Speedball Deals — Compare Sale Prices & Find the Best Discount UK

There's something genuinly satisfying about a brand whose name became a household word in its category almost by accident. Speedball started life in 1899 as the C. Howard Hunt Pen Company, manufacturing dip pens from a factory in Camden, New Jersey capable of producing 45,000 pens a day. In 1913, sign letterer and lettering instructor Ross F. George patented a square-tipped nib that made distinctively bold, broad lines — the original Speedball A-Series nib — and it proved so popular that the company eventually adopted the name of that single product as its own identity. The original Speedball Textbook, first published in 1915 to teach lettering technique using the new nibs, is now in its 25th edition and remains in print over a century later.

I've spent sixteen years in the UK art and craft supplies industry and run Discount Art Supplies — a price comparison and deals platform used by over 36,000 artists and crafters every week. Speedball occupies a genuinly unusual position in our community because it spans several quite different disciplines under one name — calligraphers know it for the nibs, printmakers know it for the inks, and increasingly ceramicists know it for glazes, with relatively little overlap between those audiences despite all of them reaching for the same brand.

The printmaking range is where Speedball's reputation runs deepest. The company became the first large manufacturer of linoleum block printing supplies, and later pioneered water-based block printing ink at a time when the medium relied on harsher solvent-based alternatives — a genuinly significant innovation that made relief and block printing considerably more accessible to schools, hobbyists and professional printmakers alike without sacrificing print quality. Today the range covers water-soluble block printing inks, professional relief inks, screen printing inks and squeegees, brayers, barens, lino cutters and a full screen printing toolkit, alongside the Akua monoprinting system and gel printing plates that have become genuinly popular for artists exploring monoprint techniques without a press.

The calligraphy and lettering range traces a direct line back to the original 1913 nib, and Speedball remains the brand most calligraphy teachers point students toward when they're starting out. Dip pens, nib holders, inks, calligraphy markers and fountain pens cover every level from a complete beginner's first attempt at italic script through to professional hand lettering and illustration work. The breadth of nib styles available — broad edge A, B and C series, the oval D-series for italic and gothic lettering, and the steel brush E-series — gives calligraphers genuinly precise control over line weight and style that's hard to find consolidated under a single brand elsewhere.

The paper range is a comparatively recent addition, beginning with the 2010 acquisition of the Bienfang brand and expanded significantly through the later purchase of Global Art Materials, which brought Arnhem 1618 printmaking paper, Fluid watercolour papers and several other respected paper brands into the Speedball family. For printmakers specifically, having paper genuinly engineered for the medium — rather than general purpose drawing paper pressed into service — makes a meaningful difference to how ink sits and dries on the page.

Speedball also produces ceramics glazes and tools, metal leafing supplies under the Mona Lisa name, and adhesives following the 2016 acquisition of Best-Test — a genuinly broad portfolio for a company that started with a single pen nib, all still manufactured by hand at the Statesville facility the company has called home since relocating from New Jersey decades ago.

Getting the best Speedball deals in the UK involves comparing across retailers, since pricing on block printing kits and screen printing starter sets in particular varies meaningfully between stockists. Jacksons Art and Cass Art both carry a comprehensive range and run periodic promotions, while Amazon is often competative on individual ink and nib purchases. Our price comparison below pulls live pricing across UK stockists so you can see the best current deal before you order.

Frequently Asked Questions

When was Speedball founded? Speedball was founded in 1899 as the C. Howard Hunt Pen Company in Camden, New Jersey. The Speedball name comes from the A-Series pen nib, patented in 1913 by sign letterer Ross F. George, which became so popular the company eventually took its name from it.

What is Speedball best known for? Speedball is best known for block printing and screen printing supplies, having been the first large manufacturer of linoleum block printing supplies and a pioneer of water-based printmaking ink. The brand is equally well regarded for calligraphy nibs and pens tracing back to its original 1913 product.

Where are Speedball products made? Speedball products are hand-assembled at the company's headquarters in Statesville, North Carolina, where each nib is split, ground and assembled by hand, continuing a tradition of craftsmanship dating back to the company's origins.

Does Speedball make anything beyond printmaking and calligraphy? Yes — through acquisitions, Speedball now also produces ceramics glazes and tools, fine art and printmaking paper under the Bienfang and Arnhem 1618 names, metal leafing supplies under the Mona Lisa brand, and adhesives following the acquisition of Best-Test.

Does Speedball have a discount code? Speedball's pricing is set through its UK stockists rather than a single central discount code. Check our price comparison below for the best current sale price across all major UK retailers.