Sakura Gelly Roll – Invented 35 Years Ago & Still the Best Gel Pens

Sakura was the first to manufacturer a Gel Pen, over 35 years ago and this was officially recognised in the early noughties when Sakura was presented with the “Award of the Director-General of the Japanese Patent Office”

The road to success was not an easy one, prototypes failed, the team’s ideas led to many dead ends & tested more than a thousand materials whilst trying to perfect the ideal gel ink.

Sakura Gelly Roll 30 years

The method for manufacturing gel pens uses a process called centrifuging which put simply is rotating at speed which has to be carried out with precision to achieve the required performance.
Gel ink contains pigment suspended in a water-based gel. This type of ink achieves strong vibrant colours available in a wide range of colours including metallic & fluorescent shades.

Thanks to innovation, skilled engineers & technology some 3 decades ago Sakura Gelly Roll Pens remain the choice of many and are still regarded as the best gel pens around. They have a vast range to choose from but here are a few popular examples:

Sakura Gelly Roll Basics

The waterproof ink is fade resistant & of archival quality & are ideal for arts & crafts. These smooth writing pens are available in a choice of two colours

Sakura Gelly Roll Basics Black

Black with a fine 0.7mm tip writes a 0.3mm line. View at Amazon

Sakura Gelly Roll Basics White
White with a medium 0.8mm nib writes a 0.4mm line. View at Amazon

 

Sakura Gelly Roll Stardust Pen

Sakura Gelly Roll Stardust
The unique formulation of the ink in these pens creates a sparkle effect.
It is non-toxic to ACMI standards, fade & water resistant & won’t bleed through most paper. With the exception of the black ink, Stardust Pens are archival quality. They have a 1.0mm tip, write a 0.5mm line & are available in 25 glittery colours that twinkle like stars on light or dark surfaces.View at Amazon

 

Sakura Gelly Roll Metallic

Sakura Gelly Roll Metallic
An excellent smooth writing rollerball with a 1.0mm tip that is comfortable to use & ideal for light, dark, glossy & matt surfaces. They are available in 14 gleaming colours including copper & sepia, the opaque metallic ink is waterproof, fade-resistant & doesn’t smear or bleed through most paper.View at Amazon

The Gelly Roll Website is abound with how-to videos creating things from cards to notebooks you can find them here

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Tony Bridges

As a seasoned journalist and freelance writer, I've spent over three decades telling stories and exploring the world through the written word. With a passion for writing instruments, I found my niche at The Pen Vibe, a blog that shares our collective fascination with pens, pencils, and other tools that have shaped the art of writing.

9 thoughts on “Sakura Gelly Roll – Invented 35 Years Ago & Still the Best Gel Pens”

  1. I find that if you write with a good pen then it makes your writing look so much better. A great pen makes the writing look so much neater and clearer. x

    Reply
  2. Come on think out side the box! These pen can be used for so much more them just writing Christmas cards and tags – I used them to add detail to furniture and write place names on table cloth.

    Reply
  3. as a family , tiger pens is one of our brands; we used it so much that we always ran out, a few extra ones would really be appreciated

    Reply

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