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. To earn the top overall spot, we chose a pen that is a demonstrated hit with customers, having a smooth glide while also being easy on the environment and affordable. Conscience Concepts Cork Retractable Ballpoint Pens are a great choice to get you started using eco-friendly pens in your home, office, school or just about anywhere else. Often thought of as archaic and difficult, fountain pens are actually quite easy to use and many people even find them much more enjoyable to write with. Here are some questions and problems you may come across now that you are entering the fancy world of those who write with fountain pens. Can a Left-handed person use a fountain pen?

Some eco-friendly pens are still considered disposable. That’s because they’re made from sustainably produced, biodegradable, or post-consumer recycled materials. Pens made from fast-growing bamboo or agricultural waste corn or wheat are considered sustainable and biodegradable. You’ll also find pens on the market made from recycled plastic bottles and recycled cardboard. 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. 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:With the exception of quill pens (which are not at all practical), there’s no such thing as completely zero waste pens. There are some eco-friendly pens, however, and as consumers become more aware of plastic waste, the market for plastic-free pens is expanding.

Most likely no. Modern fountain pens are normally ready-to-go once they've been loaded with ink. Can I take my fountain pen on an airplane? However, these create unnecessary waste and are often more expensive than bottled inks. You’ll also be limited to a smaller range of colours than bottled inks. Seltzer is a women-led company based in Asheville, North Carolina, that also sells a variety of other products that are made in the United States by small businesses that also care about the environment. 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. Perfect for greetings cards or jazzing up notebooks, the Shimmertatic ink range from Diamine results from several years of research and development. Each ink contains gold or silver metallic particles to complement the ink colour, adding a satisfying shimmer to your handwriting.

How to Use a Fountain Pen:

From her initial role as an Engraver to becoming the Production Manager, Sam's journey has been marked by her passion for the history, manufacturing, and the unique value of gifted writing instruments. A refillable pen cuts down on waste because when your pen runs out of ink, you only need to discard and replace the inside of the pen—usually the plastic part that holds the ink that connects to the tip. Compared to a traditional disposable plastic pen, refillable pens reduce waste by about 50%. There are a lot of refillable ballpoint pens on the market and they’ve been around for decades. Perhaps the main thing to consider is whether the pen accepts universal refills made by other companies or if they only accept refills from the original manufacturer. If the refill must be specific to the manufacturer, then choose a manufacturer that is likely to be around with refills that are widely available in the future when you need to buy them. Fret not if your pen dries out! Just scribble for a bit or wet the nib with a little water to rehydrate the ink. Tip #5: Clean your fountain pen regularly. The pigments themselves haven’t changed much over the years. When researching pigments, many focus on how long the pigments will last without fading or degrading. 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.

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.) With 5,500 participating locations in the US, there may even be a drop-off point at your local OfficeMax, Staples, public library, or school. And if there’s not, you could be the person to start one. A refillable pen might also seem like a great choice, but look out for what the disposable portion of the pen is made from. Try to choose refills made from non-plastic material, or if made from plastic, then a post-consumer recycled plastic would be greener. Eco-friendly pens and eco pencils are an essential when it comes to eco stationery! Let's be honest we use them all the time at home, work, at school or even when out and about.

Best fountain pen ink

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. The little slit and hole in the nib serve integral purposes of both feeding ink to the tip and preventing structural damage to the pen while it is in use. Converters function like a piston, pushing or screwing into position. Following a few simple steps, they are incredibly easy to use: 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.

Unlike eco-friendly pens, most conventional options are not refillable and end up being thrown away after they have been used. With not all of them being recycled they end up in landfill, polluting the surrounding environment. Opting for a reusable, refillable, eco-friendly pen is a far more zero waste and environment friendly approach to using eco stationery! 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).Before you go, please feel free to leave a comment with your thoughts, questions, or fountain pen stories! 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. The environmental impact doesn’t end there though. Consider the ink left in pens and how this contaminates soil and water. Add in the environmental cost of raw materials and production, and you’ll soon realise pens have a hefty environmental footprint. Can you recycle pens? 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. Most definitely! Though it will take a little bit of getting used to. How you hold the pen and where you position your writing hand will be much more critical for a lefty. Standard holds may cause the hand to drag through the wet ink and smear.