Nib width of printed Arial font in 12

[gregoron]

What nib width would best come close to the width of a printed (Word file) Arial font in 12 size from a laser printer? I want that clean and crisp look although my handwriting is script and occasionally blocked.

[Splicer]

What nib width would best come close to the width of a printed (Word file) Arial font in 12 size from a laser printer? I want that clean and crisp look although my handwriting is script and occasionally blocked.

 

If I've got this right, the regular strokes are 0.372mm, but the range is somewhere between 0.230mm 0.397mm. These numbers do not take into account press gain or the variations of any printer. My guess is that you'll want something like a Japanese F stub. Keep in mind that visually our eyes pick up shapes rather than lines, and so in order for your handwriting to "match" stylistically, you'll want to write in roughly 1/8" tall letters. Good luck with that!

 

(I'm not mocking; I think it's a crazy undertaking, but it's just the sort of crazy thing I would do.)

[kkbach]

I have used a Hero Account pen (I believe it is Hero 237) to good effect for a purpose similar to what you want to do.

[gregoron]

Thanks for the measurements! Also, I wonder what architects or artists use to draw sketches (like your avatar) in fine points -- a rapidograph?

 

I would most likely not write that small but when filling out forms, I tend to do so in block letters inside those form boxes. I have a Lamy 2000 EF, which writes like a medium; a Pelikan M150 EF, which is not thin enough; a Parker 75 XF, which writes like a fine; and an Esterbrook fine, which comes closest to it. But, I'm still looking for that smooth fine nib. So, the Hero Accountant pen sounds promising.

 

 

What nib width would best come close to the width of a printed (Word file) Arial font in 12 size from a laser printer? I want that clean and crisp look although my handwriting is script and occasionally blocked.

 

If I've got this right, the regular strokes are 0.372mm, but the range is somewhere between 0.230mm 0.397mm. These numbers do not take into account press gain or the variations of any printer. My guess is that you'll want something like a Japanese F stub. Keep in mind that visually our eyes pick up shapes rather than lines, and so in order for your handwriting to "match" stylistically, you'll want to write in roughly 1/8" tall letters. Good luck with that!

 

(I'm not mocking; I think it's a crazy undertaking, but it's just the sort of crazy thing I would do.)

 

[Splicer]

Thanks for the measurements! Also, I wonder what architects or artists use to draw sketches (like your avatar) in fine points -- a rapidograph?

 

I personally use a variety of pens. I sometimes use dip pens, although lately if I want to get that much line variation I'll use a Kaimei or Kuretake brushpen. I've been integrating fountain pens more and more into my drawing (tho I've always sketched with them) For a consistent line I'm very fond of the Rotring 600 and especially the Rotring 700, but even an EF only gets me as fine as a 00 (aka 2x0 or 0.30mm) Rapidograph. For finer lines than that I have 3x0 4x0 and 6x0 (0.25mm, 0.18mm and 0.13mm respectively) but I generally wouldn't use those for sketching. The 6x0 rapidograph will slice a hole in paper as soon as write on it.

 

For "in-between" needs where I want some life in the line but not so much as I'd get with a brush, I've been using a Pilot Custom 742 FA. And I continue to look for other solutions to get a greater variety of types of lines.

 

I think architects don't use pens very much any more.

 

[edit: PS my avatar was created in Adobe Photoshop using an Intuos pen tablet. No paper or ink was harmed in it's creation.]

Edited February 14, 2008 by Splicer

[O'Hare]

I printed a few lines of characters in Arial 12pt and compared their width to the Cross Solo XF that was delivered today (thanks again to zer0render ). The Solo's line width is about the same as the print, and it's still smooth.

[FredRydr]

The 6x0 rapidograph will slice a hole in paper as soon as write on it.

What are the mechanics of a Rapidograph tip? Is it just a bit of fiber at the end of a tube, or are there moving parts?

 

Sorry to hijack a thread, but curious minds want to know.

 

Fred

 

[Splicer]

The 6x0 rapidograph will slice a hole in paper as soon as write on it.

What are the mechanics of a Rapidograph tip? Is it just a bit of fiber at the end of a tube, or are there moving parts?

 

Sorry to hijack a thread, but curious minds want to know.

 

Rapidographs are very similar to fountain pens in how they deliver ink. They move ink from the reservoir through the feed by capillary action and keep from spilling out all over the place by a combination of surface tension and air pressure in the reservoir above the ink. The difference is that they have a tubular design that can be held with any side of the nib up. The nib itself is a metal tube with a wire or pin inside of it, with just enough space to allow a regulated amount of ink through. In a sense, the tube is the nib and the pin is the feed.

 

Read up on the subject in the Wikipedia entry on Technical Pens. I wasn't able to find a diagram of the Rapidograph nib quickly, but I'm sure they exist online.

 

[murph]

Don't any of them have a fibre insert?

I seem to remember having some cheaper, huh!, draughting pens while at university that had a hex tool and I vaguely remember the flow changing a little if you adjusted the nib. Then again, maybe my memory is going.