Ask TGS: Buying My First Fountain Pen

Question: I’ve recently rediscovered an interest in writing by hand, and while I’ve always appreciated a good pen, I’ve never used a fountain pen and don’t know where to begin with all the different nib and filling system options. And what do I do about paper? Help!

I get this question all the time, and while I’ve probably answered it before in blog posts and/or videos, it tends to be timely right after the New Year when everyone has purchased their fresh planner or notebook and many consider whether they should pick up a fountain pen for the first time. But where to begin? Here’s my “two minute speech” that I typically give people in the shop or at a show:

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Don’t Spend a Lot of Money

If you’ve never used a fountain pen before, don’t start at the $200 price point. In fact, you probably don’t even want to start at the $50 price point. There are plenty of excellent fountain pens that cost $25 or less, which will allow you to get a feel for writing with a fountain pen nib, cleaning the pen, changing the ink, etc. without a huge sunk cost. In my own store, I have plenty of people who come in having never written with a fountain pen at all, and I almost always direct them to the Platinum Preppy, the Pilot Kakuno, or the Pilot Explorer (the latter if they really insist on having the ability to use bottled ink immediately since the Explorer ships with a converter). The Preppy is a great option for those uncertain about nib sizes and how different fountain pen nibs will work with their handwriting, since Preppy’s are inexpensive without being “disposable”, and you can buy them in multiple sizes to experiment. Our “Best Pens” post highlights these options and several more.

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Start with a basic ink, but even cartridges come in a range of colors.

Start with a Basic Blue, Black, or Blue-Black Fountain pen Ink

While experimenting with inks is a huge part of the fountain pen hobby, get used to writing with fountain pens first. Standard blue, black, and blue-black inks usually flow well, dry relatively fast, and come in both bottles and cartridges. (I usually recommend cartridge pens for true beginners.) It’s especially important to pay attention to ink if you’re left-handed, since many lefties hold the pen in a way that causes their hand to smear the ink if it takes too long to dry. Making sure the pen and ink combo is compatible with your handwriting style is the formula for success.

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Our B5 and A4 paper sorter, which we keep stocked with many different fountain pen friendly paper brands.

Be Sure You Have Some Decent Fountain Pen Friendly Paper

The same paper that you can use for ballpoints, gel pens, rollerballs, and pencils won’t necessarily work well with fountain pens. Most fountain pen ink is water-based, meaning that it may feather and bleed-through on particularly absorbent paper, especially recycled papers or office stock. Purchasing some slightly better paper with a heavier paper weight or coating will make for a more enjoyable writing experience. While Clairefontaine, Rhodia, Maruman, and Leuchtturm1917 are the usual go-to recommendations for solid paper that is easy to source, there are many smaller brands as well. For several years I’ve tracked paper brands and their relative “fountain pen friendliness” in this evergreen blog post that gets updated annually.

Give Yourself Some Time to Adjust to the Pen (and Writing with Fountain Pens in General) Before You Start Buying More

It’s easy to get carried away with online recommendations - everyone has their own opinion on “the best” fountain pen, often driven by their own personal preferences and experiences. That said, there’s only one way to figure out what your own preferences are, and that’s to gain as much experience as you possibly can by using pens for an extended period of time before moving on to something else. Obviously, if a pen truly doesn’t work for you (i.e., it doesn’t write, is falling apart, hurts your hand after more than a day or two), move on immediately, but try to avoid the “I-like-this-but-wonder-if-there-is-something-better” mentality that often leads to an acquisition mindset rather than the thoughtfulness or creativity many are seeking out in the first place.

A huge part of why I decided to open the physical T.G.S. shop in Nashville is to give people the opportunity to come in and experience fountain pens in person and to have conversations like this one before picking out a pen and deciding which one is right for you! We are open Thursdays and Fridays from 1-6pm and Saturdays from 10-6pm.

Ask TGS: Do I Have to Use Fountain Pen Ink from the Same Manufacturer as My Pen?

I’ve always wanted to directly address this question because it’s one I get a lot (including multiple times today in-shop). Many pen companies - especially luxury purveyors such as Montblanc - make a point of emphasizing in their warranty materials that you should only use their in-house brands of ink. For example, only use Montblanc ink in a Montblanc pen, Pelikan ink in a Pelikan pen, etc. The reason for these disclaimers are straightforward: If you damage your pen by using another brand’s ink, they shouldn’t be held responsible for you using a product over which they have no control. But how likely is it that you will actually harm your pen by mixing pens and inks of different brands, or from using any given ink in general? In my experience, not very likely, and I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve seen someone do truly irreparable harm to a fountain pen by using the “wrong” ink.

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I have no issue using boutique inks (like the Wet Pen inks shown here) in any of my pens. With any fountain pen ink, typically the worst thing that can happen is that the pen clogs, which a flush with water will fix. If you have any doubts, test with a glass pen or steel dip pen first.

Most Standard Fountain Pen Inks Are Perfectly Safe to Use in Any Pen

Fountain pen inks are generally water-based, so unless you are using calligraphy ink or ink with some sort of special chemical property (discussed further below), you are unlikely to cause permanent harm to your pen. Note that when I say that an ink is “safe,” I mean that it will not destroy the nib, feed, or filling system to the point where you will need to send it in for any sort of warranty repair. The pen will continue to write. HOWEVER, if you are using any color other than black or standard blue - and especially brighter colors like red or purple - you do run the risk of staining clear acrylics or lighter-color materials. My personal recommendation is that if you have a pen you are extremely concerned about staining, use only standard blacks and blues made by companies like Pelikan, Waterman, Herbin, etc. These inks tend to be on the less saturated side, and I have found them less likely to stain.

Exercise Caution When Using Inks with Special Properties

By “Special Properties,” I mean things like permanence, heavy shimmer, no-freeze, super-sheen, and other attributes that you increasingly see advertised in today’s market. While most of these inks will not cause issues in modern fountain pens, if an ink clogs or otherwise causes an issue with your very expensive piston filler, the original manufacturer may decline to cover the pen under the warranty if they didn’t make the ink themselves. Again, while issues with these inks aren’t common, and the worst that usually happens is a clog that can be flushed out with water at home, you do proceed at your own somewhat low, but not zero, risk.

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Don’t get me wrong, I also have a selection of calligraphy inks and other non-fountain pen safe supplies. I just keep a selection of dip pens close at hand.

The MOST IMPORTANT RULE IS TO Only Use Fountain Pen Inks in Fountain Pens

By far, most of the stories I hear about inks damaging pens involve people attempting to use calligraphy and India ink in a fountain pen, which is a big no-no. Not only do these inks stain, but some contain glue-like substances such as shellac. For obvious reasons, introducing these inks into a fountain pen is a bad idea because you will literally never get them out, and any integrated filling system will likely be ruined. (It’s basically the equivalent of using paint.)

So, the short-form, TLDR version of this answer is “Don’t worry too much and enjoy your pens, as long as you are using inks by a reputable company advertised for use in fountain pens.” Clean your pens semi-regularly and don’t allow the ink to evaporate. If you have a very expensive or sentimental pen that you are concerned about damaging (especially staining), consider only using standard blues or blacks, and never, ever, use India ink in any fountain pen!

I periodically take a day to answer reader questions, some of which you can find archived in the FAQ section of the site. If you’re in the Nashville area, we’re always happy to answer your questions in person at our Nashville shop.

New Resource: Introducing the "Ask TGS" Page!

I receive a lot of different questions from readers and customers, and because I can’t always respond in a timely manner due to the volume of correspondence and time constraints, I wanted to put together a site resource compiling answers to and links discussing some of the more common inquiries. I currently have these organized by topic (General, Pens and Ink, Paper, and Shop-related), but I may add to this over time. Please check out the new resource here!

While we are neck-deep in our move to a new shop location this week, we are still shipping orders within our typical 2-3 business day time frame. Many thanks to everyone who has continued to support us during this exciting, yet very scary, time! I look forward to sharing pictures of the new space as it comes together and hopefully seeing many of you in person.