My Guide for Fountain Pen Beginners

Posted On: January 10 2025

Written by Julian Lopez

Introduction

Dear (Person I Am Introducing Fountain Pens To),

You asked me for some fountain pen recommendations in your letter to me, but I’m going to discuss slightly more than just pens here. It’s hard to explain, but there’s a whole world out there of stationary products that you can mix and match until you achieve a perfect fit for you. It’s like those Arch Linux users who spend countless hours making their perfect desktop environment (often with i3).

With this in mind, I’m going to split this into several sections. I’ll try to keep it beginner friendly and short though!

EDIT: So that was a lie. As you can tell by the length of this blog post I went a bit crazy and failed to keep this guide at a reasonable word count. That said, I do feel that it is useful for people starting out in this hobby and covers a bunch of useful information. I highly recommend not attempting to read this in one sitting but instead using the above table of contents to skip around to sections you find interesting.

Resources

JetPens YouTube/Email

JetPens is an online store that specializes in Japanese stationary. Their website is fun to browse, but their YouTube channel is a treasure trove of helpful info and interesting products that they sell. I really like their style which appeals more to a younger generation than the dreary stuffiness associated with FP’s. However, if you prefer email I highly recommend subscribing to their email newsletter. It’s a great way of keeping abreast of new products and innovations within the stationary world.

Fediverse/Mastodon

I can’t comment on other social media sites, but the fountain pen community on the Fediverse is super helpful. It’s small but super active. If you’re a n00b asking for help, you’ll get a bunch of replies from people eager to help.

Here’s how you can get involved:

1. Create an account on a Mastodon server. I recommend penfount.social, a Mastodon instance dedicated to fountain pens and stationary. It’s a great place to ask questions and share your experiences with fountain pens.

2. Follow @penfount@penfount.social. It’s an automated account which boosts/retweets all posts tagged with “#fountainpen” by followers of it.

3. Your timeline will now be filled with fountain pen posts! If you ever want to ask a question, don’t forget to tag it with “#fountainpen”.

Me!

I’m more than willing to help you out if you have any questions or concerns regarding fountain pens or stationery no matter how small they may be! You can email me at admin@julianlopez.net or send me a letter to my mailbox at:

Julian Lopez
232 E 2nd St Unit A
PMB #8170
Los Angeles, CA 90012

Where To Buy Stuff

Kinokuniya

Kinokuniya is a Japanese bookstore chain that sources a large chunk of its inventory from Japan directly. This means that certain items available for purchase there can’t be bought at any other US stores physically or online. (e.g. the Pilot Lightive) Their selection varies often by location but they all stock roughly the same basics. Here in LA you have one at the Santa Anita mall over by Arcadia (which kinda sucks for buying pens since they’re all behind the register) and another in Little Tokyo by DTLA (there’s a separate counter for pens/inks which is great but it’s often crowded on weekends). Over in NYC there’s a location over by Bryant Park. I can’t comment on the product selection there but the mini-cafe overlooking the park is really nice!

JetPens

I mentioned this site earlier so I’ll keep this short. They originally specialized in Japanese stationary but now carry stuff from all over as well. Their regular non-sale prices are pretty good and they offer free shipping if you spend a minimum of $35.

Local Bookstores/Shops

Your mileage will vary but I’ve had good experiences at local stores. Here in LA I can recommend Vroman’s (the largest independent bookstore in SoCal) and Flax Pen to Paper (located close to UCLA), which I haven’t visited yet but have heard good things about from my pen friend. What’s great about these places is that you can really take your time browsing their selection and ask the staff questions (who are typically really nice).

What Paper to Get

Before getting into the pen stuff, I want to first discuss the paper you’ll be using. Typical paper doesn’t cut it for fountain pens. They’ll bleed through and are rough to write on in addition to containing acid which does not react well with certain fountain pen inks. Thankfully there are a bunch of options out there with a variety of attributes to match what you need!

Kokuyo Campus

Out of all of the options listed here, this is by far the most popular and cheapest option. Kokuyo’s Campus line up is one of if not the most prevalent notebooks in Japan. Surprisingly they work pretty well with fountain pens and are acid free. They come in a wide variety of colors, features, and sizes. My personal favorite notebook is their soft ring variant which doesn’t hurt your wrist while writing. They also sell loose leaf sheets which can be used in a binder or a binder notebook.

Clairefontaine

Clairefontaine is a French paper company whose loose leaf sheets I love using. (This is written on them!) The lines within the squares are perfect for correcting my handwriting. That said, it’s next to impossible to purchase their A4 loose leaf sheets here in the US which I absolutely love using for writing long documents. Thankfully, it’s a lot easier to buy their notebooks which also have the same style of lines/squares. They also sell a nice A5 notepad, perfect for letters.

Rhodia

Owned by Clairefontaine, their perforated notepads and pocket notebooks are a personal favorite of mine. I’d say that it’s a heavy-duty paper which I’ve felt more than comfortable hauling around with me. I once went “swimming” in a flooded tunnel within Central Park and had an iPhone 12 along with a Rhodia pocket notebooks in my pocket. My iPhone had battery issues afterwards and I had to get it replaced while the notebook had nearly no discernible damage/issues.

Tomoe River

Arguably one of the most unique papers out there, these sheets are lighter and thinner than anything else out there (except for airmail paper) thanks to a special coating that hardly exhibits any bleed-through. Plus, they’re great for highlighting inks that sheen. That said, they’re only really suitable for use with fountain pens and I wouldn’t feel comfortable using a pencil with this paper.

There’s a whole bunch of controversy surrounding the recent change in manufacturer of it which I won’t get into here. I’ve mainly written with the old stuff but plan to try out the new Tomoe River S (“S” for Sanzen) soon. I’ve heard that it’s noticeably different from the old stuff with different properties but still good.

Midori MD

A cream-colored cotton paper mainly sold in Diary/Jounral form. The texture is smooth yet still different from other papers. I’ve also noticed it works well for highlighting the sheen of certain inks. They sell paper pads in A4/A5 size in addition to a lined letter pad meant for use with their envelopes.

Maruman Mnemosyne

Out of all of the different types of paper I’ve used, this stuff is by far the smoothest. It’s hard to describe just with words, but once you feel it you can understand just how premium it is. That said, I believe it’s the priciest out of all of these paper options. Thankfully, it makes up for that with a large variety of notepads/notebooks in a bunch of different sizes and line types. Personally, I love and highly recommend their dot grid paper which I use for my personal journal.

Inks Explainer

A critical component of fountain pens are the inks you fill them with. Some people are content with buying the default blue ink sold by their pen manufacturer but I strongly feel that they are missing out. Not only does fountain pen ink come in an unimaginable variety of colors but also in a wide variety of sheens, shading, and shimmer effects!

Shading

Shading is when an ink looks darker in some areas and lighter in others. When I first started writing with an ink that shaded I got super frustrated because of the uneven coloring. I thought there was something wrong with either my pen or my handwriting. Nowadays though, I appreciate it as it adds a bit of variation to my ink instead of just a single color.

Sheening

When you hold up inks that sheen to a light at a certain angle, a metallic coating (often of a different color from the ink itself) can appear. It’s a great effect but with some downsides. In order to have an ink’s sheen visible it is best to write on high quality paper made for fountain pens. Additionally, these inks often take a long time to dry, and even after they dry they tend to be easy to rub off. Thus I wouldn’t recommend them for letters/mail, but can work for personal notes.

Shimmer

Inks that shimmer have small glitter particles mixed in with the rest of the ink. These glitter particles are much smaller than their traditional counterparts so you might need to look closely to see them properly. The main concern with using them is that you might clog your nib feed. Thus, it is highly recommended to only use them with medium/broad/stub nibs.

Additionally, you can add a shimmer effect to standard ink by mixing in a glitter potion. Being able to control the ratio of ink to glitter is great since you can enhance the glitter effect further by adding more glitter particles. Just don’t clog up your feed by adding to much glitter (as I once did).

Inks I Recommend

Diamine Oxblood

Diamine is a company that sells nearly every possible hue of the color red in ink form. Personally, my favorite is Oxblood. It is fairly vibrant yet with a deepness that I prefer to have. Don’t limit yourself to just this shade of red though! I highly recommend browsing Diamine’s catalogue to find the perfect fit for you.

Kaweco Midnight Blue

At the time I bought this more out of necessity as I needed a cartridge for a pen that accepts international cartridges and wouldn’t fit a converter . Thus, while at Kinokuniya I grabbed whatever wasn’t a plain black/blue out of what they had available. I don’t like the standard Azure blue used in most pens but do prefer darker tones of it. This ink surprised me though as I wouldn’t really call it blue as it’s far too dark. Midnight is perfect for it though as it captures the night sky over an urban area which you can’t quite call black yet has just enough vibrancy to not be grey.

Sailor Shikiori Komakusa

A while back I experimented with a light jade green ink and I hated it. In response, I got this earthy ink that I love! It’s dark enough to be easily legible yet has some nice shading which results in a light grassy hue or a darker green that reminds me of the foliage of a dense forest.

Wearingeul Emerald Castle

This isn’t actually ink but a glitter potion meant to be mixed in with ink. This potion is part of Wearingeul’s Wizard of Oz set and is appropriately named after the castle of the titular wizard. While in its bottle it has a milky white complexion but once you’ve mixed it with some ink and spread it on paper, the glitter really does take on an emerald look. I like to mix it with the previously mentioned Komakusa ink and use it with a broad-nibbed pen. This combination worked great for me but your mileage shall vary with other inks.

LAMY Dark Lilac (2024 Edition)

This pen had quite a controversy upon its release (there was even a NYT article about it!) since it’s a slightly different formulation of an ink previously released with the same name. That aside, I like it for what it is. A purple ink with a gold sheen. When writing with it, it was cool to hold it up to the light and see its gold glint. However, I dislike the long drying time it has which would be easy to deal with if it weren’t for how easily it can be rubbed off even when dry.

Platinum Carbon Black

Black. That’s what this ink is. A pure no-frills and consistent black ink. What drew me to it was its durability. Unlike most other inks which are dye-based, this one relies on carbon pigment which allows it to be waterproof and more durable than others. This is perfect for my letters as I’ve had my girlfriend open a lovingly crafted letter only to face a colorful mess. Something to notes is that due to its pigment base you’ll have to clean out any pen using it somewhat regularly. I also advise using it with a pen that has a good seal. (TWSBI and Platinum pens typically have good seals.)

Fountain Pen Explainer

Before diving straight into which fountain pens I recommend I first wish to break down important things to be aware with them. Fountain pens come in all kinds of shapes/features/attributes and it’s a fact that a pen that may be highly praised by others may not be a match for you.

Price Doesn’t Equal Quality

Often you might come across some fancy ultra-luxury pen that costs hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars and think that writing with it guarantees a perfect writing experience. This is for sure not the case. For instance, there are certain companies that rely on their past and brand recognition to sell their products (Parker is such a company in my opinion) instead of focusing on quality manufacturing and features. Additionally, there are plenty of pens with bodies made of pricy/exotic materials designed to jack up prices but have a middling writing experience. Personally, these types of pens don’t appeal to me as what I really care about is the feel of the nib and how well I can write with it for extended periods of time.

Western vs Asian Nib Sizes

The basic nib sizes offered by most manufacturers are Fine/Medium/Bold. However, the exact sizes vary between each manufacturer, but even more so between Western and Asian nibs. On average, an Asian medium is equivalent to a Western fine nib. This is something I am sensitive to as I prefer finer nibs for my writing and have found Western medium (sometimes fine as well) nibs not to my liking.

It’s Important To Cap Your Pens

With ballpoint pens, you can leave a pen uncapped for a while, roll it a bit, and it’ll be good. Not so with fountain pens. If you leave one uncapped and unattended for a while, its nib will eventually dry out and you might need to dip it briefly in water to allow ink to freely flow again. Thus, it is important to keep

It’s also worth noting that even when left unused for an extended period of time a pen’s nib will dry out even if capped. To avoid this, be sure to use your pens every once in a while to keep them flowing!

Different Pens Fill Different Ways

Unfortunately, there is no universal way to fill up a fountain pen with ink. You will have to check on a per pen basis what the filling method is, which I admit can seem daunting. Thankfully, there are three filling methods that most pens use.

1. Piston Fillers: To fill these pens you simply submerge their nibs into a bottle of ink and turn a knob that draws ink into an inner reservoir. Out of the three methods outlined here, it allows for the highest capacity option with the downside of increased complexity and difficulty of maintenance.

2. Cartridges: It’s what it sounds like. Ink cartridges that when they run low you can easily swap. They are by far the most convenient option, but you’ll be sacrificing variety for that. There’s far more of a selection in bottled form than can be found in cartridges. Additionally, there is no universal standard for cartridge size/fit. As such, it’s common (especially with Japanese pens) for a pen to only accept cartridges from its manufacturer.

3. Cartridge Converter: A cartridge converter is a small device that fits in the cartridge slot and has a mechanism to draw ink from a bottle. After you install it you’ll have to dip the nib of the pen into an ink bottle and use its mechanism to draw ink inside. The downside of this method is that you’ll have to clean out the pen more often than with a piston filler. Additionally, there are many different types of converters that are not universal (same as with cartrages). For instance, a LAMY converter will not work with a Pilot pen. Just make sure when buying a converter that it’ll fit in the pen you intend to use it with!

Fountain Pens That I Recommend (For Beginners)

Platinum Preppy

In my eyes, this is the perfect beginner’s pen. (I might be biased as this was one of my first pens though.) It writes well for its price range, costs less than $10, and comes in a variety of colors and some special Japanese-themed editions. Not to mention its special air-tight cap which can keep the ink on a nib wet for over a year! The only issue I have with it is that if you want to use bottled ink with it you have to buy a Platinum converter which costs more than the pen itself! I must admit that it’s an easy converter to disassemble which is great for cleaning out problematic inks.

Pilot Kakuno

A pen explicitly meant to be its owner’s first pen, the Kakuno isn’t dumbed down in any way. It’s a great pen that writes well and is easy to use. Its standout feature is a cute smiley face on its nib meant to help its users write better. The idea being that if you’re gripping your pen properly if you can see the cute smiley face! This in conjunction with the transparent design with a variety of pastel accent colors, a cap that does its job of sealing well, and enough room for a full-size CON-70 converter make this pen hard to beat at its low price point. The only negative thing I have to say about it is that I really would have preferred if it had a clip, but that’s not a deal breaker.

Kaweco Sport

Extremely pocketable and available in a wide variety of colors and materials, the long-lived Kaweco Sport (first released in 1911) is likely the most popular and recognizable pocket pen out there. It’s a great pen that when capped is

However, it’s not for everyone. I was gifted a brass version of this pen, and while I liked the writing feel and nib I found it to be to heavy and unbalanced during long writing sessions. (A brass pen I much prefer to write with is the Traveler’s Pen) That said, there is a massive variety of plastic versions out there that have been tempting me for a while. (Especually the new piston filler.)

LAMY Safari

A no-nonsense design that has been manufactured since 1980 and had only small design revisions, the LAMY Safari is one of the most ubiquitous pens out there. (It’s also the pen I’m writing this guide with.) Its design is plain at first glance, but after writing with it for a bit, it’s evident that every small aspect of it was well thought out. From the simple yet effective grip, to the small but useful ink window, and the plain yet easily swappable nibs. What this pen lacks in a flashy design it more than makes up for it in functionality. That said, I’ve written with several of these pens and have found their nibs to be scratchy.

Still, its standout feature is the wide variety of colors it comes in. Every year LAMY releases a new special edition along with a matching ink which is a fun way to collect them. I once even met a guy at a pen meet up who brought over 30 of them!

TWSBI ECO

If the LAMY Safari is meant to be subtle and inconspicuous, the TWSBI ECO is brash and expressive! With its transparent design clearly showing off your choice of ink and the internals of its piston mechanism, it’s a great conversation starter. That said, it’s more than just a flashy pen. TWSBI pens have some of the best seals I’ve had the pleasure of using in addition to their nibs being fun to write with. Additionally, there are a wide variety of different color schemes and limited editions making them fun to collect. (They even sell some that glow in the dark!) That said, there are many reports online of cracking issues with the clear plastic TWISBI uses. I’ve had mine for a while and haven’t had any issues with it, but it’s something to be aware of. Even so, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a piston filling pen better than it at this price point!

Conclusion

Initially, I intended this guide to just be a list of fountain pens I recommend along with some brief notes on things to be aware of. Nine sheets of A4 paper later and it’s clear that I slightly spiralled out of control while typing this. This was mainly due to my passion for this topic but also because of its depth. There is a countless number of fountain pens out there that can be paired up with more inks that span nearly every aspect of the color spectrum and can be used on paper of different sizes and attributes. The combinations are nearly infinite! As such, there is no one-size-fits-all solution for everyone. The best I can do is to give an overview of this world and allow you to explore whatever seems interesting to you. Good luck and happy writing!