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PRODUCT KNOWLEDGE
MANUAL
T H E C O M PA N Y 1
CONTENTS
CONTENTS
THE COMPANY
GENERAL PRODUCT KNOWLEDGE
FABER-CASTELL PRODUCT
KNOWLEDGE
THE GOOD SALESPERSON

FOREWORD
FOREWORD
You can only give good advice to convey the most important
others, if you are well informed ground rules for successful cus-
yourself. This adage sounds as tomer relationship management
simple as it is truthful. to sales professionals as well
as entry-level employees.
This is why FABER-CASTELL
has been publishing a Product The FABER-CASTELL Prod-
Knowledge Manual for a num- uct Knowledge Manual is avail-
ber of years, in order to impart able in printed format, bound
the required product knowledge in a folder, as well as in a Power-
to interested sales staff. Point presentation format and
as PDF files on CD-ROM.
In this new revised edition, the The FABER-CASTELL Prod-
fundamental information has uct Knowledge Manual can be
been summarised in the GEN- looked up in the internet-address
ERAL PRODUCT KNOWL- www.Faber-Castell.com/Ser-
EDGE section. Product-specific vice.
information, in conjunction with
selling propositions and argu- The FABER-CASTELL Mar-
ments that can be incorporated keting Team always welcomes
in the sales dialogue, make up suggestions for improvement
the FABER-CASTELL PROD- and related propositions. Please
UCT KNOWLEDGE section. contact the Marketing Services
department at FABER-CASTELL
Due to repeated request, an headquarters in Stein (+49-911-
additional chapter entitled “Ge- 99 65-480), if you believe that
neral selling performance – you are able make a constructive
THE GOOD SALESPER- contribution.
SON” has been added to
FABER-CASTELL’s The FABER-CASTELL Mar-
Product Knowledge. keting Team wishes you much
This chapter is success with FABER-CASTELL
ideally suited to Product Knowledge Manual.
PRODUCT
KNOWLEDGE MANUAL
1
THE COMPANY
THE COMPANY
1.1 The history of the FABER-CASTELL company
1.2 Our quality speaks for itself – in one universal

language
1.3 Wood from our own pine plantations
1.4 An internationally binding Social Charter
1.5 The quality hallmarks of our brand
1.6 Success through products with the “Point of

Difference”
1.7 The FABER-CASTELL brand image
1.8 Strategic alignment of the FABER-CASTELL

product range
1.1
THE COMPANY
The history of the
FABER-CASTELL company
THE HISTORY OF THE

FABER-CASTELL COMPANY
The 1st Generation – The 3rd Generation – von Faber takes over the Stein
Establishment of the Georg Leonhard Faber pencil factory. Having gained
business by Kaspar Faber (*1788–†1839) valuable experience in compa-
(*1730 –†1784) nies producing writing instru-
1810 –1839 ments in Paris and London, the
Georg Leonhard Faber leads the 22 year old completely over-
pencil business through difficult hauls and repositions the pater-
political and economic times, nal business. Driven by strong
vision and an iron will, he
moves the business forward. His
stated goal: “… to rise to pre-
mier position by making the
best products in the world …”.
He develops the modern quality

pencil, sets down the lengths
and different grades of hardness
1761–1784 that remain valid today, and for
In 1761, the cabinet-maker Kas- however, he is unable to avert a the first time produces a hexag-
par Faber commences produc- strong decline in production and onal-section pencil. He labels
tion of his first pencils in Stein the resultant threat to the com- his pencils “A. W. Faber” – the
and sells them at the Nuremberg pany’s viability. world’s first brand pencil is
market. The year 1761 thus for- born.
mally becomes the business The 4th Generation –
establishment date. Lothar von Faber Lothar von Faber is the first
(*1817–†1896) pencil manufacturer to travel to
The 2nd Generation – the major European countries
Anton Wilhelm Faber and subsequently returns with a
(*1758–†1810) full order book. His sights set on
the substantial global markets,
1784 –1810 he is also drawn to the “New
Named after Kaspar’s son World”.
Anton Wilhelm, the 2nd genera-
tion business name is “A. W. In 1849, he founds his first
FABER”. Anton Wilhelm ex- branch in New York, followed
pands the small craftsman’s by subsidiaries in London
workshop. He acquires addi- (1851) and Paris (1855) as well
tional real estate, enlarges the 1839 –1896 as agencies in Vienna (1872)
pencil production – the company Following the death of his father and St. Petersburg (1874).
grows. Georg Leonhard in 1839, Lothar
1.1
THE COMPANY
The history of the
largest manufacturing facili- Germany’s first nursery schools.

ties of slide rules worldwide. Furthermore and among other
things, Lothar von Faber finan-
ces the construction of compa-
ny-owned flats, schools and a
church. In 1867, Napoleon III
dispatches an expert delegation
to Stein to study Lothar von
Faber’s exemplary social ame-
nities.
As a result of successful sales On account of his immense eco-

via an international sales & dis- nomic and social contribution,
tribution organisation built up Lothar von Faber is accorded
In 1856, through the acquisition successfully by Lothar von Fa- numerous honours: In 1861 he
of a graphite deposit of unprece- ber in only some decades, the is raised to peerage and in 1881
dented quality in Siberia, he product range not only gains to hereditary baronial peerage;
secures the best graphite avail- global significance – the “A. W. in 1865 he is appointed lifetime,
able at the time for the company. Faber” brand is from now on and in 1891 hereditary, “Impe-
Once again, a new and improved frequently replicated. With his rial Councillor to the Bavari-
pencil quality standard has been petition “for legislation to pro- an Crown”.
achieved. tect trade marks” in 1874, Lo-
thar von Faber paves the way The 5th Generation –
for the Trademarks Act in Ger- Wilhelm von Faber
many. (*1851 –†1893)
Lothar von Faber also made a

name for himself as co-founder
of the Bavarian Trade Muse-
um (1869) – these days known
as the Bavarian State Office of
Commerce, the Nuremberg
Union Bank (1871) and the
Nuremberg Life Insurance
Company (1884) – nowadays
the Nuremberg Insurance Group.
1877–1893
The company’s history also Lothar von Faber’s only child,
The Geroldsgrün branch factory shows Lothar von Faber to be an Wilhelm, is actively involved in
in Upper Franconia is founded exceptionally public-spirited the company from 1873 and in
in 1861 to mark the centenary entrepreneur. For instance, in 1877 becomes designated suc-
celebrations. Originally set up 1844 he sets up one of the first cessor. Wilhelm, who has an
as a slate board factory, it later health insurance schemes and more artistic disposition, loses
progresses to become one of the in 1851 establishes one of his two sons Lothar and Alfred
1.1
THE COMPANY
The history of the
Wilhelm at the early ages of future generations would always In 1905, Count Alexander laun-
three and four years. Wilhelm, have to integrate the name ches the famous green “CAS-
who suffered greatly from the “Faber” into the new family TELL” pencil range.
death of his sons, also dies pre- name. Thus the new family line
maturely in 1893 at the age of of “Count and Countess von
just 42 years. He leaves behind a Faber-Castell” comes into The new product logo of the
wife and three daughters. As a being by allowance of the “Tournament of the jousting
result, his father Lothar von Bavarian King as well as the Pencil Knights” is introduced
Faber must once more manage new company name “FABER- as a sign of a new high quality
the company until his death CASTELL”. beating all competition. These
in 1896. His widow, Baroness knights are once more integral
Ottilie von Faber, then inherits In 1900 Count Alexander Graf to the trademark today.
the “A. W. Faber” company and von Faber-Castell joins the man-
manages the company until the agement. At the end of Word War I the
turn of the century. FABER-CASTELL corpora-
In 1903, the foundation stone of tion in the US is expropriated
The 6 Generation –
th
the large “New Castle” is laid in and sold at auction. Similarly,
Alexander Graf von the sales & distribution com-
Faber-Castell panies in London, Paris and
(*1866–†1928) St. Petersburg are lost.
In the 20’s, Count Alexander

commissions the construction of
new manufacturing facilities
of substantial proportion at
the Stein factory. The three-
storey, light-filled manufactur-
accordance with plans drafted ing complex becomes a modern,
by Theodor von Kramer (Direc- exemplary production facility.
tor of the Bavarian Trade
Museum) – today it embodies a
unique monument to Histori-
1900–1928 cism and German Art Nouveau.
In 1898, Wilhelm von Faber’s It is built opposite the factory
eldest daughter and eventual site and is connected to the
heiress, Baroness Ottilie von smaller old castle by a tower.
Faber (*1877–1944), marries The original construction of the
Count Alexander zu Castell- “Old Castle”, a Renaissance
Rüdenhausen, who is descended style villa that had undergone
from one of Germany’s oldest miscellaneous renovations, was
noble families. Prior to his commissioned in 1845 by
death, Lothar had prepared a Lothar von Faber to the Archi-
testamentary disposition, by tect to the Royal Court of
means of which he ensured that Bavaria, Friedrich Bürklein.
1.1
THE COMPANY
The history of the
The 7th Generation – corporation, which had been The 8th Generation –
Roland Graf von Faber- expropriated in Word War I. Anton Wolfgang Graf
Castell (*1905–†1978) von Faber-Castell (*1941)
In 1960, a sales & distribution
company is once again estab-
lished in France.
In 1961, FABER-CASTELL
celebrates the company’s 200th
anniversary with over 2,000
staff and guests.
In 1962, production facilities

are set up in Australia (Sydney)
1928–1978 and Austria (Engelhartszell). since 1978
Following the death of Count Following the death of his father
Alexander in 1928, his son Count Roland, Anton Wolfgang
Roland takes over the company Graf von Faber-Castell takes
management. over the helm at the company in
1978.
In 1931/32, FABER-CASTELL
acquires the “Johann Faber” That same year FABER-
pencil factory – an enterprise CASTELL commences the pro-
founded by Lothar von Faber’s duction of wood-cased decora-
brother Johann in Nuremberg in In 1965, a manufacturing plant tive cosmetic pencils (Private
1879. Thus FABER-CASTELL for wood-cased pencils is Label) in Stein.
simultaneously acquires an launched in Argentina. At the
interest in its “Lapis Johann same time, a ballpoint pen In 1978, sales & distribution
Faber” subsidiary in Sao Carlos, factory is established in Peru. companies are set up in Hong
Brazil. Kong and Malaysia.
In 1967, Count Roland succeeds
1955 sees the setting up of the in re-acquiring the majority In 1980, subsidiaries are found-
manufacture of wood-cased shareholding in the “Lapis ed in the United Kingdom and
pencils in Ireland, where ball- Johann Faber” pencil factory in South Africa. In 1980, the
point pens are also produced at a Sao Carlos, Brazil, which had world’s largest contemporary
later stage. This commitment by been expropriated during World rubber eraser factory is founded
FABER-CASTELL is designed War II. This company is the in Malaysia.
to maintain its competitiveness largest colour pencil factory in
in the European Free Trade the world today.
Association (EFTA) countries.
A sales & distribution company
In 1957, the company acquires a is founded in Japan (Tokyo) in
minority shareholding (25 %) 1977.
in the FABER-CASTELL US
1.1
THE COMPANY
The history of the
In the mid-80’s, a globally 1993 sees the initial implemen- tion lines to manufacture wax
unprecedented reafforestation tation stage of a strategic “re- crayons and markers for school
project for wood pencil slats alignment” for the FABER- and office.
is established in South eastern CASTELL group of companies.
Brazil (2,500 km from the rain- The main focus is on a com-
forest). pletely revised brand image
and visual appearance which
is launched on a global scale
and provides the FABER-
CASTELL brand with adequate
brand value and appeal. Like-
wise, the newly designed pro-
duct range is clearly structured In 1998, FABER-CASTELL
according to five core compe- builds a production site for wood
tence areas. pencil slats in Costa Rica –
In 1990, FABER-CASTELL sets using FSC (Forest Stewardship
up a production site for wood- In 1994 Count von Faber-Castell Council) certified gmelina wood.
cased pencils in Indonesia. reacquires the US trademark Production of wood-cased pen-
rights that had been forfeited cils commences in 2002.
Throughout the 90’s, the Stein during World War I.
and Geroldsgrün factories are In 1999, FABER-CASTELL
modernised and restructured as In 1996, a new FABER-CAS- purchases the US company
state-of-the-art line production TELL sales & distribution com- “Creativity for Kids” in Cleve-
facilities. At the same time, the pany is established in New Jer- land (Ohio), the US market
company embarks on a new sey. Also in 1996, a logistics leader in Creative Sets.
design of the manufacturing centre for sales & distribution
areas, featuring a unique colour in Eastern European countries In March 2000, FABER-CAS-
concept. is established in the Czech TELL and the IG Metall trade
Republic. union jointly sign a comprehen-
sive and internationally binding
In 1997, FABER-CASTELL “Social Charter”, which com-
acquires a majority interest in plies with the guidelines of the
the “Technacril” company in International Labour Organisa-
Columbia, which produces tech- tion (ILO).
nical drawing instruments and
operates a sales & distribution In 2001, a production and pack-
organisation for FABER-CAS- aging centre is built in China
In 1992 FABER-CASTELL sets TELL products. (Canton), making it the 15th pro-
new global benchmarks in duction facility of the FABER-
pencil lacquering methods by Another sales & distribution CASTELL group.
introducing its environmentally company is founded in India
friendly water-based paint (Mumbai) in 1997, followed a In November 2002, FABER-
technology for wood-cased year later by a plant in Goa, ini- CASTELL opens a new factory
pencil production in Germany. tially producing erasers and sub- in Malaysia and erects the
sequently expanding its produc- world’s largest pencil (19.75 m).
1.2
THE COMPANY
Our quality speaks for itself –
in one universal language
OUR QUALITY SPEAKS FOR ITSELF

– IN ONE UNIVERSAL LANGUAGE
FABER-CASTELL is recog- On a global scale, FABER- The internationalisation of FA-

nised as one of the world’s lead- CASTELL employs about 5,500 BER-CASTELL began as far
ing manufacturers and distribu- employees in 15 production back as 1849, when the first
tors of premium products for facilities and 18 sales & distri- overseas branch was founded in
writing, drawing & painting and bution companies. Approxima- the US (New York). Soon after,
creative designing – the brand tely 2,800 of them are employed further sales & distribution
name has a global reputation. In with the Brazilian FABER- companies and factories were
the core area of wood-cased CASTELL company in Sao established, resulting in today’s
pencils, the FABER-CASTELL Carlos/Sao Paulo (including 500 presence in a total of 19 coun-
group of companies is the world’s employees in the reafforestation tries around the globe. By virtue
major manufacturer with a project in the Prata region in the of those early worldwide pro-
capacity in excess of 1.8 billion federal state of Minas Gerais). duction and marketing activi-
black-lead and colour pencils FABER-CASTELL Brazil is the ties, FABER-CASTELL consi-
annually, with the production of largest colour pencil factory in ders itself an international group
colour pencils being dominant. the world. of companies with German roots.
COMPANY MALAYSIA COMPANY SAO CARLOS/BRAZIL COMPANY II SAO CARLOS/BRAZIL
COMPANY INDIA COMPANY INDONESIA COMPANY CHINA

1.3
THE COMPANY
Wood from our own
pine plantations
WOOD FROM OUR OWN

PINE PLANTATIONS
The Forest Stewardship Council
(FSC) has given the forest stands
in Prata its select environmental
seal of approval for “environ-
mentally responsible, socially
beneficial and economically
viable management of forests”.
The “Chain of Custody” certifi-

cation (C.O.C.) further warrants
Every hour FABER-CASTELL that the origin of the wood can
grows 20 cubic metres of tim- be tracked and traced right from
ber. How do we do it? the harvesting of the tree to the
packaging of the pencils.
In the Brazilian state of Minas
Gerais, near Prata, FABER- The use of environmentally sus-
CASTELL maintains its own tainable resources is just one
pine plantations covering an aspect of our commitment to a
area of 10,000 hectares – 2,500 better quality of life. In the con-
km from the Amazon rain- text of an “integrated product
forests. policy” (IPP) the entire lifecycle
of our products is subjected to
Continuous reafforestation of critical analyses, in order to
the harvested tree rows creates reduce energy requirements to a
a closed ecological cycle: 1 mil- minimum in the long term and
lion Caribbean Pine seedlings to conserve the environment
are replanted each year. through a sustainable approach.
These environmentally sustain- This includes the selection of

able resources provide the raw materials and production
source material for our black- processes, packaging and trans-
lead pencils and colour pencils: port, right through to product
FABER-CASTELL Brazil – the utilisation and disposal. As
largest wood pencil factory in such, FABER-CASTELL is the
the world with just under 2,900 only company to consistently
employees – produces 1.5 bil- use environmentally friendly
lion wood-cased pencils annual- water-based paint in its Euro-
ly in this manner. pean pencil production.
1.3
THE COMPANY
Wood from our own
pine plantations
Our commitment is not limited The objective is to protect the

to our own operations. FABER- natural flora and fauna in the
CASTELL is actively contribut- Prata region and to foster aware-
ing to nature conservation in ness in order to motivate our
Brazil through its involvement employees as well as the local
in the Arboris, Animalis and residents to make a personal
ECOmmunity environmental commitment to nature and the
projects. environment.
1.4
THE COMPANY
An internationally binding
Social Charter
AN INTERNATIONALLY BINDING
SOCIAL CHARTER
In signing the “FABER- Its scope and internationally CASTELL employees world-
CASTELL Social Charter”, the binding nature make this Social wide.
Chairman of the Managing Charter one of the first volun-
Board, Anton W. Graf von Faber- tary agreements of its kind. It
Castell, wrote a new chapter in guarantees employment and la-
the company’s longstanding tra- bour conditions as required by
dition of social responsibility the International Labour Orga-
and accountability. nisation (ILO) to all FABER-
No forced or compulsory labour
No child labour
Payment of minimum wages
No excessive working hours
Equal opportunity and equality

for all employees
Respect for the freedom of SIGNING OF THE SOCIAL CHARTER BY FABER-CASTELL AND IG METALL
association and of the right to ON 3 MARCH 2000
collective bargaining
Safe working environment,

job security and decent pay
Clearly defined
employment conditions
1.5
THE COMPANY
The quality hallmarks
of our brand
THE QUALITY HALLMARKS

OF OUR BRAND
We have designed the brand The same high level is valid for
FABER-CASTELL as a quality all media and measures of brand
hallmark for products in the management.
field of writing, drawing and
creative colouring which distin- Our products accompany the
guishes themselves by: consumer on his/her path from
childhood to becoming an artist,
from being a student to becom-
• Competence and ing a member of the board – and
tradition from one generation to another.
• High quality
• Progressive
• Environmental
consciousness
THE PENCIL
EXTENDER
1.6
THE COMPANY
Success through products
with the “Point of Difference”
SUCCESS THROUGH PRODUCTS

WITH THE “POINT OF DIFFERENCE”
In addition to functionality and FABER-CASTELL has always
aesthetics, there are added con- defined innovation as a prob-
venience benefits that make our lem-solving process that is dis-
products unique: The built-in cernible and appreciated by the
sharpener in the pencil extender end consumer while also adding
– the “Refilling Station” for value to the product.
fluorescent highlighters – the
breaking resistance of the wood The famous “Point of Differ-
pencil leads. The high colour ence” in all product categories
brilliance and light-fastness of will therefore remain the great
our artists’ pens also meet the challenge for FABER-CASTELL.
most stringent requirements.
1.7
THE COMPANY
The FABER-CASTELL
brand image
THE FABER-CASTELL
BRAND IMAGE
The classic dark-green company The knights theme dates back to
colour with the gold brand logo an old advertising poster de-
and the red colour for the signed at the turn of the century.
“Playing & Learning” field of It symbolises the brand’s vir-
competence respectively the tues, which correspond to those
blue colour for the product line of the knights: Strength, asser-
The FABER-CASTELL brand Creative Studio. tiveness, nobility of mind, fight-
image is essentially defined by ing spirit, continuity and the
the following elements: The so-called “stage” setting, preservation of traditions.
consisting of a rectangular
The unmistakable brand logo frame which is set below the The consistent application of
consisting of these three ele- logo on main title pages and the corporate design contributes
ments: FABER-CASTELL let- packagings and that may con- to its certain recognition and
tering, the “jousting knights” tain text as well as images. contributes to the strengthening
and the subtitle “since 1761”, of the brand FABER-CASTELL
the year of the company’s foun- The uniform typography and the mainly in international markets.
dation. high quality and precision of the
(product) illustrations explain
the high demands of the brand.
1.8
THE COMPANY
Strategic alignment of the
FABER-CASTELL product range
STRATEGIC ALIGNMENT OF THE

FABER-CASTELL PRODUCT RANGE
PLAYING & LEARNING ART & GRAPHIC PREMIUM
GENERAL WRITING MARKING
FABER-CASTELL develops, fined and core competence are- ducts included in its merchan-
produces, markets and distri- as tailored to specific target dise range. Through all its pro-
butes high-quality writing, groups. This is based on the duct areas, FABER-CASTELL
drawing, colouring and creative objective to attain the “Best of desires to be people’s compan-
design products in clearly de- its Class” rating for all the pro- ion for life.
G E N E R A L P RO D U C T K N OW L E D G E 2
2
MERCHANDISE KNOWLEDGE
2.1 A brief journey through the history of

writing instruments
2.2 Graphite pencils (lead pencils)
2.3 Colour pencils
2.4 Artists’ colour pencils
2.5 Crayons
2.6 Artists’ crayons
2.7 Charcoal
2.8 Mechanical pencils
2.9 Leads
2.10 Paste-ink pens
2.11 Liquid-ink pens
2.12 Markers and highlighters
2.13 Paint markers
2.14 Technical drawing instruments
2.15 Erasers
2.16 Sharpeners
2.1
A brief journey through the history of
writing instruments
A BRIEF JOURNEY THROUGH THE

HISTORY OF WRITING INSTRUMENTS
About 50,000 to 60,000 years rushes whose end pieces were
B.C., the stone hand axe would chewed to shape them into a
have been the first tool to be brush. Later a thin piece of bam-
used by humans in attempting to boo with a sharpened pointy tip
scratch patterns into stone. Many was used. It was the birth hour
such scrapers and gravers/burins of the first fountain pen. 16th century by the introduction
have been found in caves in of the lead-pencil writing.
Southern France and Spain. From the period of the Roman
Empire to the modern era the The beginning of the 19th cen-
For thousands of years, pictures most important writing im- tury at last saw the successful
remained the only mode of com- plement was the quill, manufacture of steel nibs, which
munication. Gradually, iconogra- which needed to be equalled or surpassed the quill’s
phic writing underwent greater dipped in ink. The writing quality and were not
stylisation and developed into quill was an obli- subject to the same wear.
pictograms, a type of symbolic quely cut, sturdy
writing that could be drawn goose feather that The steel nibs were placed in
quickly, of which the cuneiform had to be repea- wooden holders, but the disad-
script of the Sumerians or the tedly trimmed, vantage was that an ink reser-
hieroglyphs of the Egyptians are because wri- voir needed to be carried along
prime examples. ting would at all times. It was therefore not
wear it down surprising that innumerable at-
Writing was nonetheless a costly quickly. tempts were made to append an
and time-consuming matter per- ink reservoir to the actual nib
formed by well paid fulltime A veritable holder, which was achieved in
scribes, who etched their glyphs quill indus- the middle of the 19th century
with gravers or burins made try devel- by a number of German, Eng-
from bone or metal into wax- oped over lish and American inventors.
coated wooden slats or moist the centu-
clay tablets. ries. At the However, the first and truly
beginning of useful solution was offered by
Growing demand for written the 19th century, appro- L. E. Waterman in 1884, when
records lead to the desire for ximately 50 million he integrated an ink feed
more practical writing instru- quills were used up mechanism between the tank
ments. each year in Germany and the nib which ensured that
alone. the tank would release only as
The invention of ink and the use much ink as was needed at a
of papyrus as a writing surface In addition to writ- given time, while the same
represented a great leap forward. ing in ink, a new amount of air was fed back into
The “writing instruments” used writing technique was estab- the tank.
at the time consisted of thin lished from the middle of the
2.1
A brief journey through the history of
writing instruments
we now share our lives with the

computer whose word-process-
ing programs are constantly
being refined. Today, comput-
ers write when and what we
speak to them and independent-
FOUNTAIN PEN, LUDWIG II,
ly translate into various lan-
KING OF BAVARIA
guages.
Competition to the fountain pen In recent times, digital handheld

arrived in the 1930’s with the writing implements have arrived
invention of the ballpoint pen, on the market that transfer the
whose real breakthrough how- writing motion to the computer
ever only came about in the and convert it to written text by
1950’s. Because it had the registering the movements in
advantage of being able to write relation to coordinates on the
for a very long time without writing surface. The only thing
constantly needing refilling, still left to do for a human is to
coupled with the fact that it was actually think about what to
leak-proof and that its ink-paste write in the first place.
dried quickly once applied to
paper, it soon became the pre-
ferred writing instrument world-
wide. Moreover, with a ball-
point pen it was relatively easy
to fill in duplicate and triplicate
forms.
In our era, the ballpoint pen was

followed by the ink roller, which
is structurally similar to the
ballpoint pen but uses liquid ink
rather than viscous ink-paste
and thus allows for a smooth
and flowing writing action.
Followed by the invention of the

typewriter that allowed us to put
easily legible and standardised
writing on paper at high speed,
2.2
Graphite pencils (lead pencils)
GRAPHITE PENCILS
(LEAD PENCILS)
HISTORICAL “mantle” in order to be able to the “lead pencils” to “graphite
OVERVIEW hold the pencil properly and not pencils”, but the term “lead pen-
stain one’s fingers. The “lead cil” had become so entrenched
The “silver pencil” made from pencil” was born. The first in the general vernacular that it
lead and tin, as used by Albrecht wood casings with the leads still retains its original name
Dürer in the 15th century, can glued inside their core were today.
be regarded as the pencil’s pre- being manufactured by joiners
cursor. and cabinet-makers. From these The gradual shortage of English
beginnings, the craft of the pen- graphite from Borrowdale led to
The origin of the wood-cased cil-maker evolved to become attempts to reduce the required
pencil as we know it today dates increasingly specialised through- quantity by mixing it with addi-
back to the year 1565, when a out the 18th century. tives of other materials. In 1794,
greyish black shiny substance the Frenchman Nicholas-Jaques
THE “ WORLD’S OLDEST
was discovered in Borrowdale, PENCIL” FROM THE Conté discovered almost at the
17TH CENTURY
in the Cumbrian Hills in Eng- same time as the Austrian Josef
land, and described as follows: Hardmuth, that by mixing gra-
“It feels greasy and leaves stains phite with clay it was possible
on one’s fingers”, but it was to produce leads with different
“ideal for writing and drawing”. degrees of hardness, which
would accommodate a variety
It was initially thought that the In 1789 the German-Swedish of applications and also pre-
newly discovered substance was chemist Karl Wilhelm Scheele serve the graphite deposits.
a type of lead ore, as it closely was able to prove that the new
resembled that familiar material writing medium had nothing at In 1839 Lothar von Faber suc-
in its appearance and properties. all to do with lead, but that it ceeded in significantly improv-
was crystallised carbon. ing the graphite-clay mixing
10 years after Scheele’s disco- process. It was at that time that
very, the mineralogist Abraham the hardness grade scale was
Gottlob Werner named this mo- established, and it remains valid
dified carbon “graphite” (from today. (>Degree of hardness)
the Greek word “graphos” = to
write). Graphite is non-toxic,
can be extracted through mining
processes, is easily crushed, re-
latively soft and leaves a black
In order to be able to use the mark when used for drawing
extracted “lead” for writing pur- and sketching.
poses, it first had to be cut into
narrow, rectangular rods that Following Scheele’s discovery,
were encased in a wooden an attempt was made to rename
2.2
The Castell 9000 Although the pencil’s technical

Since 1905 the green Castell design is quite straightforward,
9000 has been synonymous with most people have no idea how
pencil quality throughout the the lead ends up inside the
world. It has been produced by wood. The explanation for this
the billions and succeeded in is surprisingly simple, as the
outclassing all its competitors. wooden barrel actually consists
Artists and writers such as of two parts (slats), i. e. an upper
Beuys, Böll, Fellini, Kishon, part (upper slat) and a lower part
Solschenitzyn and even Prince (bottom slat) embedding the
Charles continue to be passion- lead.
ate about the “green classic”.
Today, pencils are lacquered
In 1905, Alexander Graf von with non-toxic paint lacquers.
Faber-Castell invented the “Cas- FABER-CASTELL was the
tell 9000”. It is said that the for- first manufacturer to develop a
mer cavalry captain à la suite water-based paint technology
chose his regiment’s colour process that does not pollute
when deciding on a green tone the environment. (>Water-based
for the new pencil. What is cer- paint)
tain, however, is that the success
of the green “Castell 9000” laid Functional principle of the
the foundation for the colour pencil
green gradually developing into During writing, the graphite of
the company colour for the the pencil lead abrades on the
FABER-CASTELL brand. rough paper surface and adheres
to it. The coarser the paper, the
more lead grains are abraded.
PENCIL PRODUCTION Therefore, a coarse paper ge-
nerally requires a harder lead
Technical design quality, whereas a softer lead
The design of a pencil is tre- quality is suitable for smooth
mendously simple and we all paper.
are familiar with it: A pencil
lead (>Leads) is cased in wood,
THE CASTELL 9000 – CONCEIVABLY
THE WORLD’S MOST FAMOUS PENCIL.
which is either left unfinished or
ITS UNMATCHED QUALITY AND THE elaborately lacquered. The qua-
FACT THAT IT IS AVAILABLE IN 16
DEGREES OF HARDNESS HAVE MADE lity of a pencil is determined by
IT THE ABSOLUTE FAVOURITE FOR
ALL PENCIL-WRITING PROFESSIONALS
the wood used (>Wood) and the
AND ENTHUSIASTS. quality of the lead.
2.2
The more pointed the lead, the

finer the line. With increasing
writing duration, the tip gets
blunter and wider and thus the
line becomes broader. The pen-
cil must be resharpened.
Wood and slats

The highest quality of wood for
pencils and colour pencils is
produced by the Californian
cedar and the Brazilian pine
that are cultivated in FABER-
CASTELL’s own plantations.
Cedar wood is almost knot-free,
long-fibred and characterised
by a consistent growth pattern
due to minimal seasonal varia-
tions in California. It can there-
fore be easily and cleanly sharp-
ened, which is a very important
aspect for a quality pencil.
Nowadays, pencils are no longer

manufactured individually but
by means of a process utilising
specially prefabricated slats that
yield up to ten pencils in one
working cycle. The standard
dimensions of a slat are 72 x
184 x 4 mm.
The individual production

stages
The diagrammatic view demon-
strates the main stages of pencil
manufacture.
2.2
THE INDIVIDUAL PRODUCTION

STAGES
SOFT AND DENSE WOOD IS
STORED, SEASONED AND CUT
INTO “SLATS”.
A GROOVE IS CARVED OUT OF

THE UPPER AND BOTTOM SLAT
TO ACCOMMODATE THE LEAD.
A SPECIAL LEAD GLUE IS

INJECTED INTO THE GROOVE.
THE SEPARATELY PRODUCED

LEADS (SEE “LEADS” CHAPTER)
ARE PLACED IN THE BOTTOM
SLAT. THEREAFTER, BINDING
GLUE IS APPLIED TO THE UN-
OCCUPIED SURFACES OF THE
UPPER AND BOTTOM SLATS.
THE UPPER SLAT IS PLACED

ONTO THE BOTTOM SLAT.
2.2
HEAT AND PRESSURE ARE NOW

APPLIED SIMULTANEOUSLY TO
THIS “SANDWICH”, UNTIL THE
GLUE HAS SET.
A ROUTER BIT IS USED TO CUT

THE ONE HALF OF THE PENCIL
PROFILE AT THE UPPER SLAT.
A SECOND ROUTER BIT IS USED

TO CUT THE OTHER HALF OF
THE PENCIL PROFILE AT THE
BOTTOM SLAT. SUBSEQUENTLY,
THE “SANDWICH” DISINTE-
GRATES INTO THE INDIVIDUAL
NON-FINISHED PENCILS.
THE PENCILS ARE REPEATEDLY

PASSED THROUGH A LACQUER
BATH IN A CONTINUOUS LOOP.
SEVERAL COATS OF LACQUER
ARE APPLIED IN ORDER TO
ACHIEVE A LASTING VARNISH.
2.2
HOT-FOIL STAMPING WITH

BRAND NAME, GRADE OF
HARDNESS AND EAN CODE.
THE PENCIL IS INITIALLY

DIPPED INTO A PAINT BASIN
TO A SPECIFIED DEPTH.
2.2
IN THE FOLLOWING STEP, THE

PENCIL IS RETRACTED FROM
THE BASIN.
THEREAFTER, THE PENCIL

IS DIPPED INTO A DIFFERENT
PAINT BASIN, AGAIN TO A
SPECIFIED DEPTH.
IN THE FINAL STEP, THE PENCIL

IS RETRACTED FROM THE BASIN.
THE DIFFERENT DIPPING DEPTHS
IN THE TWO PAINT BASINS ALLOW
FOR THE CONTROL OF THE
PENCIL’S DISTINCTIVE DESIGN
ELEMENTS.
THE DIPPING PROCESS HAS NO
EFFECT ON THE PENCIL’S FUNC-
TION, BUT ONLY SERVES TO
ACHIEVE ITS CHARACTERISTIC
APPEARANCE.
THE PENCIL IS SHARPENED.

2.2
QUALITY CONTROL
BREAKING TEST
QUALITY CONTROL
SHARPENING TEST
QUALITY CONTROL
CLASSIFICATION
PACKAGING
2.2
THE “SECURAL” letter it is possible to define var-

PROCESS ious degrees of hardness. For
(SV BONDING) instance, a 6H lead is harder
than a 4H.
In past pencil manufacture pro-
cesses, the two slats were only FABER-CASTELL employs the These designations are most
spot-glued. It was thus possible Secural process for all its wood- likely derived from English ex-
at times for the lead to slip out cased pencils and in most cases pressions. Thus, B designated
of the wooden barrel. marks them with the “SV” Black and H meant Hard, while
(= “Secural” process) stamp. the added number indicated
increasing blackness or hard-
ness. F may have stood for Firm
DEGREES OF or Fine Point.
HARDNESS
The classification of degrees of
By varying the mixing ratio of hardness has never been unam-
graphite to clay in the lead biguously standardised interna-
manufacture, pencil makers can tionally, which is why the exact
adjust the hardness degree of a designation still depends on
LEAD GLUE
WOODEN
BARREL
pencil lead. The more clay ver- each manufacturer.
sus graphite is introduced into
With the introduction of a new the mixture, the “harder” the For example, FABER-CASTELL
patented manufacturing process writing action of the pencil will supplies its famous classic, the
in the 60’s, FABER-CASTELL become. Castell 9000, in 16 degrees of
succeeded in firmly bonding the hardness.
lead along its entire length to its
wooden casing. That process The more precise a drawing is
was called the “Secural” process intended to turn out, the harder
(SV derived from the Latin the pencil ought to be. Soft pen-
word “secura” = secure/safe). cils are preferred in the creative
and artistic
This measure prevents the lead domain.
slipping out of the wooden bar-
rel and significantly enhances The identification of a lead’s
the breaking resistance of the degree of hardness is expressed
lead, e. g. when dropping the in letters and numbers. Gener-
pencil. In addition, it facilitates ally, the harder leads are
the sharpening of the pencil and labelled with the letter H and the
increases the breaking resist- softer ones with the letter B. By
ance of the tip. placing a number in front of the
2.2
The ideal writing pencil (e.g. in CROSS-SECTIONAL It allows for a more comfortable
the office) has a medium degree PROFILE grasping of the pencil during
of hardness (so-called “HB”), use and also prevents the pencil
while the school student’s pencil Wood-cased pencils are pro- from rolling off the desk.
has a B hardness degree. duced and supplied worldwide
in predominantly three profiles. Triangular profile
FABER-CASTELL applies the During normal writing
following designations: Round profile posture, the pencil is
B = Black This shape is used principally in held by the thumb,
H = Hard offices for shorthand, as the index and middle
HB = Hard Black = medium round pencil is easily rotated in fingers. A trian-
hard the hand, thus preventing a sin- gular profile pencil provides a
F = Firm gle-sided blunting of larger area of contact for each of
the lead and reduc- the three fingers. This conforms
Degrees of hardness alternati- ing the frequency to human ergonomics and there-
vely expressed in numbers: of resharpening. fore results in a writing action
1 2 2 1/2 3 4 that is less tiring. Furthermore,
(2B) (B) (HB) (H) (2H) Owing to the easier rotatability such a pencil does not easily roll
of the round profile, the pencil off the desk.
requires a firmer grip. Corres-
THE CIRCLE “TOUCH-
pondingly, the hand will tire ear- ES” THE CORNER
POINTS OF THE TRI-
lier after extended use. ANGLE PROFILE. IT
CAN THEREFORE BE
SHARPENED WITH-
Hexagonal profile OUT DIFFICULTY.
The hexagonal pro-

file is currently In recent times, the triangular
the most used profile has been recommended
shape for stan- for writing novices. As the trian-
dard school and gular profile pencil has a round,
office application. conical shape near the tip, it can
Graphite
Clay/graphite
mixing ratio
Clay
16 degrees of hardness
(from hard to soft) 6H 5H 4H 3H 2H H F HB B 2B 3B 4B 5B 6B 7B 8B
2.2
be easily sharpened with a nor- thus the more exquisite the pen- pencil lacquering methods by
mal pencil sharpener. cil’s appearance becomes. (For introducing its water-based
example, the Castell 9000 pen- paint technology.
cil by FABER-CASTELL has
LACQUERING six lacquer coats; Polychromos In water-based paint technology,
(“POLISHING”) and Albrecht Dürer Artists’ the chromophoric pigments are
colour pencils have up to eight dispersed in water. This means
The lacquering of the pencil is lacquer coats.) that, unlike in the case of ace-
designed to protect it from get- tone-based lacquer, no harmful
ting dirty or stained (e.g. through As children in particular tend to vapours are released during the
perspiration from the writer’s put pencils in their mouths, all drying process.
hand). But hygienic reasons also lacquers used by FABER-
play a role: Ten times as many CASTELL are absolutely safe
germs will accumulate on an toxicologically. All wood-cased
unlacquered as on a lacquered pencils made by FABER-
pencil. CASTELL comply with the
purity stipulations of the Euro-
During the lacquering process pean standard EN 71-3 of 1988,
the pencils are passed through a the so-called toys standard.
lacquer bath in a continuous
loop. This process is repeated Two different types of lacquer
several times. In order to are commonly used: acetone-
achieve a lasting lacquering fin- based and water-based lacquer. However, water-based paint
ish, several colour lacquer coats The consumer is unable to visu- requires heat for the drying
and finally up to three clear lac- ally distinguish the type of lac- process and thus necessitates
quer coats are applied. The fol- quer used. Durability as well as greater energy expenditure
lowing general rule applies: brilliance and lustre are identi- when compared to acetone-
The more lacquer coats are cal for both types. based lacquer.
applied to the pencil, the more
brilliant the lacquer colour and Water-based paint Dermatological studies show
In 1992, FABER-CASTELL that users of these pencils are
was the first manufacturer to not exposed to any health risks,
venture into water-based paint e. g. skin irritations.
technology. In using this
process, FABER-CASTELL has Knobbed soft-grip technology
replaced conventional acetone- From a technical point of view,
based lacquers with environ- the knobbed soft-grip technolo-
mentally friendly water emul- gy developed by FABER-
sions. FABER-CASTELL has CASTELL represents a raised
set new global benchmarks in (“convex”) structure composed
2.2
of “small prominent dots” made

of water-based lacquer.
These raised dots are positioned

at the low-
er segment
of the pen-
cil and
thus func-
tion as a
“anti-slip The pencils are checked after the European standard EN 71-3
device” in order to ensure a each production stage, e. g. for of 1988 (toys standard).
secure and non-slip grip. breaking strength, sharpenabili-
ty and hot-foil stamping. Any By virtue of the composition
pencil failing these controls is and purity of the lacquers used
QUALITY CONTROL rejected. in their manufacture, waste
from pencils and colour pencils
Extensive and strict controls does not present any hazard in
ensure that only absolutely flaw- ENVIRONMENT AND land-fill disposal or waste incin-
less pencils find their way to the WASTE DISPOSAL eration.
consumer.
The pencil is one of the most
Generally, each production stage environmentally friendly writ-
is followed by a visual inspec- ing instruments ever made. FABER-CASTELL IS A
MEMBER OF B.A.U.M.,
tion, ensuring that leads and/or THE NATIONAL GERMAN
WORKING PARTY FOR
pencils that fail this control The lead consists of graphite ENVIRONMENTAL
AWARENESS IN MANA-
stage are rejected. and clay, both totally safe natu- GEMENT.
ral materials.
The leads are first monitored for Long before environmental con-
diameter consistency immedi- The company uses wood, a siderations attracted much spe-
ately after undergoing the com- renewable resource, as casings cial public attention, FABER-
pression stage. Following the for its leads. FABER-CASTELL CASTELL was looking at ways
firing process, they are checked was the first manufacturer in to preserve wood as a valuable
for breaking resistance and Germany to lacquer its pencils resource.
diameter consistency. After the with environmentally friendly
lead has been impregnated, it is water-based paint. A number of years ago, an
checked for breaking resistance, extensive reafforestation project
stroke quality, grade of hard- All wood-cased pencils supplied was launched in Brazil with the
ness, straightness and uniform by FABER-CASTELL comply aim of safeguarding the compa-
diameter and length. with the purity stipulations of ny’s supply of consistently high-
2.2
quality wood without destroying VARIOUS SCOPES OF APPLICATION FOR

the local forest resources. WOOD-CASED PENCILS
Scope of application User Pencil type
Writing All Standard pencils

(2H, H, HB, B, 2B)
Learning how to write Children Jumbo pencils,
Triangular pencils
Sketching Artists, Designers All pencils and colour pencils
Watercolour painting Children, Artists, Designers Watercolour pencils with
water-soluble colour leads
Currently, more than 2.5 million Mixing paints Artists, Designers Artists’ pens (e. g. Polychromos)
tree seedlings are planted each with colour leads for generating
special effects by overlayering
year. (read more about this topic the colours
in Chapter 1.4 “Wood from our Marking Office employees and Fluorescent colour pencils
own pine plantations”) school & university students
Technical drawing School & university students Standard pencils (HB– 6H)
Architects, Designers
Shorthand Office employees Round pencils (HB– 2H)
Writing in/under water Divers Standard pencils
Determination of e.g. suppliers to the A standard 4H pencil;
lacquer hardness automotive industry the lacquer is scratched super-
ficially for the purpose of deter-
mining its hardness
Wood marking Joiners & cabinet-makers Special (flat) carpenter’s pencils
and the furniture industry with a broad, oval lead;
often used as a substitute ruler
Stuffing one’s pipe Otto von Bismarck A particularly long FABER-
and others CASTELL pencil used by
Bismarck not only for writing
but also for stuffing his pipe
Drawing with compasses School & university students Some compasses will accept a
standard pencil;
However, precision compasses
predominantly work with pencil
leads
Writing on smooth surfaces All Glass markers
Indelible writing Office employees Indelible colour pencils
Make-up and fancy dress Children Cosmetic pencils made of der-
matologically tested materials
2.2
WHAT MAKES A The lead must be firmly bonded “natural” origin. Moreover,
GOOD PENCIL? to the wood in order to prevent it wood is a renewable natural
from slipping out of the wood resource.
A pencil’s quality is influ- casing and to avoid tip breakage • A pencil writes in/under water,
enced by diverse factors: (e. g. during sharpening). in a vacuum and “upside
down”.
The wood used in manu- Owing to a lacquering process • Pencil writing is absolutely
facture should be as knot- involving several coats, the lac- non-toxic, because all ingredi-
free, long-fibred and uni- quer coverage is particularly ents used in manufacture con-
formly grown as possible good and uniform. This also sist of entirely safe substances
in order to ensure easy reduces the occurrence of pres- (clay, graphite, wood, water-
and neat sharpening of the sure marks and indentations. based lacquer).
manufactured pencil. • Pencils can even be used on
In addition to the above quality extremely cold and hot days,
A consistently uniform attributes, an attractive design as the lead does not react to
graphite/clay mixing ratio (lacquering, hot-foil stamping, temperature fluctuations.
guarantees the user the end trim) also contributes to • Pencils are always “ready-to-
same degree of hardness enhancing the writing pleasure. write” and can even be sharp-
for subsequent purchases. ened with a knife.
• Pencil quality has always been
The availability of a pen- ADVANTAGES OF THE consistently good over the
cil in a variety of degrees PENCIL years. (e. g. degrees of hard-
of hardness ensures con- ness).
sistent quality for varying Despite the introduction of ink
types of applications. writing instruments, traditional
lead-pencil writing has lost
The ingredients of the lead none of its fascination. This is
are crushed, finely ground and not least due to the many advan-
blended for a long period of time, tages of pencil writing:
resulting in an even lead stroke
without scratching. Additionally, • A pencil stroke is erasable and
the lead stroke should provide thus correctable.
good coverage and, depending on • Pencil writing is environmen-
paper quality and writing pres- tally friendly, since all materi-
sure, should be easy to erase. als used in manufacture are of
2.2
THE PERFECT PENCIL

A disadvantage of the pencil,
particularly when used on the
move or away from the desk, is
the fact that it needs to be peri-
odically resharpened in order to
write accurately. After all, a
suitable sharpener is not always
within reach.
As the leading manufacturer

worldwide, FABER-CASTELL
has come up with the perfect
solution for the transportable
pencil problem: A pencil with
integrated sharpener, eraser and
clip, that is as easily carried
around as a ballpoint pen or
fountain pen and can be reshar-
pened quickly and anywhere.
FABER-CASTELL’s perfect
pencil concept is available in
various price categories.
2.3
Colour pencils
COLOUR PENCILS
HISTORICAL COMPARISON
OVERVIEW WITH PENCILS
While the graphite or “lead” Technical design

pencil’s history can be traced The design structure of colour
quite easily, there exists only lit- pencils is identical to that of
tle historical material on the his- pencils, and they are manufac-
tory of colour pencils. Even tured accordingly. Their differ-
though a writing utensil cata- ence lies in the composition and
logue from 1820 provides one of diameter of the lead.
the first references to a red
wood-cased pencil, the signifi- Functional principle
cantly longer history of creative Colour pencils function just like
colour work suggests that colour pencils. However, they are usual-
pencils must have been in exis- ly not erasable or water-soluble.
A FABER-CASTELL CATALOGUE
FROM 1883. tence long before then.
FABER-CASTELL has devel-
So-called “porte-crayons” – oped solutions for manufactur-
wooden barrels with an ing erasable and water-soluble
adjustable ring retaining the colour pencils.
lead within the barrel – were
used for both pencil and colour Unlike pencil leads, colour pen-
pencil leads. For this reason, we cil leads do not undergo a firing
may assume that the develop- process but are dried only, as the
ment of wood-cased colour pen- sensitive colour pigments would
cils was occurring in parallel to not be able to withstand the
the development of wood-cased high temperatures of the firing
pencils. process.
As early as in the 19th century, The individual production

the FABER-CASTELL product stages
range included wood-cased The diagrammatic view demon-
colour pencils. In an 1881 cata- strates the main stages of pencil
logue wood-cased colour pen- manufacture.
cils are listed in a range of 52
different colours.
2.3
Colour pencils
THE INDIVIDUAL PRODUCTION

STAGES
SOFT AND DENSE WOOD IS
STORED, SEASONED AND CUT
INTO “SLATS”.
A GROOVE IS CARVED OUT OF

THE UPPER AND BOTTOM SLAT
TO ACCOMMODATE THE LEAD.
A SPECIAL LEAD GLUE IS

INJECTED INTO THE GROOVE.
THE SEPARATELY PRODUCED

LEADS (SEE “LEADS” CHAPTER)
ARE PLACED IN THE BOTTOM
SLAT. THEREAFTER, BINDING
GLUE IS APPLIED TO THE UN-
OCCUPIED SURFACES OF THE
UPPER AND BOTTOM SLATS.
THE UPPER SLAT IS PLACED

ONTO THE BOTTOM SLAT.
2.3
Colour pencils
HEAT AND PRESSURE ARE NOW

APPLIED SIMULTANEOUSLY TO
THIS “SANDWICH”, UNTIL THE
GLUE HAS SET.
A ROUTER BIT IS USED TO CUT

THE ONE HALF OF THE PENCIL
PROFILE AT THE UPPER SLAT.
A SECOND ROUTER BIT IS USED

TO CUT THE OTHER HALF OF
THE PENCIL PROFILE AT THE
BOTTOM SLAT. SUBSEQUENTLY,
THE “SANDWICH” DISINTE-
GRATES INTO THE INDIVIDUAL
NON-FINISHED PENCILS.
THE PENCILS ARE REPEATEDLY

PASSED THROUGH A LACQUER
BATH IN A CONTINUOUS LOOP.
SEVERAL COATS OF LACQUER
ARE APPLIED IN ORDER TO
ACHIEVE A LASTING VARNISH.
2.3
Colour pencils
HOT-FOIL STAMPING WITH

BRAND NAME, COLOUR NO.
AND EAN CODE.
THE PENCIL IS SHARPENED.

2.3
Colour pencils
QUALITY CONTROL
BREAKING TEST
QUALITY CONTROL
SHARPENING TEST
QUALITY CONTROL
CLASSIFICATION
PACKAGING
2.3
Colour pencils
THE “SECURAL” breaking off during use.

PROCESS (SV BONDING) Therefore, colour pencils are
sharpened to a short tapered
By virtue of its composition and point. From a geometrical point
due to the lack of a firing Pencil tip
process, a colour pencil lead is When looking at a sharpened
substantially softer than a pencil pencil, we see a long tapered tip.
lead. That is also why colour The tip can be used for writing
pencil leads have a larger diam- or drawing fine lines for quite of view, the short tip is stronger
eter than pencil leads. (pencil some time, until it becomes than the longer tip. On the other
lead diameter 2.0 – 2.8 mm; blunt and requires resharpening. hand, it requires more frequent
colour pencil lead diameter resharpening.
3.0 – 3.3 mm)
WATER SOLUBILITY
(WATERCOLOUR
Being substantially softer, a co- PENCILS)
lour pencil lead must be sharp-
ened differently from a pencil Water-soluble colour pencils
lead. The tip of a brand new (watercolour pencils) expand
colour pencil initially appears to the spectrum of creative possi-
be just like a pencil tip. Only a bilities and are thus increasingly
closer inspection reveals a small popular. Water solubility is
WOODEN
LEAD GLUE BARREL additional tip. This is designed achieved by impregnating the
to prevent the lead from break- leads with an “emulsifier”
For the purpose of enhancing ing while the product is being (= water-soluble, wax-like sub-
breaking resistance, firm bond- delivered to the customer. (Is stance) instead of wax or grease.
ing of the colour pencil lead to used by FABER-CASTELL for
the wood is even more impor- the Polychromos and Albrecht
tant than in pencil manufactur- Dürer artists’ pens.)
ing. Besides, this is the only way
to prevent the lead from slipping
out of the wood casing and to
avoid tip breakage.
Cross-sectional profile
Just like wood-cased pencils,
wood-cased colour pencils are Some colour pencil leads (e. g. One way of working with these
available in round, hexagonal and pastel pencils) are so soft that a water-soluble colour pencils is
triangular profiles. (>Pencils) long tapered tip would keep to apply water to the painting
2.3
Colour pencils
surface prior to colouring with These colourants are toxicologi-

the watercolour pencil, or alter- cally safe.
natively to put one’s sketch to
paper and then dissolve and Note:
wet-blend them with a brush. To ensure the unerasability of
these pencils, a minimum writ-
By selecting different paper ing pressure of 300 g is required
grades, the watercolour pencils’ (ascertained average writing
degree of solubility can be con- pressure approx. 350 g).
trolled in considerable detail.
While the structure of a painting PENCILS FOR SPECIAL Grease pencils
is more or less distinctly pre- PURPOSES Colour pigments are the chro-
served when working on very mophoric components in grease
smooth paper, it is easily fully Document lead pencils leads. Binding agents give shape
dissolved and transformed into These pencils are also and strength to the lead. In this
an aquarelle look and texture known under their former instance, a grease/wax mixture
when painting on rough, coarse- designation of Copying is used. Kaolin is predominantly
grained paper. Pencils. However, their used as a filler for colour leads.
original application pur-
The mode of applying the pose, the preparation of Glass marking pencils
colour onto the paper can also copies, has lost its role in The grease leads in glass
influence the solubility. The today’s era of the laser marking pencils facilitate
more pressure is exerted on the copier. the lettering/marking of
watercolour pencil the deeper all smooth surfaces such
the pigments are pressed into Today, these pencils are as glass, plastic, metal,
the surface of the paper, which valued principally for their leather etc.
results in a reduced water solu- indelible stroke. They rep-
bility of the paint strokes. resent an environmentally Glass marking pencils
compatible alternative (re- strokes are water and tem-
The gentler the paint application duction of plastic waste) to perature resistant up to
and the more water is used, the indelible ink writing in- 450° C for black leads, up
sooner an aquarelle-like look struments. 1000° C for white and red
and texture is achieved. leads.
The basis for the superior light-
Please note! fastness and unerasability of
Water solubility does not mean these pencils, and thus their
that the pencil should be dipped indelible strokes on paper, are
in water. That would result in high-grade colour pigments and
the lead swelling up and the water-soluble dyes that enhance
wood being destroyed. deep penetration into the paper.
2.3
Colour pencils
WHAT MAKES A GOOD The number of colours offered

COLOUR PENCIL? increases commensurate with
the consumers’ demands made
A wood-cased colour pencil’s on the pencil, i. e. the colour
quality is influenced by diverse range is widest for artists’ prod-
factors: ucts. (120 colours available)
The wood used in manufacture Owing to a lacquering process

should be as knot-free, long- involving several coats, the lac-
fibred and uniformly grown as quer coverage is particularly
possible in order to ensure easy good and uniform. This also
and neat sharpening of the man- reduces the occurrence of pres-
ufactured pencil. sure marks and indentations.
The uniform and even router

cutting of the slats ensures that
the good quality of the wood is
preserved in the ultimate manu-
factured pencil.
The colours in artists’ products

do not only need to provide
good coverage, but they must
also be highly lightfast in order
not to fade when exposed to the
effects of sunlight.
The ingredients of the lead are

crushed, finely ground and
blended for a long period of
time, resulting in an even lead
stroke without scratching.
The lead must be firmly bonded

to the wood in order to prevent
the lead slipping out of the wood
casing and to avoid tip breakage
(e.g. during sharpening).
2.4
Artists’ colour pencils
ARTISTS’ COLOUR PENCILS

HISTORICAL Lothar’s successor, Alexander SPECIAL REQUIRE-
OVERVIEW Graf von Faber-Castell, not only MENTS FOR ARTISTS’
continued the successful pro- COLOUR PENCILS
Throughout the course of the duct lines, he also substantially
company’s 240 year history, expanded the range of products. Light-fastness
FABER-CASTELL artists’ co- The Polychromos colour pencils Works of art are valuable pieces
lour pencils and crayons have in particular, brought onto the that are one of a kind and should
gained an outstanding reputa- market in the early 20th century, be preserved at their original
tion. The pencils even won were to become a classic. degree of quality for as long as
awards as far back as last centu- possible.
ry’s World Expos. The high quality standard of all
our products continues to live The colours do not only need to
up to today’s exacting artistic provide good coverage, but they
demands. That very quality must also be highly lightfast in
received praise from renowned order not to fade when exposed
artists like Kaulbach, Vincent to the effects of natural light
van Gogh and Wilhelm Busch. (sun).
Therefore, FABER-CASTELL
insists on using selected natural
ingredients in the manufacture
of its artists’ colour pencils –
especially high grade colour
pigments of the highest purity
POLYCHROMOS COLOUR PENCIL and light-fastness.
PACKAGING FROM 1908.
FABER-CASTELL was the

The manufacture of artists’ first producer in the world to
products played a very impor- label light-fastness ratings of its
tant role at FABER-CASTELL pencils with specific asterisks:
as early as in the 19th century.
Lothar von Faber continuously *** Greatest light-fastness
expanded the product line at the (= no change after sun
time. The advantage of colour exposure)
pencils was that they could ** Very good light-fastness
easily be sharpened, in contrast (= little change after sun
to the colour pastels popular exposure)
back then. They were also more * Moderate light-fastness
suitable for fine and delicate (Caution: definite change
work. after sun exposure)
2.4
Artists’ colour pencils
This division into various cate-

gories is a classification initia-
tive by FABER-CASTELL and
to date there is no international-
ly standardised equivalent.
2.5
Crayons
CRAYONS
HISTORICAL PRODUCT OVERVIEW STREET MARKING
OVERVIEW CRAYONS
Crayons are supplied in tin
As far back as antiquity, wax – cases, carry cases and in indi- Blackboard chalk and street
particularly coloured beeswax – vidual colours. For better han- marking crayons consist pre-
was used as a painting medium. dling and protection against dominantly of natural calcium
In his works dating back almost colour-staining, special crayon sulphate or calcium carbonate
2000 years, the Roman writer
Plinius praised the eminent wax
art of the Greeks which was
later adopted by the Romans as
portrait art.
Earthy shades such as sepia, red

chalk, umber and manganese
brown were already known to
the old masters in the middle
ages.
holders or paper wrappers, card- and water. Small portions of

board sleeves, plastic film-wrap colour pigments are used as
or sliders can be used. colourants. Large proportions of
filler are used to make the
Artists’ crayons in particular are crayons compact and to provide
also supplied in wood-cased a certain binding agent function.
pencil format. Whether the Street marking crayons are
“classic” crayon format of the offered principally in a large
pencil variant is used depends diameter cylindrical or rectan-
on a variety of factors. (Soiling/ gular format.
staining of the hands, stroke
width etc.)
WAX CRAYONS
Wax crayons are wax-based

A 1900 FABER-CASTELL CATALOGUE pencils, generally have a round
WITH ARTISTS’ CRAYONS AND GRAPHITE
CRAYONS shape and are suitable for paint-
ing and wax techniques.
Wax crayons consist of natural

and/or synthetic waxes, inorganic
2.5
Crayons
fillers (e. g. talcum), organic and colour painting, when the wax represented on the paper, the
inorganic pigments as well as painting is thinned or brush- structure graphically visualised.
emulsifying agents in the case painted with turpentine. By (“Frottage” is derived from the
of water-paintable crayons. using this technique, it is possi- French word “frotter” = to rub.)
ble to create soft bleeds and
blurred margins.
With the wax rinse technique

the drawing paper is first coated
with a totally opaque colour (or
aquarelle wax) before drawing FROTTAGE
the motif over it with a water-

resistant wax crayon. During the “Encaustic” is a technique
They are manufactured in either subsequent rinsing process with where wax is melted and
a pressing process or a casting water, the colour shade is com- applied to the paper while it is
process (cast crayons). pletely retained underneath the still hot. Pictures are created by
wax. the fusing of the various
There are two types of wax colours. (The term “encaustic”
crayons, water-resistant and In “Sgraffito” (scratching tech- is derived from Greek and
water-paintable. nique) several wax layers (from means “to burn in”, “to heat
light to dark) are superimposed. with fire” or “to subject to fire”.)
Wax crayons are suitable for a The individual layers can then
wide variety of techniques such be made visible again or Wax crayons can be virtually
as “Sgraffito”, “Encaustic” or removed by “scratching” with a stored forever, have a vigorous
“Ironing Technique”, “Wiping scraper or a sharp pencil. (The colour stroke quality and adhere
Technique” and “Fabric Pain- term is derived from Italian: to almost all surfaces (with the
ting”. sgraffiare = to scratch / to
scrape.)
The wash or bleed technique
results in soft, delicate shades “Frottage” is an abrasion tech-
and hues akin to those in water- nique. The surface texture is
WASH TECHNIQUE SGRAFFITO ENCAUSTIC

2.5
Crayons
exception of very smooth sur- pencils). In these crayons the

faces, such as glass, plastic, grease/wax mixture functions as
CDs etc.) the binding agent. They are
Incidentally, wax crayons are

used when first learning how to
write: The “classical” (water-
resistant) wax crayons are used preferably used for smooth sur-
for handwriting exercises during faces like glass, plastic, leather
writing lessons, because the etc. They are highly light-fast
uniquely solid wax compound and heat-resistant (the colour
does not soften when held in white up to 1,000° C). Their
one’s hand. The handwriting strokes are water-resistant.
exercises relax the hand muscles
and the schoolchild gradually
acquires a sense of shapes and a
feel for writing.
MARKING CRAYONS
Two different types of marking

crayons are commonly used:
On one hand, marking crayons

that are composed and manufac-
tured in the same way as colour
pencil leads and impregnated
with grease/wax. They are par-
ticularly suited for marking
cardboard, paper, wood, metal
as well as all rough surfaces.
On the other hand, wax marking

crayons that are manufactured
like grease leads (glass marking
2.6
Artist’s crayons
ARTIST’S CRAYONS
The product range and applica- It is difficult to subdivide cray- The degrees of hardness are
tion areas of artists’ crayons are ons into separate categories. We subdivided into uniform and
virtually unlimited. The same can roughly divide artists’ consistent increments. Graphite
applies to the crayons’ composi- crayons into graphite crayons, crayons are extremely light-fast
tion and manufacture. pastel crayons, so-called mono- and ageing resistant.
chrome crayons and special
The most important ingredients crayons like oil and aquarelle
of artists’ crayons are the colour crayons. GRAPHITE PURE
pigments, as their remarkable
colour purity ensures the co- Pencil-shaped graphite crayons
lours’ light-fastness, which is of GRAPHITE CRAYONS are called Graphite Pure. Gra-
great significance to artists. In phite Pure pencils consist of a
addition, artists’ crayons consist Like pencil leads, these crayons solid, thick lead and are not
of special binding agents and consist of a graphite/clay mix wood-cased.
fillers. and are available in several
degrees of hardness. The surface of Graphite Pure
High-quality crayons are char- has a synthetic coating to pro-
acterised by very finely ground Quick sketches and studies are tect the hands against staining.
raw materials and consistent the main application areas of
particle size. graphite crayons. Due to their
large diameter, they provide a
lush, rigorous stroke. If the
graphite crayon has no wrap-
ping or casing, its entire length
can be used to lay down the
colour on large surfaces.
Graphite crayons can be sharp-

ened with sharpeners or emery
boards.
Graphite crayons are also fre-

quently ground to a powder. This
powder is suited for smudging.
By using the smudging tech-
nique it is possible to achieve
various outcomes, depending on
the degree of hardness. The soft-
er the crayon, the more easily it
can be smudged.
2.6
Artist’s crayons
By variably exerting light or Unlike colour pencils that

vigorous pressure when drawing adhere to just about all types of
it is possible to create diverse paper, they require a drawing
grey shades, which is ideal for background of a certain rough-
high-contrast drawing, writing ness. Pastel crayons are there-
and sketching. fore mainly used for surface-
covering painting on soft, fine-
Graphite Pure can be sharpened grained or velvety velour paper
with a conventional pencil shar- or on heavy paper with a coarse-
pener. grained surface.
It is also possible to draw on

PASTEL CRAYONS stone or asphalt. This attribute
extends the pastel crayons’
Pastel crayons have been used as application options when com-
a drawing medium since the pared with other products, e. g.
15th century. The term “pastel” colour pencils.
is derived from the Italian word
“pasta” (dough), because in the Pastel crayons are available in
past pigments used to be knead- rectangular or cylindrical for-
ed into a dough with the aid of a Their pigment content is very mat. The degrees of hardness on
binding agent. high when compared to other offer range between the softer
painting crayons. Only very and harder end of the scale,
Pastel crayons consist essential- small amounts of wax, grease or according to the manufacturer.
ly of organic and inorganic fine- oil are used, if any. That is why
ly pulverised pigments, inorgan- pastel crayons smudge easily
ic fillers (such as clay, calci- and must ultimately always be
um carbonate, pumice powder, fixed with lacquer. (The wax
quartz powder, kaolin) as well content ensures the adhesion of
as small quantities of binding the colour on the background.)
agents (e.g. cellulose derivates). It can be reduced to a minimum
The ingredients are kneaded only on very coarse-grained sur-
together and pressed into the faces.
particular shape.
Pastel crayons without lubricat-
Pastel crayons are dried, as the ing or binding agents can be
sensitive colour pigments would ground to a fine powder and are
otherwise become charred due suited for the same techniques
to the intense heat generated as graphite crayons. They can be
during the firing process. painted together with oils.
2.6
Artist’s crayons
PASTEL PENCILS style and the size of the motif. earth/soil. In contrast to pastel
Pastel pencils are designed as a crayons, they now contain inor-
Pencil-shaped pastel crayons are supplement for particularly ganic pigments (metallic oxides).
called pastel pencils. The crayon detailed work. The wood casing
is pressed into a lead shape and protects the fingers against There are two types of crayons,
subsequently dried. Pastel pen- staining. fired and unfired. Fired crayons
cils are ideal for detail, fine are harder and more brittle. The
lines and hatching. colour pigments are not easily
MONOCHROME rubbed into the paper and must
Just like pastel crayons, they CRAYONS AND PENCILS therefore be fixed. On the other
smudge easily and must be hand, special binding agents
fixed. The term “monochrome” means provide the unfired crayons with
“non-colour” painting. It in- a soft and ductile consistency.
The decision whether to use cludes all important colours and The pigments are thus rubbed
pastel crayons in their tradition- shades for working in the con- into the paper, however, fixing
al crayon or wood-cased pencil trast areas light-dark or black- should be dispensed with. Many
form depends on the artist’s white. colour shades are available for
both the fired (colour shade
Monochrome crayons include variant with a rougher charac-
red chalk, sepia, umber and man- ter) and the unfired (original
ganese brown crayons or even colour shade) versions.
white and also black crayons.
These crayons are either grease-
free or grease-based. Grease-
free crayons can be wiped or
smudged relatively easily and
are wet-paintable. The colour is
deposited rather loosely on the
Monochrome crayons are essen- drawing surface and should
tially designed like pastel always be fixed.
crayons. They are particularly
rich in light-fast pigments and Grease-based crayons have a
have few binding agents. stronger paper adhesion due to
their oil and wax based binding
The colour range is limited to agent. They have a ductile
earthy tones and shades. Origi- stroke with a satin-finish sur-
nally the colours were made face. They are also more diffi-
from earth colours: White was cult to wipe or smudge, only
blended from limestone, black partially erasable but do not
from charcoal and brown from necessarily have to be fixed.
2.6
Artist’s crayons
FABER-CASTELL pencils are studies. There are various gra- The relatively ductile stroke can
distinguishable as grease-free or duations, from English Red to be water-painted, wiped, smud-
grease-based by virtue of their the violet-like Red Brown. The ged or brightened with plasticine.
design: Grease-free pencils have red chalk colour does not exist
an end trim and grease-based as such. OIL CRAYONS
pencils have an end cap.
The basis for red chalk is a fine Oil crayons consist of inorganic
The decision whether to use clay that contains iron oxide and and/or organic pigments, fatty
monochrome crayons in their is processed into leads after acid derivates, oils and waxes as
traditional crayon or wood- being pulverised. well as fillers.
cased pencil form depends on
the artist’s style and the size of Sepia
the motif. Monochrome pencils Sepia was originally
are designed as a supplement a liquid drawing co-
for particularly detailed work. lour. Today, this dark
The wood casing protects the brown colour is
fingers against staining. made from synthetic
dyes. Sepia colour
Red chalk shades are mostly
Red chalk can be described as used for portrait and
the classical drawing material. nude studies as well
as landscapes.
White crayons
White crayons
are irreplace-
able for work-
ing on tinted
or black paper Oil crayons adhere to almost all
as well as for surfaces, even smooth ones. No
brightening red fixing is required. They are
chalk motifs and water-resistant, paintable with
charcoal draw- turpentine or benzene but not
ings. water-paintable. They can be
partially smudged when dry.
Black crayons The colours provide good cover-
A common shade is a deep and Black crayons age, are deep and rich and have
rich adobe colour hue, particu- are available in a very soft, intensive and
larly used for nude drawings and various degrees smooth colour stroke quality
portraits as well as for body of hardness. with lustreless to matt or satin-
2.6
Artist’s crayons
finish glossy surfaces. Oil cray- AQUARELLE CRAYONS

ons are difficult to correct and
are not erasable. Aquarelle crayons essentially
consist of organic and inorganic
Oil crayons are suitable for a finely pulverised pigments,
wide variety of techniques such inorganic fillers (such as clay,
as the Encaustic or ironing tech- calcium carbonate, kaolin) and
nique (paint-spreading tech- in some instances lubricating
nique using heat) or the scrap- and emulsifying agents.
ing (sgraffito) technique (colour
layers can be placed on top of The properties of aquarelle
each other and can be removed crayons are in many ways simi-
later). lar to those of oil or wax
crayons. Unlike the latter they
Oil crayons should not be sub- are water-paintable, easier to
jected to higher temperatures correct and easier to remove
(approx. 50° C), as they become from smooth surfaces.
soft when heated due to their
high wax content.
2.7
Charcoal
CHARCOAL
DRAWING CHARCOAL charcoal is the darkest, deepest removed with an eraser brush or
black ever made by man. plasticine.
Drawing charcoal is made syn-
thetically from a fine mixture of It is used for working on large
carbon black (soot), charcoal areas. Charcoal lines are easily
and clay with an admixture wiped or smudged with a finger,
of binding agents. Depending stump (estompe), brush or cloth.
on the mix of these compo- It can only be removed with
nents, degrees of hardness from plasticine. Fixing is unavoid-
“extra soft” to “extra hard” are able!
achieved. These various degrees
of hardness allow finely nuan- Drawing charcoal is available in
ced graduations from the bright- two versions: Round rod-shaped
est grey to the darkest black. drawing charcoal is very well
suited for working on large
areas, while charcoal pencils
with an additional wood-casing
are particularly suited for fine,
detailed work.
NATURAL WOOD-
CHARCOAL STICKS
Wood-charcoal sticks are partic-
Wood-charcoal sticks are one of ularly suited for studying pur-
humanity’s oldest drawing me- poses, sketches and are often
diums. It is made from soft and, used for preparatory drawings in
to the extent possible, resin-free oil painting because of the ease
wood (e. g. lime-tree wood, with which they are removed.
hazelnut wood or birchwood For this purpose the charcoal on
rods). The twigs and branches the canvass is tap-dusted with a
are heated under the exclusion cloth. Hardly any perceptible
of air, until they are thoroughly patterns remain.
carbonised. Wood-charcoal has
Drawing charcoal is pressed a bluish stroke that is easily Natural wood-charcoal sticks
into the relevant shape and wiped and corrected. are available as round rods in
fired. It is characterised by a diameters of approx. 3 to 14 mm
soft stroke and a lush, rich glid- The extremely brittle material for large-surface work or in
ing action on paper. An out- adheres only lightly to paper. wood-cased pencil form for
standing feature of drawing Therefore the lines can easily be fine, detailed work.
2.8
Mechanical pencils
MECHANICAL PENCILS
Mechanical pencils are defined good quality result as the pencil weight now causes it to
as pencils holding a lead inside can no longer be held properly. drop down out of or into
a barrel by means of a clamping the pencil, depending on
mechanism. Releasing the clam- FABER-CASTELL had already whether the tip is point-
ping mechanism by pressing or solved this problem in the 40’s ing up or down.
twisting the pencil results in the with the introduction of the so-
lead dropping or being trans- called TK clutch pencils, which Releasing the push-
ported towards the tip. used leads of a similar thick- button reclamps the lead.
ness to conventional wood-cased
pencils. (Incidentally, the TK The barrels of propelling
trademark registered by FABER- pencils made by German
CASTELL represents the Ger- manufacturers contain
man initials for the main user predominantly recyclable
groups of technicians [Tech- plastics and metals. It is
niker] and artists [Künstler].) not customary to use
PVC.
TK CLUTCH PENCIL
ADVERTISING POSTER FROM THE 60’S In the 60’s a new manufacturing
process made it possible to The thicker leads of most clutch
Depending on the thickness of develop the extremely fine, yet pencils have the same composi-
the lead or the release mode of break-resistant, polymer leads tion as those of wood-cased
the clamping mechanism, me- that resulted in the introduction pencils and colour pencils, but
chanical pencils are divided into of fine-point pencils. are somewhat shorter.
clutch pencils, fine-point pen-
cils and propelling pencils. Special sharpeners have been
CLUTCH PENCILS developed for sharpening the
leads of clutch pencils. Some
HISTORICAL Functional principle and pencil models are equipped with
OVERVIEW technical design a small sharpener integrated in
A lead is housed inside a syn- the push-button.
A pencil has the disadvantage thetic barrel and is retained by a
that its length continues to clamping chuck. Advantages of the clutch
decrease with increasing use. pencil
When working on high-quality By pressing the push-button, the In comparison with a wood-
drawings, it thus becomes in- clamping chuck is opened and cased pencil that is sharpened
creasingly difficult to achieve a releases the lead. The lead’s own and becomes ever shorter, a
2.8
Mechanical pencils
clutch pencil retains a consistent Extremely fine and compara- push-button is pulled off
length and is always comfort- tively break-resistant special the upper end of the pen-
able when held in one’s hand. leads, so-called polymer leads, cil and the opening of
are used in fine-lead pencils. the lead sleeve can
The lead can be worn down sub- The barrel of the pencil contains be cleaned from
stantially further than a pencil a storage tube for refill leads, the tip with the
and is thus almost completely which can usually be filled at cleaning needle.
utilised. the upper end. It is recommend-
ed not to load the pencil with Many fine-lead pencils have an
Clutch pencils are mechanically more than three refill leads, as eraser (replacements can usually
simple and therefore very robust. the leads may otherwise get be purchased) at the upper end,
jammed and fail to slide into the which is either firmly attached
lead slide mechanism. to the push-
FINE-LEAD PENCILS button or
Fine-lead pencils are available pencil top or
The design structure of fine- for lead diameters of 0.35 mm, screwed in
lead pencils is similar to that of 0.5 mm, 0.7 mm and 1.00 mm. and out like a
clutch pencils. They also feature They are colour-coded in accor- lipstick.
a clamping chuck which retains dance with the DIN 6775 stan-
the lead. dard. Yellow stands for a line Market research has shown that
width of 0.35 mm, brown for 0.5 many people do not like to write
However, in addition to the mm, blue for 0.7 mm and with a fine-lead pencil, because
clamping mechanism they also orange for 1.00 mm. the most common lead diameter
have a spring-loaded push me- of 0.5 mm tends to break very
chanism. When pressing the Lead diameters and lengths are easily. FABER-CASTELL there-
push-button, not only is the lead designated by DIN ISO 9177-2. fore introduced the 0.7 mm lead
released but it is simultaneously for breakproof writing and res-
advanced a short distance. This After some time, lead residues timulated the sales of fine-point
mechanism is called a feed may collect in the clamping pencils. In many writing pen-
mechanism. In some models the chuck and block the feed mech- cils, the lead is also cushioned
feed mechanism is activated anism. Therefore many models in order to reduce the breakage
automatically, when the pencil are equipped with a cleaning risk.
is lifted off the paper. (>Lead needle, which is usually at-
slide mechanism) tached at the push-button. The
2.8
Mechanical pencils
Fine-lead pencils are available “pocket-safe” transport of the These pencils are prima-
with different lead holder types: pencil. rily designed for writing
and sketching. They are
Fixed lead slide mechanism not suitable for technical
The lead tube is in a fixed drawing.
mounting. Prior to drawing or
writing the lead must be The lead sleeve in a
advanced through the lead slide-back lead slide me-
sleeve by pressing the push-but- chanism system can also
ton once. This provides a writ- be resiliently mounted.
ing output of about 2 metres This is called “Cushion
without the need to re-activate Point”.
the push-button.
Automatic feed mech-
These pencils are particularly anism
suitable for technical drawing Slide-back lead slide With this function the
with rulers, templates and sten- mechanism push-button needs to be
cils. In this system the lead tube is pressed only once and
mounted resiliently (“sliding the lead is automatically
pipe”). This makes writing more advanced.
comfortable and the lead more
breakproof. Because of the The light pressure exert-
slide-back action of the lead ed on the lead by the
tube during writing, this system virtue of the writing
provides a longer writing output action causes it to move within
without the need to re-activate the lead sleeve and slide a little
the push-button when compared towards the tip, so that there is
with the fixed lead slide mecha- always a small amount of lead
nism. protruding from the lead sleeve
Fixed and retractable lead and available for writing.
slide mechanism
This lead slide mechanism sys- The advantages of the auto-
tem is functionally identical to matic feed mechanism include
the fixed lead slide mechanism comfortable handling and the
but has the advantage that the fact that the lead hardly ever
sleeve can be fully inserted into breaks, thus reducing lead
the barrel by simultaneously wastage.
pressing the push button and
pushing the sleeve onto the
paper. This system ensures a
2.8
Mechanical pencils
The advantages of the polymer lead (with a lead diam- MULTIFUNCTION

fine-lead pencil eter of 1.4 mm). WRITING
In comparison with a wood-cased INSTRUMENTS
pencil that is sharpened and The fine-point pencil lead hold-
becomes ever shorter, a fine-lead er has the capacity to hold up to Historical overview
pencil retains a consistent length 5 polymer fine-point leads (1 in The pencil is ideally suited for
and is always comfortable when the lead sleeve, 4 in the lead sketching and writing. However,
held in one’s hand. tube). As with the regular where the written text has to be
retractable pencil, it is better not indelible or carbon copies need
In comparison with clutch pen- to charge this type of pencil to be filled in, the ballpoint pen
cils, fine-lead pencils do not with more than 3 refill leads. is the instrument of choice.
need to be sharpened and thus That way, they cannot get
maintain a consistent line width wedged or jammed. As is to be expected, prolific
during writing and drawing. writers in particular demand a
pen that combines the features
of several systems. The idea of
PROPELLING the multifunction pen was born.
PENCILS
The multi-colour ballpoint pen
There are two types of pro- became popular back in the 60’s
pelling pencils. The first type is and offered a selection of four
the classical retractable pencil, different colour refills within
where the pressure on the mech- one pen. The 4-colour pens
anism is exerted by a rotational remained relatively popular for
motion. several years but have gradually
disappeared from the market.
The other type is equipped with
a continuously adjustable rota- Today, the multifunction pen
tional mechanism, which is acti- remains in demand, in particular
vated to retract or advance the for two of its applications – the
lead by twisting the barrel coun- pencil and the ballpoint pen.
terclockwise or clockwise.
In recent times, the market has
The lead used is either a thicker, been increasingly offering mul-
“conventional” pencil lead or a tifunction pens that go beyond
incorporating a pencil and a
ballpoint pen, by additionally
including a marker (Tri-Pen) or
IT-stylus to safely write on touch-
screens of handheld computers.
2.8
Mechanical pencils
Functional principle
and technical design
Inside the barrel of the multifunc-
tion pen are a ballpoint pen lead
and a scaled-down version of a
retractable pencil mechanism.
Multifunction pens incorporate

different mechanisms for prese-
lecting the desired writing sys-
tem – this is primarily done by
twisting the lower section
against the barrel.
The rotational motion is con-

verted to a lifting motion and
thus pushes either the ballpoint
pen lead or the pencil mecha-
nism towards the tip.
Just like with a regular re-

tractable pencil, a push-button ink-paste, the writing length of
at the upper end of the multi- multifunction pen leads is short-
function pen activates the for- er than with conventional large-
ward feed of the lead by a capacity leads. It is recommend-
defined length. ed to advise customers of this
aspect or even offer a spare
The fine-lead pencil lead holder refill at the time of purchase.
has the capacity for up to 5 (1 in
the lead sleeve, 4 in the lead The lead tube is resiliently
tube) polymer fine-lead leads. mounted (“Cushion Point”) and
As with the regular retractable thus provides a comfortable
pencil, it is better not to charge writing action. An exchangeable
this type of pencil with more eraser is located under the push-
than 3 refill leads. That way, button.
they cannot get wedged or
jammed. The thickness of polymer leads
in multifunction pens is current-
Owing to the smaller lead size ly limited to 0.5 mm and 0.7
and resultant lower supply of mm in many cases.
2.9
Leads
LEADS
PENCIL LEADS
Composition
Pencil leads consist of the fol-
lowing basic ingredients:
• Graphite
• Clay
• Grease/wax impregnation
Graphite is the colourant ingre-

dient of the lead. Graphite pro-
vides the blackness. Clay acts as
the binding agent, giving the
lead shape and strength follow-
ing the firing process. The Further processing includes drying process, the raw leads
grease/wax impregnation gives homogenising the material in are fired for one hour at 900° C.
the lead additional strength, In the final finishing step the
gliding quality and blackness, now porous leads are soaked in
while improving adhesion to the a grease/wax bath. That is how
writing surface. the leads obtain their specific
writing quality.
Manufacture
The two basic materials graphite Degrees of hardness
and clay must be cleaned of any The lead’s hardness is deter-
impurities prior to processing. mined by the mixing ratio of
mixers or kneaders. The mixed graphite and clay.
material is subsequently pressed
into lead strands. Following the The greater the graphite content,
the softer and blacker the lead.
The greater the clay content, the
harder (less black) the lead.
The origin of the lead’s hardness

designations with specific let-
ters cannot be determined with
absolute certainty. The actual
Finely ground graphite and custom of grading pencils in
purified clay are mixed in accor- order to identify the blackness
dance with precisely specified, of the stroke probably originat-
designated formulas. ed in France.
2.9
Leads
These designations are most like-

ly derived from English expres-
sions. Thus, B designated Black
and H meant Hard, while the
added number indicated increas-
ing blackness or hardness. F may
have stood for Firm or Fine Point.
The classification of degrees of

hardness has never been unam-
biguously standardised interna-
tionally, which is why the exact
designation still depends on
each manufacturer.
Generally, the harder leads are

labelled with the letter H and the
softer ones with the letter B. By
placing a number in front of the
letter it is possible to define var- “dual” system, i.e. the hardness cil lead with the same breaking
ious degrees of hardness. For degree designation is made up strength. The polymer skeleton
instance, a 6H lead is harder of letters and numbers) results from the heating of plas-
than a 4H. FABER-CASTELL tics or of the wood ingredient
supplies its famous classic, the 1 2 2 1/2 3 4 lignin.
Castell 9000, in 16 degrees of (2B) (B) (HB) (H) (2H)
hardness. The raw leads are impregna-
ted with a grease/wax mixture,
The more precise a drawing is POLYMER LEADS just like conventional
intended to turn out, the harder pencil leads.
the pencil ought to be. Just like the leads of wood-
cased pencils, fine-point pencil Heavy metals such as
Hardness designations: leads contain graphite as the lead, cadmium and
B = Black colourant ingredient. chrome are not used.
H = Hard
HB = Hard Black = medium Rather than clay (as in pencils) The leads of fine-
hard the binding agent is a carbon point pencils are
F = Firm skeleton (“polymer skeleton”), available in diameters
which renders the leads more of 0.35 mm, 0.5 mm,
Degrees of hardness alternative- elastic. Therefore, a lead can be 0.7 mm, 1.0 mm and
ly expressed in numbers: (as a substantially thinner than a pen- 1.4 mm.
2.9
Leads
The advantages of The filler used is predominantly Like other colour leads they are
polymer leads kaolin (porcelain clay), a miner- not fired and therefore do not
Compared with pencil leads, al named after the Kaolin moun- reach the high breaking strength
polymer leads are more break- tain in China. values of the polymer fine-lead
proof and can therefore be made leads.
significantly thinner. Sharpe- The impregnating agents do not
ning is thus no longer necessary. only increase the strength and
gliding quality of the lead, but
Polymer leads provide very also ensure a uniform stroke
good coverage and produce dark laydown during writing and
black, lush lines of uniform drawing.
width.
Leads with a water-resistant
Their stroke is soft and easily stroke contain grease/wax mix-
erasable. tures as impregnating agents.
Wax emulsifier and/or surfac-

COLOUR LEADS tants are used to render leads
water-paintable. Emulsifiers are
Composition substances that make the mixing
Colour leads consist of of ingredients such as water and
• Colour pigments oil possible in the first place. They are usually available in
• Impregnating agents Natural emulsifying agents in- three standard colours (red,
(greases, waxes) clude lecithin and emulsifiers blue, green) and in 0.5 mm lead
• Binding agents made up of fatty acids. stroke width.
• Fillers
Unlike pencil leads, colour pen-
A special quality attribute cil leads are not fired but dried ENVIRONMENT AND
of colour leads is the only, as the sensitive pigments WASTE DISPOSAL
light-fastness of the ap- would be destroyed by the
plied colour. Their light- intense temperatures generated German manufacturers of pen-
fastness is primarily de- during the firing process. cils and colour pencils do not
termined by the quality of use toxicologically dangerous
the colour pigments. heavy metals or heavy metal
POLYMER compounds in their products.
Binding agents give shape COLOUR LEADS Such heavy metals or heavy
and strength to the lead. metal compounds could only
They are predominantly Polymer colour leads are also find their way into those prod-
cellulose derivates similar made from polymeric synthe- ucts as pigment impurities or
to wallpaper paste. tics. through mineral raw materials.
2.9
Leads
There would only be trace con-

centrations of these substances,
well below the prescribed ambi-
ent standard. The use and waste
disposal of wood-cased pencils
is unproblematic as they are
made of innocuous raw materi-
als.
2.10
Paste-ink pens
PASTE-INK PENS
Liquid-ink writing instruments BALLPOINT PENS It was only in 1938 that the
are defined as pens, where the Hungarian Biró succeeded in
writing fluid is transported via a Historical overview manufacturing a suitable oil-
feeder system to the tip and sub- Even before the turn of the 20th based paste and register a patent
sequently deposited onto the century several ideas had for the ballpoint pen we know
writing surface. cropped up on how to simplify today.
and decrease the cost of the
unwieldy fountain pen by using In 1946, the ballpoint pen set off
a ballpoint tip. In 1910, Michael on its victory tour around the
Baura from Munich obtained world from South America,
the earliest ballpoint pen patent where Biró had emigrated for
for his “writing instrument with political reasons. Today, far
a rolling tip”. However, the more than a billion ballpoint
inventors at that time were not pens are manufactured each
able to come up with a solution year.
of the main problem, namely
producing an appropriate ink. Functional principle
BALLPOINT PENS
Ballpoint pens are available as
ADVERTISING POSTER FROM THE 50’S
disposable (ballpoint stick pens)
utensils and as classical ball-
The different types of liquid point pens with refills.
writing media include highly
viscous pastes, inks of lower At the lower end of the lead, a
viscosity and gels. ball is set in rotary motion
through the writing movement.
An ink feeder is either an
absorptive reservoir or a storage
receptacle with a pressure-com-
pensating regulator.
These writing instruments also

differ from each other in their
writing tips: The tips are either
equipped with a metal ball or a
fibre or metal-clad plastic tip.
2.10
Paste-ink pens
In doing so, it takes up paste ball through overpressure. Various international standards
from the lead and deposits it These leads can be used for provide the basis for testing the
onto the paper. writing in space or under water, indelible writing qualities of
and even for overhead writing. pastes and inks. (Ballpoint pen
Technical design paste: ISO 127 57-2, Ballpoint
The barrels of ballpoint pens are The design of ballpoint pens pen liquid ink: ISO 14145-2)
made of either metal or plastic allows them to be used with
and usually contain a replace- strong writing pressure and
able lead. The lead tubes are makes them ideal for filling in
made of plastic (mostly trans- carbon copy forms.
parent or coloured polypropy-
lene) or brass (or nickel silver). Ballpoint pen ink pastes
The multi-coloured ballpoint In order to comply with these
At the tip the ball rolls inside a pen ink pastes are highly vis- standards, the paste or ink must
ball socket and is supplied with cous (thick like honey) solu- demonstrate unerasability, etha-
the ink-paste via minuscule tions. They consist of synthetic nol resistance, hydrochloric acid
grooves (so-called paste chan- dyestuffs, synthetic resins and resistance, ammonia resistance,
nels). As the ball provides clo- organic solvents (e. g. phenoxy bleaching resistance, water re-
sure of the lead at the tip, no cap ethanol and propandiol). sistance and light-fastness with-
or other device is required to in prescribed test parameters as
prevent the lead from drying well as guarantee a certain writ-
out. Ballpoint pens are ready to TECHNICAL REQUIRE- ing behaviour. Only then can a
write immediately after placing MENTS FOR PASTE paste or ink be called indelible
them on the paper. INKS AND LIQUID INKS (“document-proof ”).
Ball and ball socket are ar- Indelible writing For the purpose of achieving
ranged in a highly precise fash- The paste must be indelible this indelible writing status, cer-
ion. Variations in the diameter (safe for archiving and forgery- tain highly resistant colourants
of the ball must be less than a proof) if the ballpoint pen is to (colour pigments or dyestuffs)
hundredth of a millimetre. be used in the various areas of can be admixed to the paste.
official documentation and
The lead is sealed at the upper (cash) accounting. The indelible Refill leads bearing the ISO
end in order to prevent the paste writing requirements also in- logo thus possess a high writing
from leaking. clude light-fastness, so that legi- quality and are suitable for
bility can be ensured in the long indelible writing purposes.
Special leads exist, where the term.
ink paste is pressed against the Water resistance
Lines are water-resistant if they
remain visually close to un-
changed and are not perceptibly
2.10
Paste-ink pens
dissolved after applying a water • Ballpoint pens can be used and ink rollers. The secret of gel
droplet. with strong writing pressure, ink pens lies in their advanta-
making them suitable for fill- geous and special writing quali-
ing in carbon copy forms. ties: gel is a particular writing
• The stroke of a ballpoint pen medium that combines the
is in most cases indelible, i.e. advantages of ballpoint pen ink
it cannot be erased. pastes and roller ball inks.
• Ballpoint pens boast a very
long writing length. During writing, the ball is set in
rotary motion in the tip, just as
with ballpoint pens. The rotating
GEL INK PENS ball takes up gel from the lead
tube and deposits it onto the
The water resistance of the paste Historical overview paper.
or ink is achieved by the use of Although the “ballpoint pen
water-resistant pigments or the with gel ink” technology dates A prerequisite for the gel ink
addition of fixing resins. back to 1993, it did not for a pen’s mode of operation is the
long time play a significant role fact that the writing gels liquefy
ISO 12757-2 standard provides in the international market. (= decreased viscosity) under
the basis for testing the water the influence of mechanical
resistance of pastes and ISO However, consumers gradually force, e. g. the ball’s rotational
14145-2 for inks. Refill leads discovered the benefits of gel motion during writing, and
bearing the ISO logo are ink pens, i. e. a pleasantly fluid “resolidify” after the cessation
endorsed for indelible writing. writing action and substantial of the mechanical force.
coverage even on dark paper. (Thixotropy: derived from the
The advantages of the This, however, only applies to Greek “thixomai” = I will touch,
ballpoint pen certain colours. Gel ink pens and “tropé” = change, metamor-
• The ballpoint pen retains a made it possible to write in gold phosis)
consistent length and is thus and silver.
always comfortable when held Particularly attractive for the
in one’s hand. Functional principle user are the metallic gels that
• Ballpoint pens do not need to From a technical point of view, are especially suited for strik-
be sharpened and thus maintain gel ink pens can be classified as ingly effectual writing on dark
a consistent line width during a step between ballpoint pens paper.
writing.
2.10
Paste-ink pens
Technical design ink pens. It contains a “TC” Some gel ink pens have a spe-
The mechanical de- (tungsten carbide) ball and pro- cial feature that prevents stain-
sign of gel ink pens is vides a pleasantly smooth writing one’s clothes when placing
very similar to a ball- ing action. As with ballpoint the pen inside a pocket. The
point pen. pens, the diameter of the ball retractable system responsible
affects the stroke width and for moving the lead back into
The gel is generally writing action. the barrel is actuated by lifting
located inside a cylin- the clip slightly to insert the pen
drical, mostly trans- Gel ink pens are available as into one’s pocket.
parent plastic tube (the disposable pens as well as with
lead), which is also refills. Advantages of the gel ink pen
frequently housed in a Gel ink pens are available in
transparent casing. There are “cap-less” pens with a many diverse colours. Most
retractable system like that of colours can be written on dark
The lead is sealed ballpoint pens, or pens with or even on very light-coloured
towards the upper end clip-on caps. surfaces. Some colours are also
by means of a silicon indelible.
“piston-plug”. This
piston plug sits direct- Gel ink pens provide a smooth
ly on top of the gel and and pleasant writing action.
moves down along the
refill towards the tip at The gel does not run or spread
the same pace as the even on absorptive paper.
gel in front of it gets
used up. The ink level is easily monitored
through a transparent barrel and
Thanks to the high viscosity of lead tube.
the gel, there is no need for a
compensating regulator to Most gel ink pens are refillable
ensure that the ball receives the and thus represent a reusable
correct quantity of gel at any writing utensil for environmen-
given time. tally aware purchasers!
Systems derived (with minor

modifications) from the roller
technology are preferred for use
as the tip for gel ink pens. The
roller tip is made of metal and
able to withstand extreme loads,
just like with standard ballpoint
2.10
Paste-ink pens
COMPARISON OF Writing length of a ballpoint pen

GEL INK PENS WITH
BALLPOINT PENS
When compared with ballpoint

pens, it can happen that gel ink
pens do not immediately start to
write and that they have to be
“brought back to life” by a few
vigorous strokes.
Due to their usually greater ball

approx. 10,000 metres
diameter, gel ink pens deposit
more gel on paper than ballpoint Writing length of a gel ink pen
pens lay down paste, which is
why they need to be refilled
much sooner.
The writing length of gel ink

pens is therefore significantly
shorter than that of ballpoint
pens. (Ballpoint pens approx.
10,000 metres, gel ink pens
approx. 600 to 1,300 metres
depending on the ball diameter).
approx. 600 to 1,300 metres
It is recommended to advise
customers of this aspect or even
offer a spare refill at the time of
purchase.
2.11
Liquid-ink pens
LIQUID-INK PENS
Liquid-ink based writing instru- It becomes apparent that the all types of fibre pens, from
ments use two different types of fluid in the tube with the smaller children’s products to fibre pens
ink feed systems: The absorptive diameter rises higher than in the for artists, right through to
reservoir or storage system and tube with the larger diameter. marking pens and text high-
the direct filling system, the lat- lighters.
ter also known as the “free-ink-
system” or “direct-ink-system”. Pen tips in absorptive
reservoir systems
Various alternative designs are
ABSORPTIVE used in the tips of absorptive
RESERVOIR SYSTEM reservoir systems.
Functional principle and The stroke width of the pen is

technical design of the barrel determined by the thickness and
In an absorptive reservoir sys- shaping of the wick. Fibre pens
tem, the barrel cavity is filled An absorptive reservoir made of differ in their scope of applica-
with an absorptive storage space synthetic fibres consists of a tion and resultant writing tips.
(a “sponge”-like reservoir) con- tube system storing the writing Generally, for marking and
taining the ink. Attached to this fluid. During the writing painting purposes one uses
reservoir is a connecting wick, process, ink is continuously fed wider tips than with products
through which the ink is con- to the paper and since the nar- intended for writing.
veyed to the pen’s tip. rower cavities in the tip cause a
greater capillary effect than The fibre tip:
the larger ones inside For longer line widths of more
the absorptive reser- than 0.5 mm the conventional
voir, there is a “suc- fibre tip is used. This is made of
tion effect” towards adhesive-bonded fibres shaped
the tip. into a tip. Fibre tips are mainly
used in markers and felt-tip pens
Thus, upon coming into contact for children.
The basis for the function of the with the paper the ink is con-
absorptive reservoir system is stantly redrawn, which explains The extruded synthetic tip:
the behaviour of fluids in nar- why the ink flow of a fibre pen Where finer line widths of
row tubes, which is called the is almost never interrupted – upwards of approximately 0.1
capillary effect. even though the fibre tip is mm are desired, the convention-
briskly moved along the ab- al fibre tip cannot be used. Finer
This physical effect can be visu- sorbent paper. fibre tips would break off or
alised by immersing tubes of kink during use. That is why an
varying diameter in a basin Liquid-ink writing instruments extruded synthetic tip is used,
filled with a coloured liquid. with reservoir systems include reinforced by a metal collar.
2.11
Liquid-ink pens
(e. g. the tip of the FABER- FIBRE PENS

CASTELL Finepen 1511)
Historical overview
The roller tip: The first Japanese-made fibre
From a technical point of view, pens came onto the market in
it is the same tip as that of a the late 50’s/early 60’s.
ballpoint pen. It is used with ink
rollers. Several centuries ago, there
were Japanese writing utensils
Today, the quick drying-out of made of a bamboo tube contain-
the uncapped fibre tip is pre- ing a fibrous wick, which fed
vented by adding glycols, as ink to the writing tip. rapid and triumphant success
they regulate the moisture con- around the world to the extent
tent in the tip by absorbing The invention of the fibre pen that today we could not imagine
moisture from the ambient air. was clearly influenced by the schools, nursery schools and
notion of connecting the brush children’s rooms without them.
directly with an ink reservoir in
order to avoid constantly dip- New variants of writing tips also
ping it into the writing fluid. meant an increased acceptance
of this system in the office and
To this end, the brush tip fibres home environment.
needed to be joined together and
consolidated in a fibre tip, as Functional principle
otherwise the ink flow to the tip The tip of a fibre pen basically
could not be assured (capillary works like a wick immersed in a
effect). sponge-like reservoir.
Thanks to its smooth gliding In order to prevent drying out

action on paper as well as the during periods of non-use, fibre
rich colour and luminous lustre pens and felt-tip pens are sealed
of its ink, the fibre pen enjoyed with a cap.
2.11
Liquid-ink pens
DIRECT FILLING tages of the absorptive reservoir COMPARISON OF INKS

SYSTEM system is the fact that continu- WITH GELS
ous writing becomes compro-
Functional principle and mised in the course of its pro- In conventional fountain pen or
technical design gressive depletion, as the ink ink roller inks, the dyes that
This system incorporates an ink requires increasingly more time make up the ink colour are
feed mechanism, similar to that to accumulate in the tip. entirely dissolved in a liquid.
of fountain pens, which ensures
that the ball receives as much Ink fill quantity: Therefore the ink has a very low
ink as is needed for writing at a In direct filling systems the viscosity and penetrates paper
given time, by allowing the entire ink fill quantity is usable, quickly and easily, which in the
same amount of air back into the while a reservoir system only case of some paper categories
tank as the amount of ink utilises 80%. may result in the ink smudging
released. The frequently clearly or permeating the paper.
visible lamellae of the ink feed Ink level monitoring:
mechanism virtually double up In most direct filling systems it is
as a buffer system, where the possible to monitor the ink level
ink can accumulate when not through a level viewing window.
required at the tip. Reservoir systems do not allow
any monitoring of the ink level.
COMPARISON OF THE Leaking of the cartridge

ABSORPTIVE RESER- due to pressure differences:
VOIR SYSTEM WITH Direct filling systems are never
THE DIRECT FILLING completely filled, which is why,
SYSTEM unlike in absorptive reservoir Unlike ink, most gel types con-
systems, there is the possibility tain pigments. (These are small
Ink flow: for both ink and air to expand coloured “granules”.)
The direct filling system en- during changes in pressure (e. g.
sures a generally constant ink on an airplane) or temperature Due to their coarseness, pig-
flow throughout the entire writ- without leaking at the pen’s tip. ments do not penetrate paper so
ing length. One of the disadvan- easily and thus remain predomi-
2.11
Liquid-ink pens
nantly on the paper surface. by consumers due to their provides an agreeable writing
Smudging and/or permeating of smooth sliding writing action. action.
the gel is thus generally not an
issue. Functional principle and As the ink roller can dry out
technical design quickly, it is necessary to always
Furthermore, pigments have the From a technical point of view, recap it during non-use periods
advantage of not colour-fading the ink roller combines the or to equip it with a cartridge-
as readily as dyes when exposed advantages of the ballpoint pen retracting mechanism that also
to UV light – for the most part, and fountain pen. The roller tip seals the tip.
they are more light-resistant. is made of metal and able to
withstand extreme loads, thus In addition, ink roller cartridges
Moreover, gels can also be lus- allowing intense writing pres- have a considerably shorter wri-
trous, fluorescent or indelible. sure e. g. for carbon copies. At ting length than, for instance,
the same time, the even ink flow ballpoint pens.
Due to their higher viscosity
gels have a stronger propensity It is recommended to advise
for drop formation (blots or customers of this aspect or even
blobs) than inks. offer a spare refill at the time of
purchase.
The metallic ingredients of the
metallic colour gels tend to sed-
iment, i. e. they accumulate after
extended “tip down” storage,
resulting in a non-homogenous
colour release.
INK ROLLERS
Historical overview
The ink roller was invented in
Japan in the early 80’s and was
soon enthusiastically accepted
2.12
Markers and highlighters
MARKERS AND HIGHLIGHTERS

DRY MARKERS various application purposes. ments are dispersed (pigmented
The “Marker & Highlighter” inks).
Dry markers look like colour was born.
pencils and are designed in the The filling quantity is up to
same way. As the name indicates, this pro- approx. 7 g for some models.
duct is better suited for marking
However, the leads contain lu- rather than writing. At present, markers are avail-
minous pigments, thus ensuring able with 3 different ink types:
a particularly strong emphasis Functional principle and • Markers with xylene/toluene-
of the highlighted text. technical design based inks
Liquid markers work according • Markers with alcohol-based
Dry markers are sharpened just to the same physical principles inks
like normal colour pencils. as felt-tip pens. • Markers with water-based
inks.
For liquid markers, manufactur-
ers also utilise the physical Markers with xylene/toluene-
behaviour of fluids in narrow based inks are principally used
tubes, the capillary effect, by for outdoor application purposes,
using a tip composed of a large i.e. wherever weather-resistance
number of polyamide or poly- is paramount. However, the
ester fibres and thus creating drawback of these inks is that the
thousands of capillary channels. two solvents xylene and toluene
present a severe odour nuisance
The casings and caps are made and are detrimental to people’s
LIQUID MARKERS of aluminium or plastics (PP health. For this reason, alcohol-
and PS). based inks are also increasingly
Historical overview used for this application purpose,
As the felt-tip pen gained more The ink reservoir consists of a as they are almost odour-neutral
and more acceptance, an in- capillary reservoir (polypropy- and less harmful.
creasing number of specialised lene fibres, polyester fibres or
product variants became part of cellulose acetate). The safest markers are those
the commercial assortment. with water-based inks, and they
Plastics such as polyethylene or are also almost odour-neutral.
The consumer realised that fibre polyester are used as materials
pens could be conveniently used for the tip. The tips of markers are fre-
to mark text passages in all quently designed in such a way
kinds of publications. The ink is water-based or based that it is possible to create
on organic solvents. In both sys- strokes of different width, de-
The tip design and inks of the tems, either colourants are dis- pending on which side of the tip
fibre pens were then adapted to solved (dyestuff inks) or pig- is used.
2.12
TEXT HIGHLIGHTERS After uncapping, the Textliner is Textliner must be replaced with
inserted into specially designed a new one.
These are markers for brightly ink-pot. The content (30 ml) is
highlighting text passages. They sufficient for at least 8 refills.
can be universally used on all OHP MARKERS
different types of paper.
Originally developed for writing
The FABER-CASTELL Text- on overhead transparencies,
liner 48 offers a particularly OHP markers (FABER-CAS-
environmentally friendly refill- TELL Multimark) are enjoying
ing system that assists in signif- increasing popularity as a pen for
icantly reducing plastics waste writing on all smooth surfaces.
in large organisations.
The millions of CDs that are
burnt and need to be labelled
For the refill process, too, the have especially boosted the
capillary effect is utilised. The demand for this type of pens.
ink automatically rises from the
ink-pot through the capillaries
of the tip into the Textliner and
can be used again soon after-
wards. Overfilling the Textliner
is not possible as it only accepts
as much ink as has been deplet-
ed from its reservoir.
This procedure can be repeated

about eight times before the
2.12
A special feature of the FABER- become water-resistant after WHITEBOARD

CASTELL Multimark is the drying are used as binding MARKERS
green eraser at the top of the pen agents.
which erases anything that has Whiteboard mark-
been written with it. Water-based inks require the ers are used on spe-
admixture of preservatives in cially coated white
order to prevent the growth of boards or sheeting
micro-organisms. that can be wiped
clean again with a
For the purpose of distinguish- dry cloth.
ing between the two types, per-
manent pens have a black barrel The most common-
and non-permanent pens a grey ly used inks today
barrel. are alcohol-based.
The two different types of ink In addition, there
are non-permanent (can be FLIPCHART are also inks with a
wiped off with water) and per- MARKERS more intensive o-
manent (water-resistant). dour, that are made
These markers are with esters (e. g.
The non-permanent inks are used for large-scale butyl acetate) and
water-based, while the perma- writing on flipcharts. ketones. As of re-
nent type is alcohol-based. The The leading German cent, water has also been used as
non-permanent inks are not as manufacturers ex- a solvent. Pigments are used as
lightfast and therefore not suited clusively use water- colourants. Water-based inks are
for long-term documentation. based inks. Both preserved in order to prevent
They can be wiped off with a dyestuffs and pig- micro-organisms from taking
moist cloth. ments are used as hold. Synthetic resins that be-
colourants. come water-resistant after dry-
Permanent, alcohol-based inks ing are used as binding agents.
are more wipe-resistant. In re-
cent times, permanent water- Water-based inks do not pene-
based inks have also been intro- trate through the paper, unlike
duced. Synthetic resins that alcohol-based inks!
2.13
Paint markers
PAINT MARKERS
Paint markers are drying process, the applied Valve system handling
suited for water-re- paint becomes a wipe-resistant Shake marker with cap closed
sistant writing, paint- and water-resistant or perma- prior to use, open cap, pump and
ing and marking on nent adhesion on many dark, begin to write on an absorbent
nearly all materials. transparent or smooth back- surface to prevent blotting.
grounds like paper, cardboard, Write until the tip is empty,
They are predomi- papermaché, wood, glass, stone, prior to renewed pumping.
nantly used in the ceramics, plaster/gypsum, can-
private domain (hob- dles, metal, plastics, synthetics, Environment and
by, greeting & con- cork and rubber. Paint markers waste disposal
gratulatory cards are also heat-resistant. They The waste disposal of empty
etc.), but also in in- provide very substantial cover- paint markers should occur as
dustry and in storage age due to their high pigment with other hazardous waste or
management (mark- content. The appearance of the by returning them to the manu-
ing on dark back- writing is characterised by sharp facturer. In most cases, it is just
grounds). outlines, and the light-fastness about impossible to remove
is very good. Paint markers are stains on textiles.
Essential low in odour.
ingredients Presentation, packaging
Paint markers contain The ink consists of large, Paint markers are available in
a water-resistant ink densely grouped pigment parti- many colours as well as metallic
with a high pigment cles designed to achieve good colours and white, in different
content that provides coverage. Paint markers can sizes and barrel diameters, with
a lacquer-like cover- therefore not be based on the different tips (fine, medium,
age. Metal powders capillary effect principle. Paint wide, calligraphy tips) for creat-
are used as pigments markers contain their ink direct- ing various stroke widths. They
to create gold and ly inside the barrel and the ink are available as disposable items
silver shades. Further flow is regulated via a valve as well as with a refill cartridge
components are water system. system. With many paint mark-
or organic solvents ers, foil seals guarantee the
as well as binding The paint is applied directly unused condition of the product.
agents. with the marker. No brushes or In many cases the writing tips
similar utensils are required. are replaceable, even in dispos-
Properties, quality attributes Valve system: Pressure on the able markers.
Paint applications of paint tip opens a valve and releases
markers dry quickly. The drying ink from the tank (these models
times depend on the quantity of do not have an ink reservoir) to
applied paint, the surface and the tip, which is thus soaked
the solvent contained in the from the inside through to the
paint marker ink. Following the outside.
2.14
Technical drawing instruments
TECHNICAL DRAWING
INSTRUMENTS
Technical drawing is also the ruler (4), which has a mil-
referred to as the “language of limetre scale.
sight”. Language is our most
important means of commu- On a drawing board (5) the
(1)
nication, but not always the ruler ensures parallel guidance.
most suitable when precise fac-
tual situations need to be For drawing lines at certain
(3)
expressed. angles set squares (6) are used.
(2) They are commonly available
Technical drawing represents a with 45° and 60°/30° angles.
“language” that can be learnt to
illustrate objects, functions or A goniometer (7) should be
arrangements unambiguously part of the basic equipment for
and clearly. On the basis of drawing any type of angle.
those drawings, the object can
(5) be reproduced at any time or For drawing in exercise books,
tools be produced for manufac- so-called geometry set squares
turing the object. (8) of various designs and sizes
are available.
(6)
Admittedly, in the computer era,
technical drawing does not play Circles, curves and segmen-
the same role as in the past. tations are carried out with a
(7) However, the rules for putting solidly built pair of compasses
technical drawings on paper (9).
continue to apply today.
Ink drawing pens (10) serve to
(4) (8)
Paper (1) is the receiving medi- further develop and refine the
um for a sketch or a drawing. pencil draft.
The most important tool is the For drawing repetitive shapes

pencil or fine-lead pencil (2) in templates and stencils (11) are
its various forms and grades of used.
hardness. It is used to prepare
the drawing.
INK DRAWING PENS
(9) (10)
The eraser (3) is used to delete
(erase) what has been drawn. Instruments for technical draw-
ing and associated fields of
The linear guidance of the pen- activity include ink drawing
cil is attained with the help of pens, technical liner pens, draw-
(11)
2.14
ing inks, fine-lead pencils and It was only in the 17th century Functional principle and
clutch pencils, (special) erasers, that the first slate-pencil-like technical design
drawing boards, drawing tem- shanks with attached steel nibs These precision drawing uten-
plates and set squares. appeared, to be later replaced by sils have a relatively complex
the ruling pen for technical design due to their various
Historical overview drawing. However, working applications.
Drawing ink and associated with this drawing instrument
writing utensils are ancient tools had considerable disadvantages, They essentially consist of plas-
of humans for drawing or writ- especially for the inexperienced. tics like PP, PE, ABS and POM.
ing. Drawing ink was invented
in ancient China as long as The by no means straightfor- The drawing tip casing, adjusting
5,000 years ago. It consisted of ward instilling of drops of ink filament wire, wire weight and
oil, soot, glue and various tinc- between the tongues of the nib other parts critical for function
tures, but their exact composi- had to be frequently repeated and precision are made of metal.
tion was a strictly guarded during the drawing process.
secret. Ink drawing pens are available
The development of tubular with a refill reservoir or dispos-
The Chinese also invented the writing instruments began in the able refill cartridges.
brush as a writing and drawing 30’s. The first stylographic ink
utensil. In our part of the world, pen with a tubular system was Drawing inks ensure that draw-
following numerous develop- launched under the name of ink ings can be archived for long
mental stages, the so-called biro. The system was continually periods. In the case of water-
“writing tube” (reed quill) was improved. Further developments based drawing ink, the light-
used until the early middle ages, and technical improvements fastness required for archival
a thin bamboo tube fashioned in eventually made it possible to purposes is assured by appropri-
the shape of the later feather fill the pen with drawing ink for ate pigments. (black: Carbon
quills and split at the tip. technical drawing purposes. black)
The ink’s adhesion to paper and

foil/film is effected by shellac
or synthetic binding agents. In
addition, partly modified, low-
viscosity gelatine is used to sta-
bilise the pigments. The solvent
used is water, to which polyhy-
dric alcohols are added to
ensure the ink drawing pen’s
functional readiness. Phenol is
one of the substances used to
preserve drawing inks.
2.14
TECHNICAL LINER Soon after the war the idea was Drawing boards must be tor-
PENS thus born to develop a lighter sion-proof and dimensionally
drawing board (A4) made of stable in order to guarantee pre-
Technical liner pens are avail- densified particle board, which cise drawings.
able for various line widths. The allowed the paper to be fastened
composition of technical liner by a wooden strip with clamping They essentially consist of plas-
pens is similar to that of the screws instead of adhesive tics (PS, PAN, POM, PA and
Fineliner and its inks. strips. others). Fittings and clamping
components are also made of
Advances in plastics engineer- plastic.
ing were accompanied by con-
tinuing developments of this The drawing surface is light-
principle, until the relatively coloured, scratch-proof and
primitive wooden board was resistant against compass punc-
transformed into a plastic ver- tures. Guide grooves and rails
sion which did away with most on all four sides enable the pre-
DRAWING BOARDS of the board’s drawbacks for the cise sliding of the parallel draft-
DIN A4 and DIN A3 formats. ing arm with a single-handed
The classical drawing base for lock and release mechanism for
all types of technical drawings use during drawing.
was the wooden drawing board
in various standard formats. Good sliding action between
board and drafting arm ensure
A T-square was used as an aid effortless handling and posi-
when drawing on these boards. tioning.
Adhesive strips were mainly
used to fix the drawing paper on Most drawing boards are made
the board. Some manifest flaws of impact-resistant plastic and
of this utensil, which was con- are resistant against compass
sidered old-fashioned by many, punctures.
were always considered to be a
nuisance, particularly for train- Functional principle and The board size is designed in
ing purposes: technical design such a way that even untrimmed
Drawing boards allow the fixing DIN formats can be used with-
• Unwieldiness and heavy of paper in such a way that it out any problems.
weight during transport does not slip. Parallel sliding
• Method of fixing the drawing rulers as well as drafting heads A releasable sheet tensioning
paper with adjustable angles facilitate rail and a sheet clamp facilitate
• Transport of the awkwardly the precise drawing of parallel the easy insertion and removal
shaped and bulky T-square lines and angled lines. of drawing paper while ensuring
2.14
a secure and damage-free fit of Important quality attributes in- Compass head
the paper. clude: The compass head allows the
user to control the movement of
The dual guide design achieves the compass legs in a precise
a smooth, even gliding of the manner. Different design mod-
parallel ruler. Non-slip rubber els are available. The most com-
feet ensure firm positioning on mon ones are:
the work surface. • Friction head system
(standard)
• Spring-bow head system
COMPASSES (conventional)
Compasses have been known Explanatory notes regarding

since antiquity as instruments DIN standards
for the accurate drawing of cir- DIN standard 58502 distin-
cles. They consist of two articu- guishes between 2 series of
lated legs of equal length which drawing & drafting instruments:
allow them to be spread open at
various angles. The opening Series “S” standard drawing
width determines the radius of instruments for school use
the circle to be drawn. • Extension neck diameter of
3.5 mm
Functional principle Standard drawing instruments
Generally, one leg is equipped are designed in accordance with
with a steel needle to be posi- school purpose requirements in
tioned on the centre point, while relation to performance, quality
the other leg accommodates • Precise leg action free from and durability. They differ from
either an obliquely sharpened play precision drawing instruments
pencil lead or a technical draw- • Smooth mechanism of the in their simpler construction.
ing pen (attached via an adapter). hinged legs
• Securely clamped lead and
Most compasses are made of needle
metal (die-cast aluminium). To • Surface protection against
guarantee performance capabili- corrosion
ty and durability, the surfaces • Specially designed acces-
are varnished, nickel-plated or sories for functionally appro-
chrome-plated. Glass fibre rein- priate use
forced plastics are increasingly
used for the manufacture of
smaller parts.
2.14
Series “P” precision drawing TEMPLATES & Their special properties are:
instruments for professional STENCILS, RULERS, • high-contrast
use SET SQUARES • fast-drying
• Extension neck diameter of • water-resistant
4.0 mm (11.5 mm neck length) Templates & stencils, rulers, set • erasure-proof against lead
• Extension neck diameter ex- squares are made from plastics, pencil erasers (free of abrasive
ception: 3.5 mm (8.5 mm metals or wood. material)
neck length) • lightfast
Precision drawing instruments • can be used in reprography
are designed in accordance with
the most stringent requirements In addition to the above, colour
in relation to performance, qual- inks and foil inks as well as
ity and durability and are thus Templates etching inks for uncoated glass-
predominantly suited for profes- are used to clear foils are available.
sional applications. achieve the posi-
tionally faithful and
The use of the extension bar undistorted transfer of DRAWING SURFACE
extends the operational radius graphic characters and sym- MEDIA (PAPER, FOIL
by up to approx. 150 mm. The bols onto a surface, usually ETC.)
extension bar can be attached to with the aid of a technical draw-
all compasses with an extension ing pen. They are generally Drawing paper
neck diameter of 4 mm. made of PMMA, PP, PS and cel- The principal components of
lulose compounds. drawing paper are cellulose with
Compass needles additives such as glue, fillers
Depending on the size of the In addition to rulers and set and dyestuffs as well as water.
compass, thickness of the leg squares, there are trim rulers de-
profiles and type of bushing, the signed with steel edges. Drawing foil (polyester film)
needle diameters Drawing foils generally consist
range from 1 to 2 of a glass-clear polyester carrier
mm. Irrespective DRAWING INK film, an adhesion promoter, a
of the thickness, lacquer/pigment coating and a
there are essen- Drawing inks are available in var- lacquer topcoat.
tially four model ious compositions adapted to the
types. respective drawing surface media
(paper, foil etc.). The principal WRITING STENCILS
Compass leads components are: water, carbon
With oblique or black and shellac. For technical Writing stencils are important
round tip; 20 mm drawing purposes, black drawing implements for writing and let-
long; Grade of inks are predominantly used. tering on technical drawings in
hardness: 2H particular. The graphic charac-
2.14
ters must have a high Change template from one line

degree of precision to the other, turn over.
and cleanness. Inter-
national cooperation The slot width and paper clear-
is on the increase in ance of writing stencils is
all areas of the econo- always designed to adapt to spe-
my. Companies are cific writing instruments.
increasingly collabo-
rating in various Most of the supply of writing
countries on the same stencils is designed for the dif- Colour Stroke width
projects. Therefore, ferent line widths of technical purple 0.13
technical drawings drawing instruments. red 0.18
must be exchanged white 0.25
between organisa- Standards yellow 0.35
tions, as well as en- The accuracy of fit, regardless brown 0.5
larged or reduced in of the brand, between template blue 0.7
size. Based on these and technical drawing pen is orange 1.0
requirements, an in- regulated by standards: green 1.4
ternationally stan- grey 2.0
dardised lettering type has been DIN 6775
introduced. (The line width Drawing tip casings for techni- DIN 6778
always corresponds to one tenth cal drawing instruments, meas- Writing stencils and drawing
of the letter height.) The lettering urements/dimensions, labelling. templates, measurements/dimen-
DIN standard 6776 and the inter- This DIN standard also includes sions, labelling.
national ISO 3098 standard are the colour-codes for technical
identical these days. drawing pens: Drawing templates
Drawing templates include fre-
Functional principle and quently required symbols and
technical design signs from all areas of construc-
Move the template parallel to tion and drawing technology.
the backrest or leading edge.
Complicated symbols are dis-
Guide the ink drawing pen to sected into sequential single ele-
the edge profiles of the tem- ments on the template and are
plate. equipped with auxiliary lines
for exact positioning.
Align and superimpose the let-
ter, that precedes the next letter During drawing the symbol ele-
to be written, on top of the last ments are reassembled by paral-
written letter. lel shifting.
2.14
Design and function larger than the drawing format,

Drawing templates are generally the objects must be represented
designed for two types of writ- at a reduced size in a correspon-
ing instruments. ding ratio.
1. Clutch pencil (lead pencil), Testing under polar and tro-

fine-lead pencil for prepara- pical conditions verified that
tory drawing, the template FABER-CASTELL architect &
must be placed flat. engineer scales withstand even
extreme heat and cold without
2. Technical drawing pen for dimensional variations.
final drawings. The required
paper clearance is due to the Functional examples:
turning of the template on the If the 10 cm long edge of an
knobbed side (only possible object is to be drawn at a 1 : 2
with symbols that can be rep- scale, the required line length is
resented homologously). marked with the number 10 on
the 1 : 2 scale of the architect
Set squares scale, which corresponds at this
Different designs of set squares reduction ratio to a drawing
are available for geometrical length of 5 cm (10 divided by 2).
and technical drawing. The size
of the set squares is expressed in Triangular architect & engineer
cm (mm) as the hypotenuse scales are available in a variety
length for right-angled squares of division combinations that
and as the length of the long leg meet the requirements of all
for acute angle squares. professional fields.
ARCHITECT &
ENGINEER SCALES
Architect & engineer scales are

part of the indispensable equip-
ment for technical drawing.
Architect & engineer scales facil-

itate the true-to-scale transfer of
the dimensions of the object to be
represented on the drawing paper.
As the original items are mostly
2.15
Erasers
ERASERS
HISTORICAL FUNCTIONAL so-called plantation rubber is
OVERVIEW PRINCIPLE extracted in large plantations in
a way that ensures the economi-
The “first” eraser was most During the erasing motion, small cal use of resources.
probably used by an Italian particles (so-called “crumbs” or
painter who advised his students shavings) are abraded and fill
in the 16th century to wipe out up (“saturate”) with graphite,
pencil strokes with bread. Then thus effecting the cleaning
RED ERASER FOR PENCILS
in 1770 the British naturalist process. Each erasing motion AND COLOUR PENCILS
Priestly pointed out that rubber generates additional crumbs that

(caoutchouc) cubes were ideally detach the preceding ones and These trees are grown as a
suited for erasing. reinforce the cleaning action. renewable resource in large rub-
ber plantations and regularly
pruned for seven years, so that
NATURAL RUBBER they can be used as mature trees
ERASERS for rubber extraction for a peri-
od of 13 years. After a total of
Material composition 20 years, the “old trees” are
The principal component of the processed as timber for the fur-
natural rubber eraser are: niture industry.
• Natural rubber The major producing countries

• Factice in the East Asia region are
• Sulphur Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand
• Quartz powder and and Sri Lanka.
• Fillers
He thus called this substance
“Indian Rubber”. Although the Natural rubber
“rubber” came from America, it “Caoutchouc” is an Indian word
was customary at the time to which translates as “weeping
label everything coming from tree”. The eraser’s principal in-
America as Indian and this ingredient was originally ex- WHITE ERASER FOR PENCILS
accurate name remains with us tracted from the latex milk (sap)
today. of a tropical tree (Hevea brasi- The rubber milk, which is called
liensis) of the Amazon region as latex, is extracted by cutting V-
Rubber is still being referred to so-called “wild caoutchouc”. shaped grooves into the bark of
as Indian Rubber, however, the the tree. The latex milk is exud-
term has somewhat more credi- Since the end of the 19th cen- ed in drops and collected in
bility now, as the rubber comes tury, this Brazilian tree has also receptacles attached to the tree
from East Asia. been cultivated in Asia, where trunks. The yield is collected
2.15
Erasers
daily. The latex milk consists of into an elastic material that is to the rubber, enabling the eras-
one third of rubber, in which fat rubber. Through this process, er to scrape off a thin paper
droplets deposit like cream at also known as vulcanisation, the layer.
the top and separate from the rubber is changed from a plastic
latex serum. to an elastic state. How to erase correctly
When cleaning large areas of
Composition of latex Quartz powder graphite, particularly several
65–70 % water and other fillers such as chalk lines of writing or areas filled
25–30 % natural rubber and pumice powder, depending with strokes, even the best eras-
1–2 % protein on the eraser’s application pur- er may begin to “smudge”. This
1 % minerals pose. is due to the fact that an attempt
was made to clean too fast and
Colour the eraser particles had to
of the eraser is determined by absorb too much graphite.
various colourants. Lithopone is
COMBINATION ERASER FOR PENCILS,
COLOUR PENCILS AND INK used for white erasers, while red The eraser can fulfil its task
erasers contain Chinese vermil- only when the erasing motions
The viscous rubber mass is ion or iron oxide and antimony are done in a way that there is a
sheeted out with great quantities red (antimony (V) sulphide). balanced proportion between
of water, cleaned and pressed Additionally, ultramarine blue, the graphite-free and graphite-
into large bales. The drying zinc white (crude zinc oxide) containing areas. The eraser
process of the latex crêpes is and many others are used. must not be “oversaturated”!
also accelerated by heat (open
fire). This results in a darker The eraser’s hardness is deter- Erasing parallel to the stroke:
colouring of the rubber mass. mined by the mixing ratio of the The area becomes unclean and
various raw materials. A high the erasing process is needlessly
Factice factice content makes for soft delayed!
Factice is a whitish-yellow sub- erasers, while hard erasers con-
stance extracted from rape-seed tain a high proportion of sulphur Erasing obliquely to the stroke:
oil. Factice is the most impor- and filler. By employing this “piecemeal”
tant ingredient of the eraser, as erasing mode a rapid and
it is the substance that absorbs Soft erasers are used where the impeccable cleaning result is
the graphite (i. e. it is the erasing colour mark to be erased achieved!
material). adheres only to the paper sur-
face (pencil and colour pencil
Sulphur strokes). Hard erasers are used
By admixing sulphur and heat- to remove strokes that have pen-
ing the mixture under pressure etrated further into the paper. In
to 140 –160° C, the kneadable this case an abrasive medium
and sticky rubber mass turns (e. g. quartz powder) is admixed INCORRECT
2.15
Erasers
cing paper and removes

minor rust stains; e. g.
on cars and in the home.
ERASER FOR THE TECHNICAL OFFICE;
FOR CORRECTING PENCIL LINES, PAR -
TICULARLY FOR CLEANING UP DRAW-
INGS; INK LINES ARE NOT BRIGHTENED. STEEL
ERASERS
(ERASING
CORRECT
KNIVES)
SYNTHETIC ERASERS COMBINATION ERASER FOR CORRECT-

ING INK AND PENCIL LINES; SOLVENTS
For precise, de-
ENCAPSULATED IN THE ERASER DE- tailed correcting,
TACH THE INK FROM THE DRAWING
So-called plasticizers are ad- SURFACE. THE REMOVED INK IS particularly in
ROLLED INTO THE ABRASION DUST.
mixed to the synthetic base the technical and
material and thus provides these The advantage of synthetic era- graphic sector.
erasers with their erasing quali- sers is the large crumbly abra-
ty and rubber-like elasticity. sion which does not tend to
adhere to the drawing surface ERASER
With products containing plasti- (paper), unlike the dust-like PENCILS
cizers there is a possibility of abrasion of natural rubber.
plasticizer migration. These wood-cas-
The strokes to be erased are ed pencils are
This means: Through the direct “rolled up” into the abrasion 175 mm long and
contact of these products with without damaging the writing or contain a round
other synthetics, the plasticizer drawing surface, and they are eraser lead. A most practical
is transferred to them. easily removed afterwards. application purpose is the pin-
point accuracy erasure of type-
To rule out this undesired effect, FIBRE GLASS ERASER written script.
FABER-CASTELL synthetic TWIST PEN
erasers are sealed inside a cello-
phane wrapping. Contains glass fibres as an era-
sing medium. Erases ink on tra-
Synthetic erasers are encased in
a sleeve, so that they can be held
more easily during use.
ERASER FOR CORRECTING ON INK NATURAL RUBBER ERASERS:

AND OVERHEAD TRANSPARENCIES COMBINATION ERASER FOR PENCILS, COLOUR PENCILS AND INK
2.16
Sharpeners
SHARPENERS
Since pencil leads and colour receptacle for shavings and lead SHARPENERS FOR
pencil leads will wear in the dust. Due to their larger shape, PENCILS AND
course of being used and their they have the added advantage COLOUR PENCILS
radius will thus steadily increase, of being especially comfortable
they need to be constantly re- when held in one’s hand. Pencil tip
sharpened to ensure precise When looking at a sharpened
drawing or legible writing. Sharpening machines pencil, we see a long tapered tip.
Sharpening machines are ideal- The tip can be used for writing
Specialised sharpeners exist for ly suited for conveniently sharp- or drawing fine lines for quite
the various types of pencils and ening larger quantities of wood- some time, until it becomes
leads, from the plain manual cased pencils Most have ad- blunt and requires resharpening.
sharpener (with or without sha- justable settings for different
vings receptacle) to sophisticat- sharpening requirements. The
ed sharpening machines. pencil is held and inserted into
the sharpener by means of a
Manual sharpeners chuck mechanism; the actual
They are used for sharpening sharpening action is achieved by Being substantially softer, a
wood-cased pencils and colour manually rotating the handle. colour pencil lead must be
pencils. Manual sharpeners are Many sharpening machines are sharpened differently from a
made of plastic or light metal equipped with a handscrew (harder) pencil lead. The tip of a
(magnesium) and are dimen- clamp which makes it possible brand new colour pencil initially
sioned to adapt to the miscella- to attach them to a desk. appears to be just like a pencil
neous diameters and pencil pro- tip. Only a closer inspection
files. The problem-free use of pen- reveals a small additional tip.
cils and leads depends to a cer- This is designed to prevent the
tain extent on the quality of the lead from breaking while the
sharpener. For example, softer product is being delivered to the
pencils and leads should be customer. (Is used by FABER-
shaped into a somewhat blun- CASTELL for the Polychromos
ter tip. and Albrecht Dürer artists’
pens.)
Blunted cutters and knives
(manual sharpeners) wear out
after a while and must be re-
Tub sharpeners placed without undue delay.
(= manual sharpeners with a
shavings receptacle)
Tub sharpeners have proven
very useful as appliances com- Some colour pencil leads (e. g.
bining a sharpener with a small pastel pencils) are so soft that a
2.16
Sharpeners
long conical tip would keep SHARPENERS

breaking off during use. FOR LEADS
Therefore, colour pencils are
sharpened to a short conical tip. • Emery boards for universal
sharpening (blunt, pointy,
wedge-shaped) as well as for
various lead diameters.
From a geometrical point of

view, the short tip is stronger
than the longer tip. In practice,
however, this means more fre- • Lead sharpe-
quent resharpening. ners for leads
up to Ø 2 mm
• Single hole
sharpeners • Lead sharpeners for leads up
for pencils to Ø 2 mm and 3.15 mm, as
well as with
• Dual hole sharpen- receptacle
ers for normal
strength and • Lead sharpen-
thick pen- ers for clutch pencils up to a
cils; up to Ø barrel diameter of 8.4 mm and
10 mm dual hole 2 mm leads; Sharpening se-
sharpeners for colour pencils lectable for
and special pencils blunt or
pointy tip
• Sharpening machine for pen-
cils up to Ø 12 mm sharpen-
ing, selectable from blunt to
pointy tip
A. W. Faber-Castell • Vertrieb GmbH • 90546 Stein • Germany
Phone: +49-911-9965-0 • Fax: +49-911-9965-760
Internet: www.faber-castell.com • E-Mail: [email protected]
FA B E R - C A S T E L L P RO D U C T K N OW L E D G E 3
THE GOOD SALESPERSON 4
4.0

IN THE RETAIL TRADE
4.1
SHOPPING IN GERMANY
Shopping is a far cry from the

much-vaunted exhilarating shopping
experience!
Unfortunately and all too often

shopping continues to be a stressful
experience!
The papers and magazines are awash

with articles about the German
“service wasteland”.
Increasingly, customers base their pur-

chase decisions solely on price criteria.
4.2
THE TRADE IS FACING

A DIFFICULT SITUATION
Profit margins are falling, while costs

are on the rise.
Consumers demand an increasingly

higher standard of product range and
service.
However, the trade’s performance

ability is weakened by cost savings.
4.3
THE TRADE OF THE FUTURE

NEEDS …
…good salespeople
THE TRADE OF THE FUTURE NEEDS:

Brands and products enabling it to
achieve the required margins and
to get the edge on competitors.
A fundamentally new mindset in

relation to customer service and
quality of salesmanship.
Salespeople who are capable of selling

products in accordance with strategic
requirements.
4.4
ONLY 25 % OF CUSTOMERS
CHANGE …
… because the product range does

not appeal to them.
However, 75% of customers changed

their place of purchase because they
were not happy with the service.
51% of customers were dissatisfied

with the salesperson’s product
knowledge.
4.5
THE ONLY INCONVENIENCE IS

THE CUSTOMER!
Preconceived ideas:
Customers never turn up when you need them.
Customers never show up in sequence, but always
at the same time.
Customers know everything better.
Customers never have time.
Customers touch everything.
Customers don’t know what they want.
Customers treat salespeople like servants.
Customers always want to haggle.
Customers are not loyal.
Customers are ungrateful.
Customers are the only reason for the trade to exist!

4.6
WHO IS A GOOD SALESPERSON?
Not the one who sells a lot, but the one

who sells the right stuff!
The salesperson who engenders a bond

between regular customers and the
store.
The salesperson who is able to provide

assistance even in problematic cases
and stays in control.
4.7
WHAT MAKES A GOOD

SALESPERSON?
Enjoying one’s occupation.
Interest in human interaction.
Interest in the customers’ wishes.
She/he loves his/her products.
She/he to work prepared.
She/he has sound arguments to put forward.
She/he is self-confident without being arrogant.
She/he has a good general education.
She/he is well informed about the world and
current affairs.
She/he is polite without being servile.
She/he knows the competition.
She/he admits to making mistakes.
She/he takes steps to further his/her knowledge
and skills.
4.8
THE GOOD SALESPERSON OF TODAY

IS A CONSULTING MANAGER
The salesperson of today is no longer

the “snake oil salesman” of yesteryear
who sold anything to everyone at
any price.
She/he is the customer’s “consulting

partner”, who assists the customer in
reaching satisfactory outcomes.
4.9
SUCCESSFUL SELLING
CAN BE LEARNED
It’s just like in sports:

Learning by watching how successful people do it and
following certain rules will lead to a better outcome and
advancement to the professional league.
4.10
THE OBJECTIVE OF EVERY

SALES TALK …
… must be for the customer to even-

tually regard the merchandise as more
desirable than his/her money!
That is why a good salesperson must

not only be of benefit to the purchaser
(problem solving!), but must also rouse
the customer’s emotions. Pleasure and
enjoyment are frequent and legitimate
reasons to purchase.
4.11
THE GREETING
The first six seconds of their initial

encounter will decide whether two people
take a liking to each other or not.
Greet your customer by name, if known

to you.
Look the customer in the eyes and

smile!
4.12
THE GOOD SALESPERSON KNOWS …
…that she/he never serves a particular customer in isolation,

even if she/he deals with only
one person at that moment.
THAT PERSON HAS:
a partner
relatives
acquaintances
work colleagues
4.13
THE GOOD SALESPERSON DOESN’T

JUST START TALKING AWAY!
The good salesperson doesn’t just start

talking away, but listens attentively to
what his/her customer has to say.
She/he explains to the customer step by

step, why a particular product is
exactly the one to match the customer’s
expectations – just as a lawyer develops
his/her arguments in the course of
addressing the court.
4.14
“You see, as the customer, you

are looking for … That is why
I recommend for you to …”
The good salesperson must convert

the product’s advantages to customer-
specific benefits.
The customer’s wishes and the sales-

person’s arguments must interlock like
a rack and pinion in the customer’s
mind. That is how the customer is
guided to the right decision by way
of his own wishes.
4.15
PHRASES THAT ARE NO LONGER UTTERED

BY THE GOOD SALESPERSON
I don’t know.
I can’t tell you.
I don’t know when.
My colleague deals with that.
That’s useless.
I’m on my break.
4.16

HAS A STRATEGY
This means that she/he first works out which product to
present first and which items provide upward and downward
evasive action with regard to
pricing.
It is sometimes better to introduce the
product that one really wants to sell …
a little later in the process.
4.17
THE GOOD SALESPERSON SETS

PERSONAL TARGETS
Setting targets is one of the
secret recipes of success for
many outstanding salespeople.
THE GOOD SALESPERSON SETS PERSONAL

TARGETS …
Today I shall sell the …

This week I shall be selling …
This month I will sell all those products
that have been on the shelf for more
than …
4.18
THE GOOD SALESPERSON’S INDIVIDUAL TASTE

TAKES A LOW PROFILE …
She/he accepts that others have differ-

ent experiences and priorities.
She/he won’t get upset when others

don’t share his/her views.
She/he tries to convince by presenting

sound arguments.
4.19
THE GOOD SALESPERSON ALWAYS MAKES

POSITIVE STATEMENTS!
She/he doesn’t say:“This item has a lengthy delivery dead-
line …”
She/he says: “There is such a great demand for this

product that the manufacturer needs
four weeks to supply the product at the
usual quality standard.”
4.20
THE GOOD SALESPERSON MAINTAINS

A CUSTOMER FILE AND USES IT!
Customer file
NAME
ADDRESS
TELEPHONE (OFFICE HOURS)
DATE OF BIRTH
REMARKS
DATE OF PURCHASE
PURCHASE ITEM
4.21
THE SALESPERSON’S DEADLY SINS

PART 1
Ignoring the customer, when she/he enters the

store.
Not listening to what the customer wants.
Pursuing other activities during the sales talk.
Being arrogant and pretending to know better.
Making false statements about the product.
Being unfamiliar with the store.
Only letting one’s own taste prevail.
Shouting for one’s colleague for everyone in
the shop to hear.
Fouling one’s own nest.
4.22

PART 2
Arguing with the customer.

Referring the customer elsewhere.
Showing the customer too many items.
Addressing the customer by the wrong name.
Not knowing which products are on display.
Not knowing the prices.
Allowing one’s stress to have a bearing on the
customer.
Rushing past the customer without looking at
him/her.
Not realising when the customer wishes to
make the purchase.
4.23

PART 3
Rushing the customer from one shelf to the

next.
Not asking the customer whether she/he requi-
res product accessories (ink, paper, batteries
etc.).
Badmouthing the competition.
Making disparaging remarks about particular
product makes.
Forgetting about repairs.
Lying to the customer.
Not letting the customer touch anything.
Claiming that the customer can’t afford the item.
Saying “It’s knock-off time”.
4.24
THE LORD FORGIVETH!

THE CUSTOMER NEVER DOES!
APPENDIX 5

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PRODUCT KNOWLEDGE

GENERAL PRODUCT KNOWLEDGE

THE GOOD SALESPERSON

1.1 The history of the FABER-CASTELL company

1.2 Our quality speaks for itself – in one universal

1.3 Wood from our own pine plantations

1.4 An internationally binding Social Charter

1.5 The quality hallmarks of our brand

1.6 Success through products with the “Point of

1.7 The FABER-CASTELL brand image

1.8 Strategic alignment of the FABER-CASTELL

THE HISTORY OF THE

He develops the modern quality

largest manufacturing facili- Germany’s first nursery schools.

As a result of successful sales On account of his immense eco-

Lothar von Faber also made a

In the 20’s, Count Alexander

In 1962, production facilities

OUR QUALITY SPEAKS FOR ITSELF

FABER-CASTELL is recog- On a global scale, FABER- The internationalisation of FA-

COMPANY MALAYSIA COMPANY SAO CARLOS/BRAZIL COMPANY II SAO CARLOS/BRAZIL

COMPANY INDIA COMPANY INDONESIA COMPANY CHINA

WOOD FROM OUR OWN

The “Chain of Custody” certifi-

These environmentally sustain- This includes the selection of

Our commitment is not limited The objective is to protect the

No forced or compulsory labour

Payment of minimum wages

No excessive working hours

Equal opportunity and equality

Safe working environment,

THE QUALITY HALLMARKS

SUCCESS THROUGH PRODUCTS

STRATEGIC ALIGNMENT OF THE

PLAYING & LEARNING ART & GRAPHIC PREMIUM

GENERAL WRITING MARKING

2.1 A brief journey through the history of

2.2 Graphite pencils (lead pencils)

2.3 Colour pencils

2.4 Artists’ colour pencils

2.6 Artists’ crayons

2.8 Mechanical pencils

2.10 Paste-ink pens

2.11 Liquid-ink pens

2.12 Markers and highlighters

2.13 Paint markers

2.14 Technical drawing instruments

A BRIEF JOURNEY THROUGH THE

we now share our lives with the

Competition to the fountain pen In recent times, digital handheld

In our era, the ballpoint pen was

Followed by the invention of the

The Castell 9000 Although the pencil’s technical

The more pointed the lead, the

Wood and slats

Nowadays, pencils are no longer

The individual production

THE INDIVIDUAL PRODUCTION

A GROOVE IS CARVED OUT OF