Marker pen
A marker pen, marking pen, felt-tip pen, or marker, is a pen which has its own ink-source, and usually a tip made of a porous material, such as felt or nylon.
Types
Permanent marker
Permanent markers are porous pens that can write on surfaces such as plastic, wood, metal, and stone. The ink is generally resistant to rubbing and water.
Highlighters
Highlighters are permanent markers used to highlight and cover over existing writing while still leaving the writing readable.
Non-permanent marker
A non-permanent marker (also called a whiteboard marker or dry erasable marker), uses an erasable ink—an ink that adheres to the writing surface without binding or being absorbed by it—for temporary writing with overhead projectors, whiteboards, and the like. They may also be used by children when adults want to be able to clean up after them. The erasable ink does not contain the toxic chemical compounds xylene and/or toluene, unlike permanent markers.
Wet erase markers are another version that are used on overhead projectors, signboards, whiteboards, and other non-porous surfaces.
Security marker
Special "security" markers, with fluorescent but otherwise invisible inks, are used for marking valuables in case of burglary. The owner of a stolen, but recovered item can be determined by using ultraviolet light to make the writing visible.
Election marker
Marker pens with election ink (an indelible dye and often a photosensitive agent such as silver nitrate) used to mark the finger, and especially cuticle of voters in elections in order to prevent electoral fraud such as double voting. The stain stays visible for a week or two and may also be used to assist in vaccinations in developing world communities and refugee camps.
Dialectal variations
The use of the terms "marker" and "felt-tipped pen" varies significantly among different parts of the world. This is because most English dialects contain words for particular types of marker, often generic brand names, but there are no such terms in widespread international use.
Asia
Felt-tip pens/markers are referred to as "sketch pens" in India because they are mainly used for sketching purposes. In Malaysia, marker pen is just called marker without the word "pen". In the Philippines, a marker is commonly referred to as a "Pentel Pen." In Indonesia a marker pen is referred to as "Spidol"
Australia
In Australia, the term "marker" usually refers only to large-tip markers, and the term "felt-tip pen" usually refers only to fine-tip markers. Markers in Australia are sometimes called "texta". "Texta" is a brand name of a type of permanent marker, which has become generic.
Also known in Queensland as Niko pens.
Mexico
In Mexico, the common word for marker is marcador o "plumón".
New Zealand
One would use the term "Sharpie" or "Vivid" only if using pens of those particular brands. The generic term for fine tipped marker is usually "felt pen" or "felts".
United Kingdom
In the United Kingdom it is common, especially in schools, to refer to felt-tipped pens as "felt tips". This is particularly common with the non-permanent sort of pens used for rendering areas of colour in outline drawings ("colouring in").
United States and Canada
In the United States, the word "marker" is used, as well as "magic marker", which is a genericized trademark.
In Canada and the U.S., "Magic Marker" is sometimes used to refer to "reveal markers" for "magic picture books" where the colours of a picture are revealed by a colourless marker. Sharpie is a popular brand of permanent markers used for labeling. Markers are also sometimes referred to as felt-pens or felts in some parts of Canada.