is a pen which has its own ink source and a tip made of porous, pressed fibers such as felt.
A marker pen consists of a container and a core of an absorbent material that holds the ink. The upper part of the marker contains the nib that was made in earlier times of a hard felt material, and a cap to prevent the marker from drying out.
Until the early 1990s, the most common solvents that were used for the ink in permanent markers were toluene and xylene. These two substances are both harmful and characterized by a very strong smell. Today, the ink is usually made on the basis of alcohols.
Markers may be waterproof, dry-erase, wet-erase, or permanent.
History
Lee Newman patented a felt-tipped marking pen in 1910. In 1926, Benjamin Paskach patented a "fountain paintbrush", as he called it, which consisted of a sponge-tipped handle containing various paint colors. Markers of this sort began to be popularized with the sale of Sidney Rosenthal's Magic Marker, which consisted of a glass tube of ink with a felt wick. By 1958, use of felt-tipped markers was commonplace for a variety of applications such as lettering, labeling, and creating posters. The year 1962 brought the development of the modern fiber-tipped pen by Yukio Horie of the Tokyo Stationery Company.In the 1980s, the first security markers were introduced, which use invisible but fluorescent ink. This ink can be used to mark valuable objects, and in the event of a theft, these markings can be detected with ultraviolet light. In 1987 Copic Sketch markers were released, further popularising markers for professional illustration.
Parts
The marker reservoir, which holds the ink, is formed from polyester. The "felt" used for the tip is usually made of highly compressed synthetic fibers or porous ceramics. Toluol and xylol were used as solvents for the dye and are still used for the indelible ink in permanent markers. Due to their toxicity, they have often been replaced with less critical substances such as alkyl or cyclic alkylene carbonates in other types of markers. Water content of the ink can be up to 10%. Besides solvents and the dye itself, the ink may contain additives and preservatives.Types
Permanent marker
Permanent markers are porous pens that can write on surfaces such as glass, plastic, wood, metal, and stone. On most surfaces, the ink is generally resistant to rubbing and water, and can last for many years. However, on certain plastics like Teflon, polypropylene etc., the marks made by such pens are not permanent and can be erased easily. Depending on the surface and the marker used, the marks can often be removed with either vigorous scrubbing or chemicals such as acetone.Highlighters
Highlighters are a form of marker used to highlight and cover over existing writing while still leaving the writing readable. They are generally produced in neon colours to allow for colour coding, as well as attract buyers to them.As early as 1963, the American company Carter’s Ink Company developed fluorescent felt-tip pens. Felt-tip pens with fluorescent ink were first developed and marketed in Germany in 1971 by Günter Schwanhäußer of Schwan-Stabilo.Whiteboard markers
A whiteboard marker— or dry-erase marker— uses an erasable ink, made to be used on a slick, non-porous writing surface, for temporary writing with overhead projectors, whiteboards, glass, and the like. They are designed so that the user can easily erase the marks using a damp cloth, tissue, handkerchief, baby wipe, or other easily cleaned or disposable items. Generally, people use fabrics to do so, but others use items like paper, clothing items, some even use their bare hands to wipe it clear. The erasable ink does not contain the toxic chemical compounds xylene and/or toluene as have been used in permanent markers, being less of a risk to being used as a recreational drug.Wet-wipe markers— or wet-erase markers— are another version that are used on overhead projectors, signboards, whiteboards, and other non-porous surfaces.