- Published on
The last few times Andy and I looked for decent blue ink ballpoint pens, we only found black ink ballpoint pens. We found lots of packages of black ink pens, but blue ink ballpoint pens only came in packs of rainbow colors.
From Costa Rica to Florida: The Pen Hunt Continues
I've looked for super cheap pens through super nice pens. I’ve visited stores in Costa Rica and in Florida. Amazon has many blue ink ballpoint pens, but Andy and I prefer retractable and don’t need a 100-pack! We kept finding just black ink. Eventually, we bought a huge-to-us pack of blue retractable pens from Amazon and took it home with us.
The 2020 Blue Paint Shortage: A Possible Cause?
In 2020, the paint color blue began to face a supply problem. Manufacturers stopped mixing blue. Blue pigments were not mined or mixed. Maybe this affected blue ballpoint ink pens, too?
Investigating the Blue Ink Shortage
I’ve spent a few hours researching all kinds of questions with the same theme: why are stores carrying almost only black ink ballpoint pens? Why can’t I find packs of blue ink ballpoint pens at the stores?
OpenAI Shares Non-Answer
According to an AI model developed by OpenAI (2024), there could be several reasons for a localized shortage of blue ballpoint pens, including supply chain disruptions and increased demand.
OpenAI then pointed me to a few trade magazines. I found nothing about a blue pen ink shortage anywhere. To me, it seems it’s a marketing and sales choice to sell mostly black ink pens. After about an hour of searching for more info, I gave up to do other things like write and paint, lol.
What About You?
References
Stay Updated!
Not on my email list but found this blog post? Join here. I promise, I keep your info a secret, even from Her Puppyness Pirula. Click here: mailchi.mp/58fc2d1d7f5d/start-drawing-more-kit-ebook
From Costa Rica to Florida: The Pen Hunt Continues
I've looked for super cheap pens through super nice pens. I’ve visited stores in Costa Rica and in Florida. Amazon has many blue ink ballpoint pens, but Andy and I prefer retractable and don’t need a 100-pack! We kept finding just black ink. Eventually, we bought a huge-to-us pack of blue retractable pens from Amazon and took it home with us.
The 2020 Blue Paint Shortage: A Possible Cause?
In 2020, the paint color blue began to face a supply problem. Manufacturers stopped mixing blue. Blue pigments were not mined or mixed. Maybe this affected blue ballpoint ink pens, too?
Investigating the Blue Ink Shortage
I’ve spent a few hours researching all kinds of questions with the same theme: why are stores carrying almost only black ink ballpoint pens? Why can’t I find packs of blue ink ballpoint pens at the stores?
OpenAI Shares Non-Answer
According to an AI model developed by OpenAI (2024), there could be several reasons for a localized shortage of blue ballpoint pens, including supply chain disruptions and increased demand.
OpenAI then pointed me to a few trade magazines. I found nothing about a blue pen ink shortage anywhere. To me, it seems it’s a marketing and sales choice to sell mostly black ink pens. After about an hour of searching for more info, I gave up to do other things like write and paint, lol.
What About You?
- What color ink do you prefer in your pens?
- Do you like retractable pens, caps, or just don’t care?
- Have you noticed that most pens, especially in packs, are black ink?
- See my post How to Buy a Pen for Drawing
References
- Hyperallergic: Have You Noticed There's a Paint Shortage?
- Inside Edition: Paint Manufacturers Running Out of the Color Blue
- PaintMag: Paint Shortage Rising Paint Prices, Colors Hard to Find
- Manufacturing.net: The World is Running Out of the Color Blue
- InkWorldMagazine: The Pigment Industry Rebounds in 2022
Stay Updated!
Not on my email list but found this blog post? Join here. I promise, I keep your info a secret, even from Her Puppyness Pirula. Click here: mailchi.mp/58fc2d1d7f5d/start-drawing-more-kit-ebook
0 Comments
