Fountain pen ink bottles themselves also function as stylish collector’s items. Visconti has a patented bottle shape that is unique in design and practical, the shape ensuring every last drop of ink can be used. It is important to keep your pen cap on when you are not using it. Since the ink often has water in it, the ink in the nib can dry if left exposed to air and will not write when you go to use it next. Ink converters work either with a piston (where you twist the knob at the top drawing ink into the reservoir) or as a rubber tube (where you squeeze the air out of the reservoir, place it in the fountain pen ink, and then release it to draw the ink in through air pressure). Sam Di Nardo is an author for Dayspring Pens, where she has honed her expertise in ballpoint, rollerball, gel and fountain pens since joining the team in 2018.

It can be helpful to grab some higher quality paper especially for first time users. Printer or notebook paper can be thinner and harder to work with. Ink converters require bottled ink to fill your fountain pen, so you'll likely have to buy that separate, but there are so many options out there for fountain pen ink. Twist the knob of your converter to send the piston all the way to the bottom of the converter. (You should see the piston descending to the bottom of the converter.) For pens that have not been used in a while and are particularly dried out, try dropping the feed and nib structure into a cup of water and letting it soak for an hour or so. Rinse and repeat till your water stays clear. Tip #6: Store your fountain pen properly. You can find a variety of sizes for the point from extra fine to double broad. Each size serves its own purpose, but a fine or medium nib are great sized for beginners.The clip and tip of the pen are made from wheat straw, an agricultural byproduct, which also keeps the wheat straw from being incinerated and contributing to greenhouse gasses. It is difficult to determine what else is mixed with the wheat straw to hold it together. It is likely some type of plastic (see similar Simply Genius pens below for comparison). But the use of wheat straw byproduct is still better than all plastic materials.

Remove the nib of the pen from the bottle, reassemble the barrel of the pen, and your pen is ready for use. Fountain pens require an extra level of consideration to ordinary pens. Luxury fountain pens can last generations, so learning how to care for yours properly is paramount. The barrel of this pen is made from spongy cork bark that provides a no slip grip. Did you know that a cork tree is able to shed and regrow its bark causing no harm to the tree? It’s a great alternative to plastic. Cork is lightweight and feels comfortable in your hand. It’s also 100% compostable. Modern fountain pens also have an easy filling system allowing you to draw ink up into the pen by submerging the nib and turning the barrel. How you store your fountain pen will largely come down to how much you use it. All in all, the best way is to store it laying flat. This allows the ink to stay wet in the nib without excess ink pooling in the cap. Learn More: How To Store a Fountain Pen Properly

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Let’s look at some of the best options for zero waste pens. You can read more about why these pens have been chosen below. Essentially ink reservoirs with a metal nibs at the end, they can be used over and over and refilled with ink when they run out. Because they are made of metal or stainless steel, they are very durable and can last from generation to generation.

Some manufacturers have tried to improve their environmental efforts by making new lines of pens from recycled materials. Although not fully sustainable, they’re an improvement over the majority of pens on the market.Early inks used petroleum-based solvents as the carrier, making up about 70% of the ink by volume. These solvents are toxic to work with in manufacturing. More recently, the toxic solvents have been replaced by soy or other vegetable-based carriers or water. These newer carriers are much more sustainable and healthier for workers and our air quality. The Seltzer Seven Year Pen is a great option. Seltzer used math to come up with the name of their pen. Each pen holds a large volume of ink that will last you an estimated seven years, assuming you use 1 to 2 meters of ink per day, times 365 days, times seven years. That naming was intentional to get us all to think about the sustainability of the things in our lives that we consider disposable. Fountain pens are a top choice when considering the environment because they could theoretically last a lifetime, but they are also more expensive and require one to handle bottled ink. Fountain pen nibs need much less pressure to write than a ballpoint pen since they have liquid ink. Just moving the tip evenly across the paper should yield the best results. If needed, you can always remove the barrel and twist the fully loaded converter to release just a drop or two of ink from the tip. Fair warning, if you twist too much, you will drip a lot of ink so be prepared with a paper towel or water. How to Use a Fountain Pen: