What is a fine liner pen used for? Many people come to our website and ask this question. The reason maybe is that this type of pens is not commonly used in school. But the reality is that fine liner pens are in fact common pens used by professionals and artists.
So, what is a fine liner pen used for? Fineliber pen is usually used in graphics, drawing, sketching, and handwriting. It has a fiber nib that gives unique writing to the user.
Fineliner pens are some of the cheapest pens you can buy. They are mostly disposable but some brands are refillable. They usually come in dye-based ink with several color choices.
There are many fine liner pens in the market today. But the one that we love the most is the Sakura Pigma Micron. It comes with a plastic nib that aids precision and clarity to the writing and design.
Apart from ergonomic, this fine liner pen has excellent ink quality. The ink flows smoothly that creates precise and clear lines. The tip sizes ranging from .03 to .08. Needless to say that this pen is one of the finest pens you can have.
6 things to remember when choosing a fine line
1. Ink
In all writing tools, ink can be the most important component to consider. Fineliner inks come in two choices; water-based and oil-based. Which should you choose?
Well, it depends on where you probably use your fine liner pen. This is because each type of ink works well on a certain writing task.
For instance, most people love water-based for daily normal writing tasks such as notetaking, graphic design, and drawing. Water-based ink does not bleed and get through the paper. However, water-based ink does not do well when writing on a glossy surface such as photo paper.
This is where an oil-based ink kicks in. The oil-based ink works well on glossy surfaces. This is why people usually use the oil-based ink fine liner in writing on photographs.
Before buying a fine liner pen, make sure it has a perfect ink type that fits the necessity of the writing task.
2. Nib
Fineliner pens usually come with plastic tips. However, plastic tips may be easily broken with pressure writing. So before buying your next fine liner, make sure that it has a perfect nib material to withstand the long writing sessions. The best tip is finding a fine liner pen which tip is made of hard material.
3. Nib Size
Finding the perfect nib size for a fine liner pen goes back to the usage of the pen. There are several nib size choices from super fine (.03mm) to a bold one (1mm). With these nib sizes, you have plenty of options for your project. If you are working on meticulous and detailed design, the fine tips can be a good choice.
Handwriting may have a specific requirement when it comes to choosing the fine liner pen. Usually, you need a medium to bold-sized nib for notetaking and document signing.
4. Distinctive writing quality
If you are working on a meticulous piece of art, chances are you use different coloring materials. It is highly likely that you combine a fine liner pen ink with watercolors and other media.
If this is a case, you need a fine liner pen that has distinctive writing or marking quality. You need one that does not get through the paper or bleed.
5. Smudge-free ink
Either in working with a meticulous design or in daily writing tasks, you don’t want to see the messy output. If you are using a fine liner pen, you need to understand that not all brands can give you the output you want. Some fine liner inks do smudge.
Choosing the best fine liner pen in which ink does not bleed or smudge is very important. This is more important when working with art or design where you want to implement every detail of your craft.
6. Ink color
Notetaking usually requires black ink. But if you are working on a design or art, you might need several colors to make your art lively and colorful. In this case, you need a fine liner that has multiple color choices. With that said, find a fine liner brand that offers a variety of color choices.
Our recommended fine liner pens
Fineliner pens are designed for specific functions. In this section, we will give the fine liner pens for every purpose such as sketching, comic art, journaling, writing, and autograph.
Best fine liner pens for sketching
Sketching requires special pens. They should have high-quality ink that does not smudge or bleed. We recommend two fine liner pens for sketching:
Kuretake Zig Cartoonist Mangaka Outline Pens
Making an outline for your drawing requires a pen that delivers fine and distinctive lines. You want a reliable ink too that does not leave smudges or smears on the surface of the paper.
The best fine liner pen we recommend for this category is the Kuretake Zig Cartoonist Mangaka Outline Pens. Although this pen is designed for Japanese manga creators, its functionality extends to many areas.
The reason for its versatility is the smooth-flowing ink. Its ink quality allows you to implement the meticulous and delicate design of your art. This brand offers several superfine nib sizes for your artistic task.
Staedtler Pigment Liners
One of the problems of fine liner pens is that the ink could dry out very fast. If you are drawing or outlining, there is nothing more frustrating than seeing your pens’ ink dried out while you are still working on your art. The ink hardens thus blocking the ink flow especially when you forget to put the cap on.
This is the reason why we choose the Staedtler Pigment Liners. These pens’ ink does not dry out for about 18 hours without a cap. This feature allows you to focus on your creative idea and design implementation.
What we love the most about this fine liner pen is its waterproof ink. It gives you the assurance that your work will last longer than you expect. It offers multiple colors and nib sizes you can choose for your art project.
Best fine liner pens for comic art
If you are a comic artist, you might be looking for a pen that could help you implement your artistic goal. In this category, we find two fine liner pens that can turn your goal into reality:
Deleter Neopiko Line 3 Pens
Comic arts require special drawing material. Fineliner pens are usually used for this purpose. But low-quality fine liner pens won’t be able to deliver the demanding task. The best pen for this category is the Deleter Neopiko Line 3 Pen.
This fine liner pen comes in different fine nib sizes ranging from .03mm to 1.0mm. These tip choices give so much freedom for the artist to implement a complicated and meticulous design.
It also has a broader 2.0mm nib for perfect for borderlines. This pen is designed for manga artists.
Rotring Tikky Graphic Drawing Pen
If you want a fine liner pen that has a great balance between comfort and functionality, the Rotring Tikky Graphic Drawing Pen is for you. This pen is super smooth to use in any writing and drawing task.
What we love the most about this pen is its transparent section that allows the user to monitor the ink level inside. With this feature, you will be surprised when you’re running out of ink.
Best fine liner pens for writing
Contrary to the common belief, fine liner pens are not only designed for drawing but also for writing. Here are our recommended fine liner pens for writing:
Stabilo Sensor Fineliner Marker Pens
Although fine liner pens are designed for drawing and design, they can also be the best writing tools. Our most favorite fine liner for writing is the Stabilo Sensor Fineliner Marker Pen.
These pens have a fast-drying ink safe for smudges. You can also have your color of choice from different vibrant color choices. And the best part? The ink is water-resistant.
Marvy Le Pen Technical Drawing Pens
If you want broader lines for your handwriting, you might want to try the Marvy Le Pen Technical Drawing Pens. The reason why we recommend these pens for writing is that they do a pretty job of giving excellent writing experience for the user.
These pens are perfect for long writing sessions due to their design. The great ergonomics provides incredible comfort and maneuverability for the user of any type. These pens are versatile thus you can use them in any writing task.
Best fine liner pens for journaling
In journaling, you need a pen in which ink could stand the test of time. It should last long enough. Some fine liner pens can do the task. We recommend two fine liner pens for this category:
Staedtler Triplus Fineliner Pens
When it comes to journaling, we only have a favorite fine liner pen. One of them is the Staedtler Triplus Fineliner Pen. This pen is super fine and super comfortable to write with even in long writing sessions. The triangular body provides comfort and superior writing experience. With .3mm tip, you can easily maneuver the pen in tight spaces of your notes.
Another thing we love about this pen is its fast-drying ink. Within one second, the ink completely dries thus keeping your work safe from smudges. Ultimately, there are 48 vibrant colors you can choose from.
Teranishi Rushon Petite Pens
Our second favorite fine liner pen for journaling is the Teranishi Rushon Petite Pen. What we love about this pen are its amazing color and material composition. The body is made of ivory that reflects elegance and beauty.
The pen perfect fits with every writer’s needs. It is a combination of length, beauty, and functionality. These characteristics provide a great balance for every writing requirement. The Teranishi Rushon Petite Pen comes in 36 vibrant color choices with superfine .3mm nib size.
Best fine liner pens for autographs
Pens are designed for a specific writing task. When writing on an autograph, you need a specialized pen that keeps the memory intact. Here is our recommended pen for autograph signings:
Pilot Drawing Pen
There are hundreds of fine liner pens you can buy. But what we recommend is the Pilot Drawing Pen. What we love about this pen is its superfine .005mm tip. With such a tiny nib size, you will be able to implement your complicated signature.
The best thing about Pilot Drawing Pen is that its ink perfectly works on almost any surface. You can actually write on plastic, cloth, metal, etc.
We hope we answered the question. In addition, we also hope that we give you enough tips that could help you choose your next fine liner pen.