Comments on How to Write With a Fountain Pen

A good way to see whether your pressing too hard is to take the fountain pen without ink and write your name on a sheet of paper, preferably in a notebook, then see whether your leaving an imprint like when you write with a ballpoint. After you write with the "dry" fountain pen, either feel the back of the sheet in the area where you wrote and see if you can feel the letters or writing or if using a notebook check the next blank page for a visible imprint of what you wrote? If you can see or feel either, then your pressing too hard, if not, then your letting the pen glide on the paper which is how a fountain pen is supposed to function. Just a tip I learned when I was shown how to use a fountain pen as a youth. Enjoy!

Excellent article! The only thing I could think to add is: don't press hard! If you're used to writing with a ball point or rollerball pen, you may press much harder than you have to. The fountain pen should really glide on a cushion of ink over the paper, not dig into the surface like a ball point.

Excellent article! The only thing I could think to add is: don't press hard! If you're used to writing with a ball point or rollerball pen, you may press much harder than you have to. The fountain pen should really glide on a cushion of ink over the paper, not dig into the surface like a ball point.