People occasionally ask me why I write with a fountain pen. It’s a remarkably deliberate writing instrument since you don’t see fountain pens all that often these days. It’s certainly become more of a niche hobby than a practical tool for writing. So, you could call me an enthusiast of sorts.
In any case, today, I want to share why I—over the past five years—have had such a fondness for fountain pens. (And why you should try them out too!)
But first:
What is a fountain pen?
A fountain pen is a type of pen that carries a reservoir of ink, slowly letting that ink flow down to the nib and onto paper. That’s it.
It’s all about letting the ink flow by itself onto the paper. You move the tip of the pen across the page, just guiding it into the shape of whatever you’re writing.
Fountain pens used to be what ballpoint pens are today—the standard, go-to writing instrument. They’re not quite feather quills or dip pens—they’re more recent than that! Think the twentieth century.
What makes a fountain pen unique?
Well first, the ink in fountain pens is completely liquid. That means when you write, the ink usually takes some time to dry on the paper, which can sometimes lead to ink smudges (and ink all over your fingers!) if you’re not careful.
Ballpoint pens, on the other hand, usually use a kind of gel or “paste”-like ink.
Another key difference is how long they’re designed to be used for. A fountain pen is not disposable. They’re often investments, lasting decades if you take care of them properly. As a result, using fountain pens produces very little waste.
With fountain pens, you also get a lot more flexibility with the colour of ink you choose to write with because you have to fill it with ink yourself from a bottle. Some ink colours, in fact, are a lot more unique than what you would normally get in ballpoints, gel pens, or rollerballs.
Similarly, fountain pens come in many—and much more artistic—designs and forms, ranging from sleek and modern to more classic or colourful. There’s plenty of customization, especially with the nibs (like this flex nib, for example) on these pens, producing variations in line thickness and other qualities.
So why write with one?
For me, one of the most compelling factors behind fountain pens is comfort in writing. Because they solely rely on gravity and capillary action to release ink, it takes a lot less work for you, the fountain pen–user, to write with. There is absolutely no need to put pressure on the pen to get it to work—the ink basically flows by itself as soon as the nib touches the page.
Regardless of whether it’s cursive or print, I find that people’s handwriting styles naturally get a lot more “character” when using fountain pens, however, you’d like to define that. Simply put, it’s just a lot less boring—both in how it feels to write and what the writing looks like.
Using fountain pens has also persuaded me, on numerous occasions, to write by hand, instead of typing on a computer. It’s made handwriting something particularly enjoyable, something that’s, for me, truly worth the time to do.
If you’re looking for a new hobby to pick up, I would highly encourage you to consider trying one out.
Here are a few closing thoughts on fountain pens:
Many pens are finicky and sometimes unreliable. There’s a reason we don’t all use them anymore (even though I personally think they’re still suitable for everyday use)!
Also, be sure to get some nice “fountain pen–friendly” paper if you ever want to write with one, since normal paper isn’t usually made to handle all that liquid ink from a fountain pen.
Finally, fountain pens are an investment. And although they can get pretty expensive (like hundreds of dollars expensive), they certainly don’t have to be. There are plenty of pens to be had for not much more than normal pens, and considering that they last much longer, the price difference isn’t particularly significant.
So, still interested? Want to learn more?
Here are some excellent resources to get started:
JetPens – Guide to Fountain Pens
Youtube – Goulet Pens – Common Fountain Pen Mistakes
(Got an extra minute? Here’s some delightful cursive calligraphy to watch—done, of course, with a fountain pen!)