Page 20 - BOSS Today Issue 40

BOSS Today #40 SPECIAL FEATURE

the technology will do it for them. losing the ability to navigate around need to emphasise that writing is a life
To illustrate this, Craik points to the country or point to a location on skill that will carry you forward for the
the historic impact of the pocket a map. There is no north, south, east future.”
calculator on mental arithmetic, as or west for them. So, we want to make
well as to a more recent phenomenon: sure that the children of today and The Medium Is The Message
“Because of SatNavs, people are now the adults of tomorrow can write. We These are sentiments that the

Pentel (Stationery) Ltd

Wendy Vickery, UK Marketing Manager

What benefits do you see coming from for the education market and what features do using a different ink colour allows them
the relaunch of the Writing Instrument they have? to identify changes more easily. For
Association? Pentel’s Handwriter Pen has a durable teachers, using a variety of different
The relaunch will give the WIA a real plastic tip, housing a metal ball that ink colours as an informal traffic
sense of direction and purpose and resists pressure when children press light system helps pupils to easily
a brief to work towards delivering a firmly to the paper, so it’s far less likely identify work that’s spot-on or needs
very important objective. It’s vital that the ball will fall out. It has smooth improvement. Many schools adopt their
that we inspire children, students and flowing water-based ink, so there’s no own colour-coding system for marking,
young adults to regard pens, pencils skipping or blobbing and less chance of and we’ve been told that green and
and markers as invaluable tools staining uniforms should an ‘accident’ violet are especially popular right now.
for harnessing and exploring their occur!
creativity. No one would for one moment For developing handwriting skills we What advice would you give dealers wishing
suggest that children will suddenly recommend the Pentel Stylo pen with to sell handwriting pens to the education
abandon their phones and tablets en its unique delta-shaped nib, which helps market?
masse, but there is a real opportunity to children practise letter-forming with As with any product, the strongest
help young people come out from behind thick and thin strokes. One side of the advice is to build a relationship with
their screens to experience the genuine plastic tip provides a firm feel while potential customers. Identify the
pleasure of putting pen to paper. holding the pen, while the other side school stationery buyer and ask them
that touches the paper delivers a slightly what challenges teachers have with
What makes a good handwriting pen for more flexible response. developing good handwriting: once you
children? For older children (and teachers) are equipped with this knowledge it’s
It depends on the age of the child, the EnerGel pens are the ideal choice: their easier to recommend a product with
extent of their skills and any rules ink is ultra-quick-drying, which means features that help children develop
a school might impose concerning that it virtually eliminates smudging on their handwriting skills with confidence
products for use in the classroom. hands and paper – even for left-handed and enthusiasm. Although budgets are
That said, young children often have a writers. EnerGel pens are also available always tight, the cheapest product is
tendency to press very hard, especially in a range of up to 12 colours. rarely the one that delivers best value
when they’re learning to write, so a pen for money.
with a robust tip is a must. Other key To what extent has demand for handwriting
features include barrels that are easy pens changed recently, and why? What support can you give these dealers?
for small hands to hold, possibly with One of the major developments in Pentel’s field sales team have a wealth
grips to ensure that children hold the the last few years has been the rise in of product knowledge and experience in
pen in a correct position, making it more demand for different coloured inks, recommending the right product for the
comfortable to practise handwriting. because pupils are often required to right task and are always happy to offer
What handwriting products do you produce edit their own, or others’ work, and advice and support to dealers.

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