There is a particular pleasure in picking up a fountain pen for the first time — a sense that something quite ordinary (putting ink on paper) is about to become something considerably more satisfying. If you've been curious about fountain pens but aren't sure where to begin, you're in exactly the right place. This guide covers everything: how they work, how to fill them, how to write with them, and which one to buy first.
No experience required.
What is a fountain pen, and why does it feel so different?
A fountain pen works on a beautifully simple principle: capillary action. Ink travels from a reservoir inside the pen, along a channel in a piece of plastic called the feed, to the nib — the metal tip that touches the paper. The ink flows continuously as you write, drawn by the same natural force that pulls water up through the roots of a plant. No squeezing, no pumping, no effort required.
What this means in practice is that a fountain pen writes with almost no pressure. Where a ballpoint pen needs you to push the ink onto the page, a fountain pen delivers it freely. Your hand stays relaxed, your writing becomes smoother, and after a long session the difference is remarkable. Many people who spend hours writing — students, journalists, those who journal daily — find they can write twice as long without fatigue.
Then there's the ink. Fountain pens can use bottled ink, which means access to hundreds — genuinely, hundreds — of colours, from every shade of blue imaginable to ochre yellows, mossy greens, and inks that shift colour depending on the light. That's not something a disposable ballpoint can offer.
The parts of a fountain pen
You don't need to memorise every component, but knowing the key parts makes everything else — filling, troubleshooting, choosing — much easier.
The nib is the pointed metal piece at the tip of the pen. It has a thin slit running down its length, which is what carries the ink to the page via capillary action. Most nibs have a small hole near the base of the slit called the breather hole, which helps regulate ink flow.
The feed sits directly beneath the nib — usually a dark piece of plastic with fins and a central channel. It's the ink's highway from the reservoir to the nib, and it also controls how much ink flows at once.
The section is the part you hold: the tapered grip between the nib and the barrel. Some sections are smooth, some have texture, some are rubberised. A comfortable section makes a considerable difference over long writing sessions.
The barrel is the main body of the pen, housing the ink reservoir — whether that's a cartridge, a converter, or a built-in filling mechanism.
The cap protects the nib from drying out when you're not writing. Never leave a fountain pen uncapped for long. A few minutes is fine; an afternoon is not.
Why use a fountain pen? Three reasons that actually matter
If you've never used one, a fountain pen can seem like a romantic affectation — something you use to sign important documents or impress guests. In practice, the case for fountain pens is considerably more pragmatic.
They're kinder to your hand. The zero-pressure writing style of a fountain pen removes the muscular effort of pressing a ballpoint onto paper. For anyone who writes at length — students, writers, professionals who take hand-written notes — this matters enormously. The difference between an hour with a ballpoint and an hour with a fountain pen is the difference between a clenched fist and an open hand.
They're better for the environment. A single fountain pen, properly cared for, can last a lifetime. Refill it with bottled ink — which typically comes in glass bottles that can be recycled — and you've replaced the endless stream of disposable plastic pens with something singular and durable. The economics work out remarkably well, too: a bottle of ink gives you months of writing for less than the cost of a pack of ballpoints.
They make writing feel like something. This sounds intangible, but it isn't. The feedback of a good nib on good paper, the visual richness of a well-chosen ink, the small ritual of uncapping and filling — fountain pens turn writing from a task into a practice. Many people find they write more, and better, once they've made the switch.
Choosing your first fountain pen
The most important piece of advice here is also the most counterintuitive: don't spend too much on your first pen. Not because cheap pens are as good as expensive ones — they're not — but because you don't yet know what you like. You don't know whether you prefer a heavier pen or a lighter one, a fine nib or a medium, a smooth section or a textured grip. Spending a modest amount on your first pen gives you all the real benefits of fountain pen writing while leaving you free to discover your preferences before investing further.
There are four first pens we recommend most often at The Journal Shop, each at a different level.
The Lamy Safari is probably the most recommended first fountain pen in the world, and with good reason. It's robustly built — the Safari can take a knock — writes beautifully out of the box, and the nib is replaceable, which means you can experiment with different nib widths without buying a new pen. The triangular grip section polarises opinion (some people love it, some find it prescriptive), but it does encourage the correct holding position, which is useful when you're learning. Available in a wide range of colours, it remains excellent value at its price point.
The Kaweco Sport is the pen for anyone who wants something they can carry everywhere without thinking about it. Capped, it's barely longer than your thumb; posted (with the cap on the back), it becomes a full-sized writing instrument. The Sport writes smoothly and comes in a genuinely charming range of colours and materials, from the classic ABS plastic to polished steel and aluminium. Its small size also makes it the pen most likely to live in a coat pocket and get used.
The Pilot Metropolitan is the smoothest writer of the beginner range — disproportionately smooth for its price. It's heavier than the Safari or Sport, with a satisfying brass barrel that gives it a premium feel in the hand. It comes with a cartridge and a squeeze converter, meaning you can use bottled inks immediately. A particularly good choice for anyone who already has a sense they'll enjoy the hobby and wants to start somewhere that feels properly grown-up.
The TWSBI Eco sits at the upper end of the beginner range and represents a significant step forward in filling capacity and writing experience. Unlike the others, it uses a built-in piston filler — you fill it directly from a bottle, and it holds considerably more ink than a cartridge or converter. The transparent barrel lets you watch the ink level at a glance, which is more satisfying than it sounds. If you know you're going to enjoy this, the Eco is an excellent starting point.
Understanding nib sizes
The nib size determines the width of the line you write. Standard sizes run from Extra Fine (EF) through Fine (F), Medium (M), and Broad (B), with broader nibs again beyond that.
For most beginners in the UK, a Fine or Medium nib is the right starting point. Fine nibs produce a line closer to what you're used to from a good ballpoint — controlled and precise. Medium nibs write a little wetter and broader, which brings out the colour and character of inks more vividly, but can feel imprecise if your handwriting is small.
One important thing to know: there is no international standard for nib sizes, and Japanese pens write consistently finer than European pens of the same designation. A Fine nib from Pilot or Platinum writes noticeably narrower than a Fine from Lamy or Kaweco. Neither is wrong — they're just different traditions, reflecting the different writing styles fountain pens were designed for.
If you write small, start with a Fine from a Japanese brand or a Medium from a European one. If you write large and loopy, a Medium European nib will feel natural immediately.
Filling your fountain pen
There are several ways to fill a fountain pen with ink, and which applies to you depends on which pen you have. Here are the three most common systems.
Ink cartridges
The simplest option. A cartridge is a small sealed plastic tube of ink. You push it into the section of the pen until you feel it click, and within a few minutes — or immediately, if you give it a gentle shake — ink flows to the nib and you can write. Cartridges are convenient and mess-free. The limitation is choice: you can only use the cartridge colours offered by your pen's brand, which is typically a small range of standard colours.
Most fountain pens take one of two cartridge types: proprietary (fitting only that brand's pens) or Standard International, which fits a wide range of pens from different manufacturers. Check which your pen uses before buying cartridges.
Converters
A converter fits where the cartridge would go but draws ink from a bottle using a small piston or squeeze mechanism. This is the step that opens the door to the full world of fountain pen inks — hundreds of colours from dozens of brands, including the extraordinary Japanese inks from Pilot, Sailor, and Kyoto Ink that we stock at The Journal Shop.
To fill with a converter: unscrew the barrel, attach the converter to the section, dip the nib into the ink bottle until the nib and feed are submerged, and operate the piston (turn the knob, or squeeze and release the button) to draw ink up. Wipe the outside of the nib and section clean, screw the barrel back on, and write. The first stroke or two may need a small scribble on scrap paper to get the ink flowing.
Built-in piston and vacuum fillers
Some pens — including the TWSBI Eco and several Pilot and Sailor models — have filling mechanisms built into the barrel itself. These hold significantly more ink than a converter and are operated in the same basic way: nib in the bottle, operate the mechanism to draw ink in. The advantage is capacity; the trade-off is that you cannot swap in a cartridge if you run dry and don't have a bottle to hand.
How to write with a fountain pen
Three things make the difference between a frustrating first experience and a revelatory one.
Hold the pen at a lower angle to the paper than you would a ballpoint. Most fountain pens write best at roughly 45 to 55 degrees from the page. Holding the pen too upright reduces ink flow and can make writing feel scratchy. Relax your grip and let the pen lean towards the paper.
Keep the nib facing up. The top of the nib — the engraved, smooth side — needs to face towards you as you write. If the pen rotates so the nib is angled significantly to one side, the ink flow will suffer. This quickly becomes instinctive.
Use no pressure. This is the one that takes the longest to unlearn. With a ballpoint, you press; with a fountain pen, you glide. Let the pen's own weight and the capillary action do the work. You need only guide the pen across the paper. If you find you're pressing, consciously relax your grip until the ink flows freely with no effort at all.
The paper matters more than most beginners expect. Ordinary photocopier paper, cheap notebooks, and many mass-market pads can cause fountain pen ink to feather (spread into the paper fibres) or bleed through to the other side. A notebook designed for fountain pens — or even a good quality lined pad — will make your writing look noticeably better and feel more satisfying. We have a full guide to fountain pen-friendly paper if you'd like to explore further.
Caring for your fountain pen
A fountain pen is not high-maintenance, but it does require some attention. The basics are simple.
Cap it when you're not writing. Fountain pen ink dries out if the nib is exposed to air for extended periods. A brief pause mid-sentence is fine. Leaving it uncapped on your desk for an hour while you make tea is not. Capping is instant — make it a habit.
Clean your pen regularly. Every four to six weeks, or whenever you change ink colour, rinse the pen through with clean water. For a cartridge or converter pen: remove the cartridge or converter, fill the converter with water and expel it through the nib, and repeat until the water runs clear. For a piston filler: draw water up and expel it several times. A drop of washing-up liquid in the water can help with stubborn inks, but rinse thoroughly afterwards with plain water.
Store it horizontally or nib-up. Storing a fountain pen nib-down when not in use encourages ink to pool in the cap and can cause leaking. Horizontal is fine. Nib-up is better. Never leave a filled pen nib-down in a bag or case for extended periods.
If your pen starts hard or skips after a rest, it may simply need priming. Give the nib a very gentle flick (carefully, away from anything you don't want to ink) or press the tip lightly on a damp cloth. In most cases, the pen will come to life immediately.
Your first ink
If your pen comes with a cartridge, use it first — it's the simplest way to start. When you're ready to explore bottled ink, here is honest guidance on where to begin.
Start with a straightforward, well-behaved ink in a colour you'll actually use. Save the shimmering inks and the iron gall experiments for later; they're wonderful, but they have quirks that are easier to manage once you have a feel for the hobby. For a first ink, you want something that flows freely, cleans out easily, and looks good on paper.
Diamine is our most recommended starting point for good reason. It's made in the UK, available in over 150 colours, behaves impeccably in virtually any pen, and is genuinely excellent value. For blue-black — the classic, most versatile fountain pen colour — Diamine Oxford Blue or Diamine Asa Blue are both hard to fault. For something with a little more personality, Diamine Oxblood, Diamine Teal, and Diamine Soft Mint are all beautiful, reliable inks to begin with.
Once you're comfortable, Japanese inks are the next world to discover. Pilot Iroshizuku inks are perhaps the most celebrated in the hobby — named after Japanese flora and landscapes, they offer beautiful shading, excellent flow, and a refinement that's hard to describe until you've tried it. Sailor Shikiori inks, inspired by Japan's four seasons, are equally extraordinary. These are inks that make you look forward to sitting down to write.
A note on ink samples
Where you can find them, ink samples — small vials sold by specialist retailers — are the sensible way to explore. Trying an ink in your own pen on your own paper tells you more than any swatch card. Failing that, start with a brand known for behaving well in any pen, and buy the bottle.
Common beginner questions
Will I get ink on my fingers? Probably a little, at first. Filling a converter is the most likely moment — keep a piece of kitchen roll nearby. It washes off easily.
Can I use any ink in any pen? Generally, yes — any ink labelled as fountain pen ink is safe in any fountain pen. Avoid calligraphy inks, drawing inks, and india ink, which contain pigments or shellac that will clog the feed.
My pen isn't writing — what do I do? Check that there's ink in the cartridge or converter first. If there is, the feed may need priming: with the pen nib-up, gently operate the converter piston to push a tiny amount of ink down into the feed. If the pen is brand new, it may have been filled with a small amount of test ink during quality control — this can sit in the nib area and slow the flow. A brief rinse with water usually solves it.
How often should I clean my pen? Every four to six weeks is a good rule, and always when you change inks. Some inks — particularly heavily saturated or shimmering ones — benefit from more frequent cleaning.
Do I need expensive paper? Not expensive, but quality matters. A good fountain pen notebook needn't cost much more than a standard one. The Journal Shop carries a wide range — from Rhodia pads to Leuchtturm1917 notebooks to Japanese MD Paper — all of which work beautifully with fountain pen ink.
Where to go from here
You've chosen a pen, filled it, and started writing. What comes next is the most enjoyable part: discovery. A different nib width. A new ink colour. A notebook that transforms how your writing looks on the page. A second pen for a second ink. This is a hobby with as much depth as you choose to give it — or as little.
At The Journal Shop, we've been living this hobby since before most people in the UK knew what a Traveler's Notebook was. We're happy to help at any stage, whether you're choosing your first pen or your fiftieth ink. Browse our fountain pen collection, explore our inks, and if you're ever unsure, ask — we genuinely enjoy these conversations.
Where to start: browse our fountain pens and fountain-pen-friendly notebooks at The Journal Shop.
