The Rapidograph is a technical pen used by professionals in the drafting industry, such as technical illustrators, architects and engineers. Today, the Rapidograph is produced by Rotring and the American company Chartpak.
History
In 1953, Rotring, a pen company based in Germany, began producing the first Rapidograph pen. In 1983, it added a capillary ink cartridge to the pen, increasing ease of use. Although the pen is still used today, computer-aided design programs largely replaced it in the early 1990s.
Identification
The Rapidograph is a technical pen made with a stainless steel nib (the end of the pen that distributes ink). The pen is generally thicker in the body and extremely thin (as little as 0.1 mm) at the tip. It comes in at least 15 colors.
Signficance
The Rapidograph was the first pen to set the "standards for technical drawing that still apply today," according to Rotring.com, by improving the consistency of line weight and incorporating a waterproof pigment drawing ink.
