Help me wrap my head around this - Pininfarina ink-less pen

"Battery Tender Unnecessary" (carac)
02/04/2014 at 20:58 • Filed to: None

Apparently it has something they are calling an "ethergraph" tip that lets it write without ink or refills...which sounds like some buuulll-shit.

What gets me the most about the press release is how flippantly they say it doesn't require ink or refill...EXCUSE ME, I NEED TO KNOW MORE.

http://www.pininfarina.com/media/files/co…

DISCUSSION (24)

Bandit > Battery Tender Unnecessary
02/04/2014 at 20:58

It's called a pencil...

Battery Tender Unnecessary > Bandit
02/04/2014 at 21:00

But the implication is that it's a pen...head hurts.

Velocity- Peuguette Connoisseur > Battery Tender Unnecessary
02/04/2014 at 21:00

it's beautiful...

Bandit > Battery Tender Unnecessary
02/04/2014 at 21:01

Stone paper... what?!

Kinja'd!!!

jariten1781 > Battery Tender Unnecessary
02/04/2014 at 21:03

I'm guessing the tip has to be replaced every so often or that it will only write on special pressure sensitive or chemically reactive paper.

Bird > Battery Tender Unnecessary
02/04/2014 at 21:03

I want to know more about the 'stone paper'...

The Prince of Peugeot > Bandit
02/04/2014 at 21:07

Also this is marketing itself as a "everlasting writing instrument". I personally call bs. I'm thinking it might be a pencil with a higher clay to graphite ratio.

707Miata > Battery Tender Unnecessary
02/04/2014 at 21:38

My sister got me a pen quite similar to this. Its a great novelty item and its cool to look at, but it writes horribly. Everlasting or not haha

The WB > Battery Tender Unnecessary
02/04/2014 at 22:02

Someone has been browsing Uncrate! :D

It just puts down a superthin metal layer. Think pencil, but with much harder material. One of the brands of those tips actually contains a small amount of actual lead, so keep it away from any chillens or dogs. It was referrred to in medieval times as "metalpoint" or "silverpoint," so it's not exactly new tech.

But yeah, it typically only works well on specific types of paper, and isn't versatile.

McLarry > Battery Tender Unnecessary
02/04/2014 at 22:21

Whaaaat? Must know more!

Lazzris > Battery Tender Unnecessary
02/04/2014 at 23:37

it just uses the metal tip to write. when you write with it it leaves some of the metal on the paper making it look like ink.

Lenin dC > Battery Tender Unnecessary
02/05/2014 at 06:45

This might help you get around the idea better.

BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires > Battery Tender Unnecessary
02/05/2014 at 07:05

I wonder if people will create a laser-writing pen. Same principle as a laser printer, burning a line onto the paper.

Probably quite tricky to get right though. You'd have to have a mechanism that stops the laser after it's blackened the paper to prevent it from burning through.

JawzX2, Boost Addict. 1.6t, 2.7tt, 4.2t > BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires
02/05/2014 at 07:45

Pedantic nerd warning!

that's not actually how a laser printer works at all... Laser printers use photo-activated electrically charged drums which are temporarily excited by a scanning laser beam to transfer toner (essentially low temperature polymer in a fine powder) via the principles of static cling (simplified, but basically correct) onto the paper, the toner powder that is distributed on the surface of the paper is then melted onto the paper by a hot roller in the fuser section of the printer. The laser never touches the paper, or the toner for that mater, directly.

BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires > JawzX2, Boost Addict. 1.6t, 2.7tt, 4.2t
02/05/2014 at 09:02

Neat :) didn't know that at all.

That's going to be much, much harder to turn into a pen methinks...

JawzX2, Boost Addict. 1.6t, 2.7tt, 4.2t > BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires
02/05/2014 at 09:17

http://www.explainthatstuff.com/laserprinters.…

a little more info and some nice history...

scroggins5000 > JawzX2, Boost Addict. 1.6t, 2.7tt, 4.2t
02/05/2014 at 11:45

I think he was talking about a laser etching machine that uses an argon laser (or similar) to etch directly into the material it is printing on (like metal, wood, etc.). Not your typical laser printer from office depot that uses toner.

Good info about laser printers though.

scroggins5000 > BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires
02/05/2014 at 11:47

I think you meant to say laser etching machine, instead of a laser printer. Printing uses something like ink or toner to lay down an image. Laser etching uses the laser to engrave the material to produce an image.

signinsrlame > Battery Tender Unnecessary
02/05/2014 at 13:16

You read my mind dude, this sounds like some serious vaporware

signinsrlame > Battery Tender Unnecessary
02/05/2014 at 13:17

yeah, but mechanical pencils need a refill eventually right?

McMike > Battery Tender Unnecessary
02/05/2014 at 20:51

It's not a stylus, is it?

ZisforZ > Battery Tender Unnecessary
02/05/2014 at 22:39

I was thinking the same thing about this pen as most. I did a google search for ethergraph and came across this article. Very interested to know if this truly writes forever and if it actually writes nice.

subhajit kumar roy > Battery Tender Unnecessary
10/11/2014 at 07:34

I liked the pen, really very nice.

William Pen

subhajit kumar roy > Battery Tender Unnecessary
10/11/2014 at 07:34

I liked the pen, really very nice.

William Pen