---
title: Why Fountain Pens
---

Why Fountain Pens
===

I loathed handwriting in elementary school.  As I eventually gained
consistent access to computers, I happily left the writing of longer
texts by hand behind me as a fading childhood trauma.  As a programmer
and computer scientist, avoiding handwriting is easy, and I always
preferred taking notes in my head anyway.  Yet here I sit, many years
later, drafting this text with an expensive fountain pen.  I discuss
inks and paper with my friends.  I read ink reviews online and ponder
combinations of pen, ink, and paper.  In short: what I used to hate
has become a hobby.  In this text I will attempt to explain how this
transformation occurred, and why exactly I find the use of fountain
pens so satisfying.

In the fall of 2016 I was reviewing conference papers, and I was taking
notes using whichever rollerball pen had been available in the office
supply depot.  Like many times before, I was cursing the frequent
stops and hard starts.  But this time I vaguely recalled hearing that
fountain pens did not suffer from this problem.  I did some quick
research and ended up purchasing a [LAMY
Safari](https://www.lamy.com/eng/b2c/safari) along with a bottle of
ink.  But in addition to recommendations on good beginner's pens, I
also found something else: a world of craft, technology, and
simplicity that spoke to some of the same interests that guide my work
in computer science.

Fountain pens are simple devices.  The physics behind their
functioning is easy to understand, and the writing process involves no
moving parts.  They can be understood in their entirety, and do not
easily wear out or become obsoleted by technical innovations.  In
this, fountain pens are very dissimilar from the incomprehensibly
complex devices I interact with in my daily work.  Yet, pens still
have enough depth to make exploring their differences enjoyable.

While interesting as physical artefacts, fountain pens would have been
unlikely to capture my attention had they not also been associated
with the craft of handwriting.  In my work, creativity manifests
itself solely through the creation of mental constructs and ideas.
These can be beautiful, elegant and mathematically perfect in a way
not possible for any physical object, but I still missed feeling of
creating something with my own hands.  Handwriting turned out to
scratch that itch quite effectively, and now I find myself drafting
many longer texts on paper before entering them into a computer for
editing.  Apart from the psychological pleasure of seeing my words on
paper, I find that this more slow-paced style of writing also helps me
choose my words more carefully - forcing me to think during the time
it takes me to write each work.  After so many years of using
keyboards, I seem to have become faster at typing than thinking.

So are fountain pens more pleasant to use than ballpoints or
rollerballs?  Yes, without a doubt, although they are hardly more
convenient.  I enjoy the ritual of refilling the pen with ink, but it
might not be everyone's cup of tea.  Has my handwriting improved since
I began using fountain pens?  Also yes, although I still have far to
go before it can be considered beautiful.

In conclusion, fountain pens have for me turned an unpleasant
occasional necessity into a relaxing hobby, and I strongly recommend
trying them out.