uni-ball

{{Infobox brand

| name = Uniball

| logo = Uniball logo, new.png

| logo_size = 200

| producttype = Ballpoint pens
mechanical pencils
Marker pens

| currentowner = Mitsubishi Pencil Co., Ltd.

| producedby =

| country = Japan

| introduced = {{start date and age|1979}}

| discontinued =

| markets = Worldwide

| previousowners =

| trademarkregistrations = United States (Serial #73615530) [https://trademark.trademarkia.com/uniball-73615530.html Uni-ball, trademark of the Mitsubishi Pencil Co.] on Trademarkia

| ambassadors =

| tagline =

| website = {{Official website}}

| module =

| module1 =

}}

{{nihongo|Uniball|ユニボール|Yunibōru}} (stylized as uniball) and {{nihongo|Uni|ユニ|Yuni}} are brands of pens and pencils, made by the {{nihongo|Mitsubishi Pencil Company Limited|三菱鉛筆株式会社|Mitsubishi Enpitsu Kabushiki Gaisha}} of Japan. The brand was introduced in 1979 as a rollerball pen model, then expanding to the rest of Mitsubishi Pencil products.

Mitsubishi Pencil Company distributes over 3,000 core products in over 100 countries through subsidiaries, such as Mitsubishi Pencil Company UK. Distribution in the United States, Canada and Mexico is by Uni-ball's North American Corporation in Wheaton, Illinois. In Germany they are sold by Faber-Castell, in the Persian Gulf and the Middle East by Hoshan Pan Gulf,{{cite web |url=http://www.hpgworld.com |title=Hoshan Pan Gulf}} in India by Linc Pen and Plastics Limited (LPPL),{{cite web |url=http://www.lincpen.com |title=Linc Pen & Plastics Limited}}{{cite web |url=http://www.uniball.in |title=Uni-ball India}} and in the Philippines by Lupel Corporation.{{cite web |url=http://www.uniball.com.ph|title=Lupel Corporation}} Despite its naming and the nearly identical logomarks, Mitsubishi Pencil Company is unrelated to the Mitsubishi Group,{{cite web|title=About Mitsubishi |url=http://www.mitsubishi.com/e/group/about.html |website=mitsubishi.com |access-date=8 May 2014}} and has never been a part of their keiretsu.{{cite news |last1=Vanderbilt |first1=Tom |title=Letter of Recommendation: Uni-ball Signo UM-151 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/24/magazine/letter-of-recommendation-uni-ball-signo-um-151.html |access-date=17 July 2019 |work=The New York Times |date=21 May 2015}} The logo itself is a family crest, or kamon.

History

{{Infobox company

| name = Mitsubishi Pencil Co., Ltd.

| former_names = Masaki Pencil Manufacturing Company

| logo = Uni Mitsubishi Pencil logo.svg

| logo_size = 150

| logo_caption =

| image = Mitsubishi Pencil HQ Building March-2019.jpg

| image_size =

| image_caption = Mitsubishi Pencil Co. headquarters in Shinagawa, Tokyo

| native_name = 三菱鉛筆株式会社

| romanized_name = Mitsubishi Enpitsu Kabushiki Gaisha

| traded_as = {{tyo|7976}}

| type = Public KK

| fate =

| industry = Stationery

| location = Higashioi

| location_city = Tokyo

| location_country = Japan

| founded = {{start date and age|1925|04|15}}

| founder = Niroku Masaki

| area_served = Worldwide

| key_people = Shigehiko Suhara{{Cite web |url=https://www.mpuni.co.jp/en/company/outline.html |title = Company |accessdate=2024-03-10}} (President)

| products = Ballpoint pens
mechanical pencils

| owner =

| subsid =

| brands = Uniball
Uni
Lamy

| website ={{url|www.mpuni.co.jp}}

}}

The Mitsubishi Pencil company was founded in Tokyo by Niroku Masaki in 1887[https://uniball.co.uk/who-we-are/ Who we are] on Uni-ball UK as the "Masaki Pencil Manufacturing Company". After World War II, it was renamed "The Mitsubishi Pencil Company".{{cite web |url=http://www.thepenguy.com/uniball.htm |title=Creating a Unique Advertising Tool with Uniball |website=ThePenGuy |access-date=8 May 2014}}

Masaki Pencil started to export its products, first to Mexico in 1927, then expanding to other markets including Belgium, Egypt, Portugal, Argentina, India and Netherlands. At the end of World War II, the company introduced the "9800" pencil. In 1959, Mitsubishi released its first ballpoint pen, while its first mechanical pencil was launched in 1961.[http://www.uni-ball.vn/en/about-us/ About us] on Uni Mitsubishi Pencil Vietnam

In 1966, they began creating performance pens and by 1979 they developed the first "Uniball" rollerball pen, which was the first ballpen with water-based ink and metallic tip. This pen would be a great success in Japan and North America. One year later, the company launched the "Paint", an oil-based marker.

While mainly focused on making pens, in 2008 they developed a new mechanical pencil that rotated the graphite lead every time it is lifted from the page to sharpen it into an even cone shape. This line of pencils is named as Kuru Toga.{{cite web |url=http://www.uniball-na.com/Pages/our-story.aspx |title=Our Story |website=Uni-ball |access-date=8 May 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140405060701/http://www.uniball-na.com/pages/our-story.aspx |archive-date=5 April 2014 }} The name Kuru Toga is a portmanteau of the two Japanese words 'kuru' (turning) and 'togaru' (to be sharpened).

In August 2020, Uni-ball announced a partnership with Starline.{{Cite web|last=Central|first=A. S. I.|date=2020-08-25|title=Starline Partners With uni-ball|url=https://www.asicentral.com/news/newsletters/promogram/august-2020/starline-partners-with-uni-ball/|website=www.asicentral.com|language=en}} Beginning in January 2021, Starline became the exclusive supplier of the Uni-ball brand for the promotional products industry.{{Cite web|title=Starline Announces Exclusive Partnership With uni-ball|url=https://pubs.ppai.org/ppb-newslink/starline-announces-exclusive-partnership-with-uni-ball/|website=PPAI Media|language=en}}

In February 2024, the company announced it was acquiring German fountain and ball point pen company Lamy.{{cite web |title=Mitsubishi Pencil set to take over German fountain pen maker Lamy {{!}} The Asahi Shimbun: Breaking News, Japan News and Analysis |url=https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/15182945 |website=The Asahi Shimbun |language=en}}

Products

Although Mitsubishi Pencil started as a wooden pencil manufacturer, the company is no longer specialized in that product, focusing on mechanical pencils instead.{{Cite web |title=Innovative Writing Tools {{!}} High Quality Pens |url=https://uniballco.com/ |access-date=2022-06-01 |website=uni-ball}} Uni-ball's writing implements brands include Jetstream (hybrid-ink ballpoint pens); Air, Eye (marketed as Vision in the U.S.A.) rollerball pens, Signo (pigment ink gel pens); Onyx, Kuru Toga (mechanical pencils);[https://uniballco.com/all-products/ All products] on Uni-ball USA Paint, Posca (marker pens), Chalk, and Prockey (marker pens).[http://uniball.com.au/catalog/ Catalog] on Uni-ball Australia

Wood-cased pencil brands include Hi-Uni, Uni and Mitsu-Bishi.

Some other pen lines (mainly intended for the Japanese market) under the Uni brand are Power Tank (pressurised ink-cartridge ballpoint pen), R:E (erasable ink pens), Laknock, Clifter (ballpoints), α(Alpha)-GEL (various types of pens with soft gel-like grips), Style Fit (multi-pen system), Shift, M-552 (mechanical pencils), and Propus (highlighters). Product lines under the Uni-ball brand are One, and Zento (gel pens).[https://catalog.mpuni.co.jp/index_h5.html#90 Web Catalog] on Uni-ball Japan

Often listed best or one of the best pens in gel pen rankings{{Cite web |title=The Best Gel Pens {{!}} JetPens |url=https://www.jetpens.com/blog/The-Best-Gel-Pens/pt/459 |access-date=2024-04-06 |website=www.jetpens.com}}{{Cite web |title=The Best Gel Pens of 2022 {{!}} Unsharpen |url=https://unsharpen.com/the-best-gel-pens/ |access-date=2024-04-06 |website=unsharpen.com}}{{Cite web |last=Editors |first=The ARTnews Recommends |date=2023-09-09 |title=The Best Gel Pens for Writers, Artists, and Students |url=https://www.artnews.com/art-news/product-recommendations/best-gel-pens-1234636917/ |access-date=2024-04-06 |website=ARTnews.com |language=en-US}}

Uni-ball's range of products include:

class="wikitable" width=
width=150px\| Category ! width=500px\| Products
Writing instruments	Ballpoints, gel, rollerball pens, mechanical pencils, woodcase pencils, refills, markers, highlighters
Office supplies	Correction tapes, erasers

class="wikitable" width=

width=150px| Category

! width=500px| Products

Writing instruments

Ballpoints, gel, rollerball pens, mechanical pencils, woodcase pencils, refills, markers, highlighters

Office supplies

Correction tapes, erasers