Is a Fountain Pen Better Than a Pen?

Almost everyone has at least one fountain pen at home, sometimes it is a memento of a family member, a gift, or an artifact from their own school days. It’s lying somewhere in a drawer, and you write with a ballpoint pen or a fine liner because it’s faster and more convenient? It’s a bit like drinking delicious coffee from a plastic cup. You can, but why condemn yourself to mediocrity? If you are serious about improving the appearance of your handwriting, dust off your forgotten pen as soon as possible and get to work! Why and for what – I’ll explain in a moment.

Feathers have a soul

Fountain pens are often beautiful, luxurious items. Looking at them, holding them in your hands is a pleasure. Writing with something we have a personal relationship to is a more conscious activity than scribbling with a banal blue pen.

Old pens, even the regular, inexpensive ones, have their own stories. Just like the pen, I was learning to write within elementary school. The younger grades were not allowed to use a pen, and almost all had similar pens. I was intrigued by its origins and conducted an internet inquiry into it. 

There is an inscription “Iridium Point Germany” on the nib, which suggests the origin of Germany, and the tip of the nib is made of a very hard noble metal – iridium. In fact, the pen is most likely Chinese (or maybe from former East Germany?), And the iridium tips of the nibs have been a rarity for many years, and everything indicates that it was made of an alloy of other metals. 

So the old man pretends to be what he is not. Although it looks inconspicuous, I like to write with it, because it does not scratch the paper and leaves a very thin line on it.

Writing with a pen teaches humility

A pen requires more from the user than a pen. It’s harder to use, so you have to put in more effort, focus on the shape of individual letters, sometimes slow down the pace of note. Practice the correct grip, because it will not write when held at the wrong angle. Most people write with a pen more carefully and clearly than with other utensils . It is not without reason that specialists urge children to learn to write not with a pencil or a pen, but with a fountain pen. Adults who want to practice their handwriting should, in my opinion, do so with a pen.

Since I have been improving my handwriting, I am more likely to use fountain pens (their collection has grown significantly in recent months ?), because the letters drawn with them are more shapely. I try to write with a pen as often as possible. It is sometimes troublesome if I want to jot down something quickly, but I don’t give up. I have given up on pens, but sometimes I use fineliners , for example in my Bullet Journal .

Equipment for the toddler

I have already written about the value of handwriting for the brain. This is especially important in childhood when the brain is developing and being most receptive. It is a good idea to encourage children to write with a pen without looking back at school.

Instead of boring dictations, I suggest writing something specific. My children write down memories with feathers: whenever something interesting happens, I remind them to take it down.

They have their own pens, they like them very much and they use them every day. I do not force them to write only with pens – there is not always time, sometimes it is more convenient with a pen – but I make sure that they do not forget about them.

Ideally, toddlers should write with special fountain pens. Each self-respecting manufacturer offers at least one model for children, a well-profiled pen, light, friendly to a small hand, often also with a special nib, less sensitive to changing the angle of the position in relation to the page and strong pressure (for example, the Lamy company in pens for children uses nib A [ A nfänger, for beginners]).

A tool for the individualist

A pen is a workhorse for quick notes. Although there are very nice and good quality (and expensive) pens, the most popular are cheap pens. We throw them away without sentiment when they write out and there is no way that we would even like them, not to mention love.

And the feathers? Ah, feathers! This is a completely different story. First of all, we can fill them with inks in dozens (well, hundreds!) Of shades. Secondly, we have a wide variety of designs, sizes and colors to choose from, as well as a variety of nibs. There are pens for cartridges, they are filled from a bottle. Brand-new, limited collections that change every season and are valued by feather lovers from several dozen years ago. Indecently expensive models, but also “Chinese” for a few zlotys (often surprisingly well written).

Do the pens have their discussion groups and thematic forums? Golden sympathizers? Facebook fanpages? Instagram accounts? Collectors investing every penny in their crops?

Get to know your fountain pen

If you already have a pen, but you don’t write with it, I will persuade you to tame it. To write with a pen on a daily basis, you have to like it and get to know it well . Check that it is not scratching the paper and that ink is draining properly. Not only the old pen from the drawer can be damaged, there are also faulty copies straight from the store. I encourage you to test, draw circles and lines, check the pressure. Of course, you also have to learn how to pick up ink for a pen with a plunger and change the cartridges in the pen to refills. Test several types of ink, change colors, check which paper is best written on.

Once you are friends, you and your pen, try to write with just your pen for a few days. Does it work in every situation? Maybe at work you prefer to write with a fineliner, write down random notes with a pen, and for the pen you will only reserve the writing of a diary late in the evening?

You don’t have a pen yet? See the post where I advise what to look for when choosing the first one and where to buy them so as not to go bankrupt.

Writing with a pen – slowly, with concentration – relaxes me a lot. Do you use your fountain pen every day?