A first fountain pen: nib, cartridges or converter

The nib: EF, F, M or B

The letters on the nib show how wide the line is:

• EF (extra fine) and F (fine): thin lines, for small handwriting and notes.
• M (medium): a little wider, for everyday handwriting.
• B (broad): a full, wide line, for larger handwriting and signatures.

Lamy makes the Safari in all of these, such as the Safari extra fine, the Safari fine and the Safari broad. Japanese brands sometimes give the width in millimetres: the Platinum Preppy comes with nibs from 0.2 mm (extra fine) to 0.5 mm (medium). If in doubt, choose F or M.

Left-handed and for school

For children learning to write there are school fountain pens with a grip that keeps the fingers in place, in a right-handed and a left-handed version. Pelikan makes the Pelikano Junior for right-handers and the Pelikano Original also for left-handers. Stabilo has the EASYbuddy, with a grip for right- and left-handers and also with a nib for left-handers (L).

Lamy makes a separate left-handed nib (LH) for adults, as on the Lamy Safari left-handed. Whether you need it depends on how you hold the pen; many left-handers simply write with an F or M.

Cartridges: which ones fit

A cartridge is a small tube of ink that you push into the pen. It is the easiest way to start. Do mind the system:

• Lamy uses its own cartridges, the Lamy T10.
• Parker uses its own Quink cartridges, such as the long Quink cartridges in blue.
• Kaweco, Pelikan and many school pens use standard international cartridges. Pelikan sells them as 4001 cartridges in many colours, and also in a large size.
• Platinum uses its own cartridges.

A cartridge from one system does not fit a pen from another. The product page and your pen's manual say which cartridges you need.

Ink from a bottle: the converter

With a converter you fill the pen from an ink bottle. You dip the nib in the ink and twist or squeeze the converter to draw the ink up. That gives you far more colours to choose from. The converter has to belong with your pen too: Lamy makes the Lamy Z28 for the Safari, Parker a standard converter for Parker fountain pens. The Rhodia scRipt comes with a converter in the box, according to its name.

Use only fountain pen ink in a fountain pen. India ink and drawing ink are for dip pens and technical pens; they can clog a fountain pen. Bottled fountain pen ink comes from, among others, Pelikan Edelstein (50 ml), Pilot Iroshizuku (50 ml) and Lamy T51 (30 ml).

Small, for your pocket

A pocket fountain pen is short when closed and becomes long enough to write with when you post the cap on the back. Kaweco makes the Sport for this, such as the Kaweco Sport Classic and the gift set with the Sport Classic. Parker has a small fountain pen too, the Parker Jotter Originals.

Writing and cleaning

A fountain pen writes without pressure: the ink flows to the nib by itself. If you press hard, the nib can bend. Put the cap on when you are not writing, or the ink dries in the nib.

When you change colour or haven't used the pen for a long time, rinse the nib section and the converter with lukewarm water until no colour comes out, and let them dry. Your pen's manual says how its maker wants it cleaned. You find all fountain pens, cartridges and ink under pens and pencils.