Gel-ink Pen - Ball Sign iD Single - Shades of Black

The Ball Sign iD Single is the newest generation of Sakura's Ball Sign iD, a gel-ink pen made in six shades of black, each with a faint hint of colour. It was launched in Japan in late October 2025 and adds a 0.3 mm needle tip, a first for the series, to the familiar 0.4 and 0.5 mm.

The name comes from identity: the idea is to choose your own black (自分の色を選ぶ). Sakura gives each shade a mood. Pure Black is formal, Night Black smart, Forest Black refined, Mocha Black casual, Mysterious Black distinctive and Pencil Black understated. Unlike the earlier Ball Sign iD, where all six colours share one pale grey barrel, the iD Single's whole barrel is in the shade of its ink, so the six read as six distinct pens.

The barrel keeps the iD shape, a hexagon with rounded corners that sits naturally between the fingers, and adds a fine, wood-grain-like texture for grip. A new metal clip and a brass nose cone complete it; the metal at the tip lowers the centre of gravity for a steady line. The 0.3 mm needle tip reaches into small spaces, for notes in margins and fine annotation.

Specifications:

• Nib: 0.3 mm needle tip, 0.4 mm, 0.5 mm
• Ink: water-based gel ink
• Colours: Pure Black; Night Black (blue-black); Forest Black (green-black); Mocha Black (brown-black); Mysterious Black (purple-black); Pencil Black (grey-black)
• Materials: ABS end cap and barrel, brass nose cone, iron clip
• Size: 145 mm long, 13 mm maximum diameter, 13 g
• Refills: R-GBR03, R-GBR04 or R-GBR05, by nib size
• Model: GBR403 (0.3 mm), GBR404 (0.4 mm), GBR405 (0.5 mm)

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Sakura Color Products Corporation (株式会社サクラクレパス) traces its history to 1921, when its predecessor, Nippon Crayon Shōkai (日本クレィヨン商会), began making Sakura crayons. In 1925 it introduced Cray-Pas, which the company describes as the world's first drawing material of its kind. It is headquartered in Osaka.