"The Paper Mate" was originally the name of the pen that used an instant drying ink developed and sold by the The Frawley Pen Comany. The Frawley Pen Company was owned by Patrick J Frawley. A company he purchased in 1946. In 1955 The Frawley Pen Company was purchased by Gillette for $15.5M creating the Paper Mate division. In 1958 they opened a manufacturing plant in Santa Monica. Manufacturing is still in that same location.
In 1966 Paper Mate introduced the Flair, a pourous tip pen. In 1969 they introduced the Powerpoint refill. A refill that would write at any angle, including upside down. 1979 brought eraseable ink and the Erasermate. In 1987 Paper Mate lauches the Flex Mate. A ballpoint with a rubberized barrel. It dominated the market until the 1990's. In 2000, the company was sold to Newell Rubbermaid, its current owner. It is a division of Sanford L.P.
Paper Mate currently manufactures and sales ballpoint pens, mechanical pencils and erasers in a wide variety of colors and shapes. In 2010, they introduced biodegradeable pens, pencils and erasers.
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Waterman Pens
Waterman Pens was established in 1884 in New York City by Lewis Waterman. Waterman pens is currently owned by Newell Rubbermaid.
Waterman's improvements on the basic fountain pen design played a vital role in making it a mass marketed item. Competition in the fountain pen industry has always been fierce. Waterman was given his first patent in 1884 for his fountain pen feed.
With the passing of L. E. Waterman in 1901, the company took off. Now under the leadership of Frank Waterman, who was L.E.'s nephew, the company expanded aggressively worldwide. The company's main marketing emphasis was on quality and reliability. Although, they continued to innovate and introduced their fair share of improvements.
Through the early 1900's Waterman was conservative in their development and marketing. This allowed younger and more innovative competitors to take marketshare. By the 1920's Waterman had to start playing catch-up. The company struggled until 1954, when it shut down. In France, the Waterman subsidiary, Waterman Jif, continued to prosper and absorbed what remained of the American company. The development of the ballpoint pen was a big challenge for Waterman, but it weathered the challenge. In 2001, Waterman Pens was acquired by Sanford, a division of Newell Rubbermaid.
Early Waterman pens were made of hard rubber and were equipped with 14K gold nibs. From early on, precious metal trim and overlays were offered. Many are still in use today, and their nibs are prized for their smoothness and flexibility. High production volumes means that vintage examples are comparatively easy to find today. The most common models from the hard rubber era are the #12 slip-cap eyedropper, the #52 screw-cap lever-filler, and the #42 retracting-nib safety pen. Waterman adopted celluloid comparatively late. Though largely ignored by present-day collectors, the Waterman C/F of 1953 introduced the modern plastic ink cartridge.
Waterman's improvements on the basic fountain pen design played a vital role in making it a mass marketed item. Competition in the fountain pen industry has always been fierce. Waterman was given his first patent in 1884 for his fountain pen feed.
With the passing of L. E. Waterman in 1901, the company took off. Now under the leadership of Frank Waterman, who was L.E.'s nephew, the company expanded aggressively worldwide. The company's main marketing emphasis was on quality and reliability. Although, they continued to innovate and introduced their fair share of improvements.
Through the early 1900's Waterman was conservative in their development and marketing. This allowed younger and more innovative competitors to take marketshare. By the 1920's Waterman had to start playing catch-up. The company struggled until 1954, when it shut down. In France, the Waterman subsidiary, Waterman Jif, continued to prosper and absorbed what remained of the American company. The development of the ballpoint pen was a big challenge for Waterman, but it weathered the challenge. In 2001, Waterman Pens was acquired by Sanford, a division of Newell Rubbermaid.
Early Waterman pens were made of hard rubber and were equipped with 14K gold nibs. From early on, precious metal trim and overlays were offered. Many are still in use today, and their nibs are prized for their smoothness and flexibility. High production volumes means that vintage examples are comparatively easy to find today. The most common models from the hard rubber era are the #12 slip-cap eyedropper, the #52 screw-cap lever-filler, and the #42 retracting-nib safety pen. Waterman adopted celluloid comparatively late. Though largely ignored by present-day collectors, the Waterman C/F of 1953 introduced the modern plastic ink cartridge.
Monday, November 7, 2011
The Parker Pen Company
The founder of Parker Pens was George Safford Parker. He was once a salesman for the John Holland Gold Pen Comapy. In 1889 he received his first pen related patent. Then in 1894 he received a patent for his "Lucky Curve" feed whick drew excess ink back into the pen body when the pen was not in use. This design was in use until 1928.
Parker pens was number one or two in worldwide pen sales from the 1920s through the 1960s. In 1931 Parker created "Quink"...quick drying ink. This eliminated the need for blotting. This led to the development of the Parker 51, the most widely used model of fountain pen in history with over $400M in sales worldwide in its 30 year history.
Manufacturing plants were set up all over the world. Parker pens have frequently been selected to sign important document. Most often this was the choice of signers as their favorite pen. Often commemorative editions were created and offered to the public.
Parker Pens has dabbled in other areas besides pens such as Norm Thompson catalog company, Manpower temporary staffing and Sintered Specialties (SSI Technologies - automotive sensors). In 1987 a management buyout move the headquarters to Newhaven, East Sussex, England. This was the original location of the Valentine Pen Company (previously acquired by Parker).
In 1993 Parker Pens was purchased by the Gillette Company. Gillette already owned PaperMate. Then in 2000 Gillette sold its writing instruments division to Newell Rubbermaid. This made their Stationary Division, Sanford, the largest in the world owning Rotring, Sharpie, Reynolds, PaperMate, Parker, Waterman and Liquid Paper.
Parker pens was number one or two in worldwide pen sales from the 1920s through the 1960s. In 1931 Parker created "Quink"...quick drying ink. This eliminated the need for blotting. This led to the development of the Parker 51, the most widely used model of fountain pen in history with over $400M in sales worldwide in its 30 year history.
Manufacturing plants were set up all over the world. Parker pens have frequently been selected to sign important document. Most often this was the choice of signers as their favorite pen. Often commemorative editions were created and offered to the public.
Parker Pens has dabbled in other areas besides pens such as Norm Thompson catalog company, Manpower temporary staffing and Sintered Specialties (SSI Technologies - automotive sensors). In 1987 a management buyout move the headquarters to Newhaven, East Sussex, England. This was the original location of the Valentine Pen Company (previously acquired by Parker).
In 1993 Parker Pens was purchased by the Gillette Company. Gillette already owned PaperMate. Then in 2000 Gillette sold its writing instruments division to Newell Rubbermaid. This made their Stationary Division, Sanford, the largest in the world owning Rotring, Sharpie, Reynolds, PaperMate, Parker, Waterman and Liquid Paper.
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
About.Me Web Prescence
Found this neat site that lets you create a basic one page web site about yourself for free. You can do a personal page or a page for your hobby or business. Each page does need an unique email address. Check it out.
Check out my about.me profile!
Check out my about.me profile!
Monday, October 31, 2011
A. T. Cross
I thought maybe I would do some quick overviews of a few of the names we all recognize when it comes to pens. They will be in no particular order....to kick things off, I am starting with Cross. Cross was the first "fine" pen that I ever owned, so it pops into my head first.
A.T Cross is an American company. It is publicly held and trades on the NASDAQ as ATX. Besides writing instruments, they also manufacture and distributejournals and sunglasses worldwide. premium sunglass brands are Costa and Native.
Cross was founded in 1846 in Rhode Island as a manugacturer of gold and silver casings for pencils. This was a logical extension of the Cross family's history as jewelers.Richard Cross was the founder and passed it on to his son Alonzo T. Cross. Cross has more than 21 registered patents. They developed many new writing instruments, including forerunnes of the mechanical pencil and stylgraphic pens. In 1916 the company was sold to Walter R. Boss, an employee. Members of the Boss family remain of the board to this day. The company went public in 1971.
Cross writing instruments are now distributed in more than 140 foreign markets. The company has writing instrument marketing subsidiaries in the U.K., Spain, France, Germany, Holland, Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Canada.
The Cross Accessory Division ("CAD") has been a manufacturer and marketer of fine quality writing instruments since 1846. Sold primarily under the Cross brand, ball-point, fountain and selectip rolling ball pens and mechancial pencils are offered in a variety of styles and finishes. Cross branded products are sold to the consumer gift market through fine stores worldwide. Additionally, the products are sold to the business gift market via a network of companies specializing in recognition programs.
To learn more and see their products, you can visit their web site at www.cross.com
A.T Cross is an American company. It is publicly held and trades on the NASDAQ as ATX. Besides writing instruments, they also manufacture and distributejournals and sunglasses worldwide. premium sunglass brands are Costa and Native.
Cross was founded in 1846 in Rhode Island as a manugacturer of gold and silver casings for pencils. This was a logical extension of the Cross family's history as jewelers.Richard Cross was the founder and passed it on to his son Alonzo T. Cross. Cross has more than 21 registered patents. They developed many new writing instruments, including forerunnes of the mechanical pencil and stylgraphic pens. In 1916 the company was sold to Walter R. Boss, an employee. Members of the Boss family remain of the board to this day. The company went public in 1971.
Cross writing instruments are now distributed in more than 140 foreign markets. The company has writing instrument marketing subsidiaries in the U.K., Spain, France, Germany, Holland, Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Canada.
The Cross Accessory Division ("CAD") has been a manufacturer and marketer of fine quality writing instruments since 1846. Sold primarily under the Cross brand, ball-point, fountain and selectip rolling ball pens and mechancial pencils are offered in a variety of styles and finishes. Cross branded products are sold to the consumer gift market through fine stores worldwide. Additionally, the products are sold to the business gift market via a network of companies specializing in recognition programs.
To learn more and see their products, you can visit their web site at www.cross.com
Friday, October 21, 2011
A Short History - Pt 3
Slavoljub Penkala, an engineer and inventor of Polish-Dutch desecent became renowned for development of the first solid-ink fountain pen in 1907. With collaborator Edmund Moster he started the Penkala-Moster Company and built what was the biggest pen and pencil factory in the world at that time. The company now called TOZ-Penkala still exists today.
Yukio Horie of the Tokyo Stationery Company in Japan invented the fiber or felt-tipped pen. The Papermate Flair was one of the first felt-tipped pens to hit the US market in the 1960s and has been the leader every since. Marker pens and highlighters, both very similar to felt pens have become extremely popular.
In the 1970s, the rollerball pen was introduced. It uses a mobile ball and liquid ink to produce a smoother line. Technological advances achieved during the late 1980s and early 1990s have improved the roller ball's overall performance. Rollerballs usually use a water based ink similar to a fountain pen and provide a writing experience somewhere between that of a ballpoint and fountain pen.
With the invention of the typewriter and computer with keyboard the input method have changed how users write. However, the pen has not been entirely replaced. Pens sales of all types are still solid and higher end pens including types such as fountain pens are considered a status symbol.
Yukio Horie of the Tokyo Stationery Company in Japan invented the fiber or felt-tipped pen. The Papermate Flair was one of the first felt-tipped pens to hit the US market in the 1960s and has been the leader every since. Marker pens and highlighters, both very similar to felt pens have become extremely popular.
In the 1970s, the rollerball pen was introduced. It uses a mobile ball and liquid ink to produce a smoother line. Technological advances achieved during the late 1980s and early 1990s have improved the roller ball's overall performance. Rollerballs usually use a water based ink similar to a fountain pen and provide a writing experience somewhere between that of a ballpoint and fountain pen.
With the invention of the typewriter and computer with keyboard the input method have changed how users write. However, the pen has not been entirely replaced. Pens sales of all types are still solid and higher end pens including types such as fountain pens are considered a status symbol.
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
A Short History - Pt 2
In 953 Maad al-Muizz, the Fatimid Caliph of Egypt demanded a pen which would not stain his hands and clothes. He was thus provided with pen which help ink in a reservoir and deliverid to the nib. This is the earliest record of a pen with a reservoir. This may have been the first fountain pen, but its mechanics are unkown and there is only one record mentioning its existence.
In 1636 German inventory Daniel Schwenter descrubed a pen made from two quills. One served as the ink reservoir inside the other quill. The ink was sealed inside the quill with cork and squeezed through a small hole to the writing tip. In 1809 a patent in England was issued to Bartholomew Folsch for a pen with an ink reservoir. Romanian Petrache Poenaru invented the fountain pen, which the French Government patented in May 1827. Fountian pen patents and production continued to increase in the 1850s, especially pens produced by John Mitchell.
The first patent on a ballpoint pen was issued on October 30, 1888, to John Loud. Laszlo Biro and his brother George, began work in 1938 on designing a new type of pen with a tiny ball in its tip that was free to turn in a socket. As the pen moved along the paper, the ball rotated, picking up ink from a cartridge and leaving it on the paper. He filed a patent in England in 1938. In 1940 the Biro brother along with their friend, Juan Jorge Meyne moved to Argentina fleeing Nazi Germany and in June of that year filed another patent. They then formed Biro Pens of Argentina. Their first commercial models became available in 1943.
Papermate introduced the erasable ballpoint pen in 1979 when the Erasermate was put on the market
In 1636 German inventory Daniel Schwenter descrubed a pen made from two quills. One served as the ink reservoir inside the other quill. The ink was sealed inside the quill with cork and squeezed through a small hole to the writing tip. In 1809 a patent in England was issued to Bartholomew Folsch for a pen with an ink reservoir. Romanian Petrache Poenaru invented the fountain pen, which the French Government patented in May 1827. Fountian pen patents and production continued to increase in the 1850s, especially pens produced by John Mitchell.
The first patent on a ballpoint pen was issued on October 30, 1888, to John Loud. Laszlo Biro and his brother George, began work in 1938 on designing a new type of pen with a tiny ball in its tip that was free to turn in a socket. As the pen moved along the paper, the ball rotated, picking up ink from a cartridge and leaving it on the paper. He filed a patent in England in 1938. In 1940 the Biro brother along with their friend, Juan Jorge Meyne moved to Argentina fleeing Nazi Germany and in June of that year filed another patent. They then formed Biro Pens of Argentina. Their first commercial models became available in 1943.
Papermate introduced the erasable ballpoint pen in 1979 when the Erasermate was put on the market
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