Fountain & Calligraphy Pens

A fountain pen lays ink onto the page rather than pushing it, which is why it needs almost no pressure and why long writing sessions are so much less tiring with one. The nib is the whole instrument: its width sets the line, its material sets the feedback, and its tuning sets how wet and how forgiving the pen feels.

Steel nibs are firm, consistent and hard to damage — the right choice for a first pen and for anyone with a heavy hand. Gold nibs flex very slightly under pressure, giving a softer, more responsive feel that some writers love and others find vague. Width runs from extra-fine, which keeps small handwriting legible and suits thin paper, through fine and medium, to broad and stub nibs that reward large writing and show off an ink’s shading.

Calligraphy nibs are a category apart: italic and stub grinds produce a deliberate contrast between thick downstrokes and thin cross-strokes, which is what makes lettering look like lettering. They are unforgiving of a bad grip and enormously satisfying once the angle clicks.

Whichever you choose, plan the ink at the same time. Cartridges are convenient, a converter opens up bottled ink, and the pen you enjoy filling is the pen you will carry.

A last practical word on care. Flush a new pen before its first fill, rinse with cool water whenever you change ink, and never use hot water or solvents on a feed. Store pens nib-up or flat, never nib-down in a bag, and empty a pen that is going unused for a month. Done consistently, this is perhaps five minutes of work a month, and it is the difference between a pen that writes reliably for decades and one that is declared “broken” after two years.

28 products
Platinum Preppy Black Fountain Pen | psq-300-bk-m | Freedompens
Platinum Preppy Black Fountain Pen
from $6.99
Platinum Preppy Blue-Black Fountain Pen | psq-300-blbk-m | Freedompens
Platinum Preppy Blue-Black Fountain Pen
$6.99
Lamy Safari Charcoal Fountain Pen
$37.00
Platinum Preppy Red Fountain Pen | psq-300-rd-m | Freedompens
Platinum Preppy Red Fountain Pen
$6.99
Lamy Al-Star Black Fountain Pen
$47.00
Platinum Preppy Purple Fountain Pen | psq-300-pp-f | Freedompens
Platinum Preppy Purple Fountain Pen
$6.99
Lamy Safari Vista Fountain Pen
$37.00
Lamy Al-Star Ocean Blue Fountain Pen
$47.00
Lamy Al-Star Purple Fountain Pen
$47.00
Platinum Preppy Pink Fountain Pen | psq-300-pk-f | Freedompens
Platinum Preppy Pink Fountain Pen
$6.99
Lamy Al-Star Graphite Fountain Pen
$47.00
Lamy Safari Shiny Black Fountain Pen
$37.00
Lamy Safari Blue Fountain Pen
$37.00
Lamy Safari Red Fountain Pen
$37.00
Kaweco Classic Sport Black Fountain Pen | 10000000 | Freedompens
Kaweco Classic Sport Black Fountain Pen
$34.00
Platinum Preppy Green Fountain Pen | psq-300-gn-f | Freedompens
Platinum Preppy Green Fountain Pen
$6.99
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Pilot Kakuno Clear Fountain Pen | 10819 | Freedompens
Pilot Kakuno Clear Fountain Pen
$15.00 $12.00 Save 20%
Lamy Safari Yellow Fountain Pen
$37.00
Lamy Safari White Fountain Pen
$37.00
Sold Out
Kaweco Classic Sport Navy Fountain Pen | 10001739 | Freedompens
Kaweco Classic Sport Navy Fountain Pen
$34.00
Lamy Safari Green Fountain Pen
$37.00
Faber-Castell Emotion Pure Black Fountain Pen | 148620 | Freedompens
Faber-Castell Emotion Pure Black Fountain Pen
$254.00
Lamy Safari Pink Fountain Pen
$37.00
Kaweco Sport Classic Red Fountain Pen | 10001147 | Freedompens
Kaweco Sport Classic Red Fountain Pen
$34.00
Sold Out
Kaweco Perkeo Old Chambray Fountain Pen | 10001311 | Freedompens
Kaweco Perkeo Old Chambray Fountain Pen
$20.00
Faber-Castell Ambition Black Fountain Pen | 148140 | Freedompens
Faber-Castell Ambition Black Fountain Pen
$97.00
Kaweco Sport Classic Bordeaux Fountain Pen | 10000484 | Freedompens
Kaweco Sport Classic Bordeaux Fountain Pen
$34.00
Sold Out
Kaweco Perkeo Jungle Green Fountain Pen
$20.00