Highlighting

[Stu L]

Evening all,

 

Not sure if this is the right place, but I wonder if you might be able to help a relavtive newbie out?

 

I've started a new job, which envolves lots of note making. My new boss is particularly fond of grabbing her Stabilo Boss Highlighter and well... highlighting sections of my notes as we go. I don't mind, but Highighters and writing in ink don't seem to play nicely. She's ruined a couple of her highlighters and a couple of my pages of notes by forgetting and tearing across the page before the ink is dry. It smudges my notes and blackens the tip of her highlighters.

 

I know the sensible thing to do is to try and stop her, but I'd actually like to accomondate her love of highlighters as

1) It really does help for someone experienced to pick out the important bits, and I kind of like the technique

2) Well, she's my new boss, so....

 

So do any of you experienced fp'ers have any ideas?

I've tried using Parkers Quink washable blue in my Jotter, Lamy's Black in my Safari and whatever the standard cart was that shipped with my Faber Castell Basic.

I apreciate if there's an ink out there that might play nicely, I might need to invest in a converter or two..

 

Many thanks

[The Good Captain]

Why is she highlighting your notes, as a matter of interest? And possibly, so soon after you've put pen to paper? Personally, I'd use a ballpoint in those situations anyway: perhaps a Fisher Spacepen refill in a Parker, and then things wouldn't smear so badly. Or for fun, if the notes were made in advance, cover them all in candle wax and see what she could do then, with her Stabilo.

Of course, Stabilio Boss could be the point here: that's her position so just say how nice the effect is and transcribe the notes after onto a memory stick.

[Stu L]

Why is she highlighting your notes, as a matter of interest?

 

That's just her style of making notes. Everything she does has all the important bits highlighted.

At first I was a little taken a back: these were my notes and she'd just leant over and tried to highlight something I'd written. Almost a bit too personal. But I soon realised that she knows far better than I about the topic I'm making notes on. She knows all the little bits it's easy to miss or forget and spend far too long tracking down.

Just one of those quirks that makes us all who we are I guess.

 

It's not something I've ever done before, but I can see the value - it sure makes things jump out of the page at you.

I could resort back to BP, but I'd really rather not if I can avoid it. Besides, it's an excuse to buy a converter and try some ink from a bottle....if there's something that may work better than the ink I have in my cartridges that is.

 

Stu

[K. Cakes]

There's one member here that always tests out a highlighter when reviewing inks. I know I've come across their reviews a few times but unfortunately just can't remember who writes them. Maybe someone else can?

[amberleadavis]

Use a waterproof ink and it won't smudge. Waterbased inks and highlighters do not play well together.

[JefferyS]

If my boss did that, I'd probably start taking notes in pencil. I suppose that it is a compliment that she feels your notes are worthy of highlighting, but it sounds really obnoxious stressful.

 

 

Another tack would be to use an ink that is totally smeared by highlighters, making the notes unreadable. Nah, that would be your fault. Think pencil.

 

Can you give us some sort of idea of the length of time between your writing the note and then getting it violently highlighted? That might be a valid thing to put on an ink review (though your boss seems somewhat out of the ordinary). And it might depend on the highlighter. I am using a Platinum Preppy highlighter with one of those insane Noodler's highlighting inks. It not only highlights, but leaves a shiny sheen on the paper (perhaps something to keep it from bleeding). Noodler's has some really fast drying ink. That would be another feather in its cap.

[amberleadavis]

Well, I couldn't replicate the results ... I didn't have a Stabilo on hand (though I must have one around here somewhere).

 

While you may feel free to let her ruin the highlighters, you may want to consider a change of your ink, her highlighter of choice, or the type of paper.

 

I did a quick experiment using the pens that were on my desk. The Sakura (gold shadow) and pilot inks are not actually waterproof. Probably the two Noodler's inks I had on hand were waterproof. The paper is an inexpensive Tops legal pad. I wrote with each of the pens, then I hit the writing with 5 different types of highlighters. In 6 pens, 5 highlighters, 1 type of paper - none of the writing was destroyed and none of the highlighters were ruined with black ink. If you look at the enlarged image, the gold from the Sakura did wash way with any of the highlighters which suggests to me that the ink being dry and a little water resistant helps.

 

Some words of warning about this quick experiment - I don't use yellow highlighter, I don't use black ink, I don't know what kind of paper you are using and I didn't have a Stabilo on hand.

 

Anyway, I hope this helps.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

http://sheismylawyer.com/INK/attachments/2012_12_10_18_51_12.jpg

 

[amberleadavis]

Well, I tried it with some other brands of highlighters. I don't know why I don't have any Stabilo -- but that may be because I now require all my highlighters to be refillable. In fairness to the two erasable highlighters you see here, when I bought them, they erased beautifully, but four years later, they don't erase.

 

Anyway, here are some more samples. In the second photo, I did find some black ink to try and I did not wait for the Pilot ink to dry, I just started highlighting. Even still I could not replicate the problem.

 

http://sheismylawyer.com/INK/attachments/2012-12-10-test1.png

 

[amberleadavis]

http://sheismylawyer.com/INK/attachments/2012-12-10-test2.png

[Sandy1]

Hi,

 

It seems to me that the highlighter ink is dissolving some dye in your ink, which is then smudged and clings to the highlighter tip, making matters worse.

 

Consequently, going to a fast-dry ink will not help, but going to an ink with persistent dyes is a way forward.

 

I suggest taking a look at Montblanc Midnight Blue and Pelikan 4001 Blue-Black. Hopefully you can acquire those without a problem, and they do come in international cartridges.

 

Pilot Blue & Blue-Black are also very persistent, but their cartridges are proprietary.

 

The Noodler's family of 'bulletproof' inks also bear consideration, but they do not come in cartridges, and availability in the UK seems uneven.

 

Bye,

S1

Edited December 11, 2012 by Sandy1

[Essensia]

I cannot quite discern if your boss is highlighting your notes as you write them (maybe you are both attending the same meeting?) or if the highlighting happens later. If it happens later, perhaps you can photocopy your notes and take only the photocopies to these psychopathic, err, eminently helpful highlighting sessions.

[penhand]

I've had various results highlighting Noodlers bulletproof inks based on the paper. On a more absorbent paper, the ink (say bulletproof black) bonds quickly to the cellulose and a highlighter does little to no damage. On a harder paper (Tomoe River, Rhodia, Clairefontaine, etc) the drying time even for bulletproof black can be longer and if you can smear it with your hand, the highlighter will definitely cause problems.

[Stu L]

Wow, thanks for all the help and replies! Amberledavis, you really went to a lot of trouble - Thank you!

 

To clear up a few of the points raised, she is highlighting as I make my notes on the procesess she's teaching me. I'd say there was only a couple of seconds between me finishing writing and her zooming along with the highlighter.

 

The paper is whatever the office keeps in - I can't remember the brand of hand, but it's just basic cheap office note pads. I'll try an experiment today with one of the ruined highlighters and see if it smudges the ink after the ink is dry enough that my finger won't smudge.

 

Else I'll try some of your suggestions Sandy.

 

Thanks guys!

[picautomaton]

Hey Stu L

 

If you can get hold of the Staedtler Textsurfer Classic it should work well with Quink which I too use on a daily basis (will fade the ink over a period of time). The very saturated and waterproof inks seem to leave more ink than necessary on a page which highlighters tend to smudge. You could also try the Staedtler Textsurfer Gel which is basically a wax crayon, I've had mixed results with that one.

 

Interesting happening. I used Pelikan highlighter ink over Quink washable blue and it actually erased it

 

 

 

 

(not affiliated to Staedtler but they owe me a share in the company after all the highlighters I've bought from them) :roflmho:

[Mafia Geek]

This is one of my key requirements for ink, it must not smear when a highlighter is used. If you search for my reviews of inks I do a test for any ink I do a review of (I've done a fair number of them which are posted and MANY more that I haven't yet posted).

 

So far I've found that Iron Gall inks (old Lamy Blue-Black bottles, Rohrer & Klingner Salix and Scabiosa, Diamine Registrar's Ink, and Mont Blanc Midnight Blue) perform the best with little or no smearing at all. Those were the best ones I've come across to date and they dry reasonably quickly and are waterproof. I've found that even waterproof/bulletproof inks will smear with a highlighter and it's because there's often excess ink on the page that doesn't get absorbed into the paper that the highlighter moves around, and yes it can then ruin the highlighter.

 

The Rohrer & Klingner Salix or Scabiosa are my favorite inks, period, and they are fairly inexpensive and easy to find and actually look real nice on the page, they have a very unique way of shading that is just great

 

The Pilot Bottled Blue, Blue-Black, and Black are pretty good as well. If you have time, go through my reviews and you'll get an idea of which ones work well, but the Iron Gall inks are your best bet I think.

[Sandy1]

Hi,

 

Taking into account the experience of Member Mafia Geek, and the suggestion to consider I-G inks, , I would be remiss not to mention that the Montblanc Midnight Blue in bottles is an I-G ink, but the ink of that name in cartridges is without I-G.

Also, the current version of Lamy Blue-Black is also without I-G.

 

Bye,

S1

[amberleadavis]

You are welcome!

[Stu L]

Well, a quick update on the highlighter and it's certainly a drying issue. Or at least, a drying issue first.

After a little experimenting, I found the Lamy black was 'ok' if I waited until it was touch try; about 20 secs to be safe. This resulted in only the tiniest of a smudge, barely visible.

Parker quink still made a bit of a mess even when dry.

 

As the Lamy met an untimely end (https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php?/topic/235304-there-are-days-i-loathe-max/) I guess I'll look at a converter for the FB Basic and try some of your suggestions.

[derevaun]

Hybrid ballpoints like the Pentel Vicuña do well before and after highlighter swipes, as fast as I can put one down and uncap the other. A pencil can be messy in a still-drying highlighter pass.