The Raised Handwriting on the Back of Notebook Pages

As options for writing instruments, I have many pens at hand, such as fountain pens, oil-based ballpoint pens, water-based ballpoint pens, gel ink ballpoint pens, water-based markers, and mechanical pencils.

Among them, the one I use overwhelmingly is the gel ink ballpoint pen.

The ink flow is good, it produces a solid line with everyday black or blue pens, and the fact that I can write smoothly and comfortably is also a charm.

Next in line are water-based ballpoint pens like ZENTO.

Even so, there are times when I think I want to write with an oil-based ballpoint pen, or that it might be good to make it my main pen.

Recent oil-based ballpoint pens like Jetstream and Acroball are incredibly smooth.

I like Acroball for the intensity of its ink, and since I own an Acro Drive with a white and black exterior, it is a pen where the writing feel and the appearance match my ideals.

However, there is a reason why I don't really want to keep writing with oil-based ballpoint pens.

That is what I titled, the raised handwriting on the back of notebook pages.

Different from ink bleed-through or show-through, the raised parts created by the handwriting, which are clearly noticeable when traced with a finger, appear prominently with oil-based ballpoint pens.

Even though my writing pressure has become lighter

Originally, I was the type who wrote with strong pressure, putting in enough force to tire out my hands and arms.

As a result of my efforts to improve over the last few years, I have come to be able to write quite lightly and smoothly.

Yet, the raised marks on the back still bother me with oil-based ballpoint pens.

Of course, even with water-based pens, when writing with ballpoint-type pens, you are pressing a metal ball against the paper, so the back will bulge to a greater or lesser extent.

It reaches the 'very bothersome' level with oil-based ballpoint pens, especially the types with thicker ball diameters that write with a slick feel.

Even though they are the type of pen that doesn't require any writing pressure at all.

Perhaps because the ball diameter is large and the tip is also thick, a distinct, clearly visible bump is created.

It is harsh on notebooks, but

Such are the oil-based ballpoint pens that create raised marks on the back.

When using a notebook where both sides of the page are used, it bothers me, and sometimes I hate that a brand-new page is covered in bumps.

If that's the case, is it completely fine to write on things like memo pads or legal pads where you only use the front side? Not necessarily.

Even if you only use the front side, with memo pads or legal pads where the paper is stacked, the next page or sheet doesn't get bumps, but rather indentations.

This also makes it disappointing when a new page ends up all uneven.

If you place it directly on a desk and write on a hard surface, like A4 copy paper, an oil-based ballpoint pen might actually work well.

No, wait, then I would feel the hardness of the paper surface, which would ruin the smoothness of the oil-based ballpoint pen.

Having a personality that worries about such trivial things is truly a hassle.

I have no choice but to improve how I hold the pen and how I write using a thicker oil-based ballpoint pen, and master a way of writing that doesn't leave raised impressions on the back, no matter the situation.