The Beginner's Guide to Fountain Pens

• Quick Start Guide
• How to Use a Fountain Pen
• How to Store Your Fountain Pen
• Choosing Your First Fountain Pen
• When Should I Use a Different Pen?
• More Resources
• Conclusion

Install the ink cartridge.

Almost all beginner fountain pens are compatible with cartridges. These fountain pens usually come with ink cartridges that you need to install before you can start writing. You can see our Quick Start Guide above to see the basic steps on how to install a cartridge, or read our complete guide to installing ink cartridges to learn more.

Some fountain pens use standard international cartridges that can be swapped, but other fountain pens are only compatible with proprietary cartridges. You can click on the “Recommended Refills/Parts” button on a fountain pen’s product page or the “Compatible Products” button on the cartridges’ product page to see which products work together.

There are also fountain pens that can be refilled from ink bottles using converters or built-in filling mechanisms like pistons and vacuums (you can read more about them in our guide). Many people prefer bottled inks over cartridges because they come in far more colors and cost less than ink cartridges in the long run. However, they’re also less convenient because you need an ink bottle on hand (and, ideally, a paper towel to wipe the pen clean).

Cleaning your fountain pen regularly is an essential part of its maintenance.

Over time, fountain pens can get clogged up with tiny paper fibers, bits of dust, and dried ink. We recommend cleaning your fountain pen regularly for the best performance.

You should clean your fountain pen…

• Every four to eight weeks if you aren’t changing ink colors.
• Every two to four weeks if you’re using high-maintenance inks (like pigment-based or shimmering inks).
• Every time you change ink colors.
• If you don’t plan to use your fountain pen for a few weeks.

You can read our fountain pen cleaning guide for step-by-step instructions.

Fountain pens work best on fountain pen friendly paper.

It’s not a necessity, but using fountain pen friendly paper will make your writing experience much more enjoyable. To see our top paper recommendations, check out our guides to the best fountain pen friendly paper and notebooks.

Fountain pens work on “normal” paper like print-outs and filler paper, but you can run into problems like the ink bleeding through the paper, feathering (when the ink spreads along the paper’s fibers), and even skipping. By using fountain pen friendly paper, you don’t have to worry about these problems—though the tradeoff is that you’ll have to wait a little longer for your writing to dry.

Fountain pen inks can be sensitive to dust and skin oils, so paper that’s been sitting around for a while or handled a lot may not perform as well as fresh, untouched paper. Keep unused loose leaf sheets in the packaging, and close notebook covers when you’re done writing. You can put a sheet of blotting paper or a writing board under your hand to keep hand oils from transferring to the paper.

Students or office workers often can’t choose what kind of paper they’re working on. Try using finer nibs and fountain pen inks that work well on regular paper to reduce the chances of bleedthrough and feathering.

Try out a variety of pen and ink combinations to see what works best for you.

Writing with a fountain pen isn’t all that different from writing with any other pen, but it can still take a bit of practice before it feels natural. Experiment with a variety of inks, papers, and writing styles to see what works best for you.

Owning a fountain pen is a bit like owning a pet. You can learn everything there is to know about any given model, but the pen you get will have its own personality. Some pens work better with certain inks. Some pens like being held at slightly different angles. This may seem like work—and it can be at first—but in exchange, you’ll develop a deep bond with your fountain pen.

And unlike a ballpoint or rollerball pen that can perform differently with each new refill, you can keep getting that same performance with your fountain pen for as long as you want.

When possible, store your fountain pen horizontally to prevent it from leaking and the nib from drying out.

Whether you’re traveling with your pens or keeping them at your desk, it’s important to store your fountain pens properly. When possible, we recommend storing fountain pens horizontally to keep the nibs from drying out or leaking between uses.

You can also store a fountain pen vertically with the tip up if you don’t have room for horizontal storage. This position allows the ink in the nib to slowly drain back into the reservoir. This means that your pen might skip on the first few strokes when you start using it again, but gently scribbling on a piece of scratch paper or dipping the nib and feed in a cup of clean water will usually get it writing again.

The JetPens team doesn’t recommend storing your fountain pen vertically with the tip down. While the nib and feed stays saturated with ink, this position can also cause ink to leak into the cap.

Keep your fountain pens inside pen cases with soft linings or individual slots. A desk tray with a soft hand towel inside is another option.

Our two favorite beginner-friendly fountain pens are the Pilot Metropolitan and the Platinum Preppy.

The best beginner fountain pen is the Pilot Metropolitan, which combines excellent quality with an affordable price. It includes an ink cartridge as well as a converter for use with bottled ink. Pick up smaller ink bottles from Diamine or Herbin to pair with the Metropolitan.

If you’re not ready to commit to a $25 fountain pen, the Platinum Preppy is great for writers on a budget. Though it costs about the same as a cup of fancy coffee, it has some unique features perfect for fountain pen beginners. First, it has a special “Slip and Seal” cap that prevents the pen from drying out even if you only use it a few times a year. Second, the Preppy can be converted to a highlighter using replacement tips if you decide that fountain pens aren’t for you.

For more advice on choosing your first fountain pen, check out our guide on the Best Beginner Fountain Pens.

Fountain pens work best on fountain pen friendly paper. There are some fountain pen inks like Waterman Serenity Blue that work well on regular paper. However, if you don’t want to worry about bleedthrough and feathering, stick with ballpoint or gel pens.

Fountain pen inks are fluid and water based, so they take longer to dry than most other inks. There are some fast-drying inks that can match the drying speed of a gel pen, but they can feather quite badly even on fountain pen friendly paper.

For more information on our fastest-drying fountain pen inks, check out our guide on the Best Fast-Drying Fountain Pen Inks.

Most fountain pen inks aren’t waterproof or archival. There are some waterproof fountain pen inks, but they tend to be slow drying, more likely to smear, and require extra maintenance. For peace of mind, use archival-quality markers like the Sakura Pigma Micron, or pigmented gel pens like the Uni-ball Signo.

Those who write from dawn to dusk might need to refill their fountain pens every day or two. It’s quick and easy to replace cartridges, but the process might break up your workflow. A fountain pen with a built-in filling system will last longer thanks to its large ink reservoir, though you’ll need to keep an ink bottle on hand just in case. If the need to refill your pen often sounds like a deal breaker, use long-lasting ballpoint pens instead.

You may have heard that fountain pens can leak on airplanes. This isn’t as much of an issue with modern fountain pens, but to be safe, there are a few things you can do. First, store your pen in a plastic zip bag to contain possible ink spills. Keep your pen either completely full or completely empty, too.

If you plan to use your pen during the flight, make sure that it’s stored with the nib pointing up. Wait until the plane has reached cruising altitude before opening it, and try to do so over a towel or paper towel just in case.

The reason for all of this caution: air pressure. As an airplane takes off, the air pressure inside the plane goes down. The reduced air pressure causes any air trapped inside a pen to expand, pushing ink out of the way as it tries to escape.

All fountain pen inks will freeze if you leave them exposed to icy temperatures for long enough. When ink freezes, it expands, and this increased pressure can burst internal reservoirs and ink bottles. A ballpoint pen—especially a pressurized one—is your best bet in frosty weather.

Fountain pens aren’t meant to be used upside down because they rely on gravity to move the ink from the internal reservoir to the feed. Additionally, fountain pens can’t write on glossy surfaces like photo paper.

If you need to write upside down, try a pressurized ballpoint pen. For glossy paper, multi-surface gel pens and markers work well.

Sooner or later, basically all fountain pens need to be cleaned. The only exceptions are disposable pens, which usually get thrown away before they need any maintenance.

Good hygiene ensures that you’ll be able to use your fountain pens for decades to come. It doesn’t take long to clean a fountain pen, but those who prefer a maintenance-free pen should try other writing instruments.