Resumen: Dip-pen nanolithography (DPN) and Polymer pen lithography (PPL) are powerful lithography techniques being able to pattern a wide range of inks. Transport and surface spreading depend on the ink physicochemical properties, defining its diffusive and fluid character. Structure assembly on surface arises from a balance between the entanglement of the ink itself and the interaction with the substrate. According to the transport characteristics, different models have been proposed. In this article we review the common types of inks employed for patterning, the particular physicochemical characteristics that make them flow following different dynamics as well as the corresponding transport mechanisms and models that describe them. Idioma: Inglés DOI: 10.1515/nanofab-2015-0005 Año: 2016 Publicado en: Nanofabrication 2, 1 (2016) ISSN: 2299-680X Financiación: info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/EC/FP7/328163/EU/In depth characterization of bio-mimetic lipid membrane structures generated by dip-pen nanolithography/DPNLipidMembranes Tipo y forma: Artículo (Versión definitiva)