Highlighters are a variant of felt-tip pens, often made with water-based ink and used to mark text. Its translucent color makes the text stand out, even more, marking out text for easy referencing.
In 1910, the first marker pen, Lee Newman’s felt-tip marker appeared and was soon after followed in 1926 by Benjamin Paskach’s fountain brush. In 1978, the Dennison Company began making highlighters with fluorescent colors and by the 1980s; the felt tip was replaced by polyethylene beads molded into porous heads.
Highlighter pens replaced the habit of having to underline text or leave a bookmark in between book pages so those areas can be easily referenced. These marked parts are even more visible with highlighters, and so they are quickly referenced.
However, highlighter pens have moved beyond being merely used for highlighting, you do not have to remain stationary in your use of these highlighter pens. As there are even more creative ways these pens are used. These include:
1. Calligraphy
Highlighter pens have come to be used in calligraphic writing. Calligraphy, which is a visual art involving the design and execution of lettering appropriately through ornate writing. In the past calligraphy had been done using materials such as calligraphy nibs, fountain pens, dip pens, quills to mention a few.
More recently, however, highlighters have become a perfect fit for calligraphic writing. These brightly colored pens allow you to be a little extra by going the extra mile by including splashes of color in your calligraphy. They are also easily gotten, so you no longer have to begin searching for fountain pens or calligraphic nibs to do your writing.
2. Bullet Journaling
Sometimes journaling could get very overwhelming, especially when there is a lot of information that needs to organization. Instead, you can try out bullet journaling. Also, make sure to make marks for significant information put in your journals. These marks and symbols could be made using highlighter pens
3. Highlighting Notes
And by this, we do not mean using just one color highlighting pens for your notes. Using a single color might make your text boring, especially when you have so much to read. You can spice up your notes highlight by using a wide range of colors to highlight your notes.
To study even more efficiently, use a specific color for each type of information; color coding as this would help you in referencing texts even quicker. This break from the norm would not only make studying a lot more fun but also help you retain information even faster. Hence, you need highlighters in your stationery.
4. Coloring
Coloring is no longer just a ‘kids thing.’ For a while now, adult coloring games and books have become quite a hit. As such as a coloring enthusiast you are most definitely always on the lookout for more materials and other mediums to use. Highlighting pens are also another medium you can consider; they are not only cute, but they are also stylish and vibrant.
5. Swatches
Swatches are often commonly used in makeup, but they can also be used on highlighters too. Swatching your highlighter pen helps you make a decision on which color you prefer and prevents you from hoarding so many highlighters of the wrong or same shades.
Tips To Consider Before Choosing Highlighter Pens
Before choosing a highlighter Pen, specific considerations have to be made, these include:
● Material Composition
Often, highlighters use liquid ink and write just the same way as felt-tip tips and markers. These liquid highlighters have a wide range of colors, tip features as well as body designs. Often, highlighters with broad tips and wet ink flow may bleed through paper. If left open, these highlighter pens may dry off
Gel highlighters, on the other hand, use a gel stick rather than ink. They are even more resistant to smudging but may also be less precise and leave crumbs on gel on your paper.
Pencil highlighters, on the other hand, are brightly colored pencils which do not bleed through paper and need no drying out. However, you might need to highlight over and over before the text is completely colored. The type of paper determines the kind of highlighter to be used. For instance, liquid highlighters could stain your books or bibles, and in such case, gel and paper highlighters are a much better option.
● Text Smears
When some highlighters come in contact with other writing media, they can begin to smear even if they are dry. Fountain pen ink, gel pen ink, and inkjet printing are known materials that may react with highlighters. The formula of the highlighter pens, the writing medium as well as the paper you use also determine whether or not the highlighted texts would smear. As such, it is necessary that before you begin highlighting, you test your highlighter pen on a little portion of the text.
● Tip Features
The tip of the highlighter pen to be used must also be considered. While a large majority of highlighter pens come with chisel tips which cover a single line of text, others also come with extra broad tips or fine bullet tips. Your best choice would be a highlighter that lets you be just as precise and as bold as you want to be.
● Colors
While highlighters often come in fluorescent yellow, there are still several highlighter colors to choose from. If you would rather subtle hues over brighter shades, then you should try soft color highlighters.
● Drying Time
Often, highlighters are used just as quickly as we read and write. Some of these highlighter pens may use wet formulations which allows them to draw a single unbroken line in a stroke, but at the same time takes longer time to dry. The smudges and color transfer associated with wet highlights can be avoided by using fast drying highlighters.
Highlighter pens are relatively fun and easy to use. Using this pen has progressed far beyond merely being used for highlighting notes and reference points. They are used more creatively, making them really interesting choices.
