Top 10 benefits of using fountain pens
Why use a fountain pen in a digital age? Back to Analog discusses the benefits of using FPs.
In our digital age, with an abundance of electronic devices at our disposal, we seemingly have everything we need at our fingertips. Need to take a note? There are apps for that. Doing accounting? There are apps for that. Writing a novel or just journaling? There are apps for that!
In most cases, even signatures on documents are now digital. And yet, hundreds of thousands of people around the world still use fountain pens. So, what are we missing? Why fountain pens? Here are just some of the benefits of using fountain pens and why everyone should start using them right now.
1. Mental health
Whether writing or sketching with a vintage or a modern fountain pen, you are treating yourself to a one-of-a-kind tactile experience—the feel of a beautiful piece of functional art in your hand; the feel of the nib gliding on the page of the fountain pen-friendly paper; the visual appeal of shading, sheening, or shimmering properties of the ink. It provides us with joy and tranquility. Simply put, it is a kind of therapy—a catharsis that is necessary for some of us after or during a tough day.
2. Pain relief
When writing with a ballpoint pen, you must exert pressure for the ink to flow. When typing on a keyboard, you rest your hands in an uncomfortable position.
All of that repetitive effort can lead to excruciating pain. And if you have any medical conditions, such as arthritis or carpal tunnel, a fountain pen could be your best way forward.
Fountain pens don't require any pressure to put the ink on a page. A fountain pen that is balanced perfectly in your hand can keep your wrists comfortable and pain-free. A fountain pen with a grip section that is comfortable for you will help to keep your fingers pain-free.
3. Exercise for your mind
Hercule Poirot, the only fictional character and the greatest detective to have an obituary on the front page of the New York Times, said: "If the little grey cells are not exercised, they grow the rust." Exercising your mind is just as important as workouts for your body!
Writing with a fountain pen can be a very effective workout for your little grey cells—what you put on a page cannot be erased at the push of a button, forcing you to slow down and think carefully. Studies have shown that college students who take notes by writing can retain information better than those who take notes by typing. Sketching with a fountain pen is as effective as writing because it stimulates your hippocampus, which houses your memory and imagination. Research suggests that drawing may be even more effective than writing for memory retention.
4. Environmental impact
Our world is overflowing with plastics—heaps of it in the landfills and the oceans. We have come to depend on disposable products, like disposable ballpoint pens, so much that we don't even realize that the whole planet is hurting. Sea animals have entangled in lost parts of fishing lines or fishing nets. Land animals get trapped in plastic holes where soda cans used to be. Sometimes, animals accidentally ingest pieces of plastic.
If you're currently using disposable pens, fountain pens are an environmentally friendly choice. Fountain pens are built to last. A single fountain pen will last you decades with proper care. Filling from ink bottles involves no disposable plastic. Even fountain pens advertised as disposable can usually be refilled and used again with the ink of your choice.
5. Personal touch
In an age of gift cards and massive web shops, anything with a personal touch is, unfortunately, a rarity. This means that something with a personal touch will be valued by your recipient over the impersonal texts or mass-produced cards that are a mainstay of our culture. A personal touch is something that takes time and effort and shows that you care. It provides something meaningful to a loved one—a cherished memory that will bring warmth and happiness anytime it is needed. Nothing shows a personal touch better than a handwritten letter penned with a fountain pen ink of your loved one's favorite color and sealed with sealing wax. A personal touch always matters, whether it is in a letter, a sketch, or a short note.
6. Improving relationships
We humans are social creatures. We need to feel a touch. We need to be next to another human being. Once you start using a fountain pen, you'll find a wonderful and large community of like-minded fountain pen lovers who not only use social media to discuss their hobby, but meet regularly for in-person gatherings. These pen meets are a great way to establish new relationships and deepen your relationship with your existing friends whom you invite into the hobby!
7. Increased focus
Writing with a fountain pen forces you to slow down and focus on the singular task of writing. If you have ADD or ADHD, like me, it can help you get in the habit of concentrating on one task at hand, which for many people improves productivity. This could take the form of jotting down ideas, managing a to-do list, or sketching out a plan of action for a new project—all of which are very pleasant to do with a fountain pen. It is the complete opposite of using your phone and constantly being interrupted by the torrent of notifications generated by apps all trying to get your immediate attention. It is a conscious way to take away the cost of context switching and focus on your goal.
8. Privacy
It is getting increasingly difficult to have some semblance of privacy. It is challenging to retain and protect your privacy in a digital space, and the precautions you take may not be 100% effective. Privacy is much easier to attain with an analog medium like pen and paper. Unless someone is standing right behind you, watching over your shoulder, everything you put on paper using a fountain pen is private and only yours. Only you have the choice of sharing it or not.
9. Secure signatures
Even with the new authentication technologies that are making it onto the market, there are still many cases where you will be required to sign a document with a pen. There is no pen more secure than a fountain pen! Every time you put ink on paper, details vary like line width and ink shading, making fountain pens much harder to forge than ballpoints or other common writing tools. And there is nothing like a fountain pen with an italic nib that will make your signature look stunning!
10. Just fun!
The variety of experiences fountain pens provide is vast: different nib sizes, rigidity or flexibility of nibs, different sizes of nib tips, hundreds of inks, a variety of filling mechanisms, a large selection of fountain pen-friendly papers, and a friendly, very enthusiastic fountain pen community. Fun time abounds for anyone with so much variety, whether you are a writer or an artist, a tinkerer or a pen maker, or just a regular user; whether you are using a modern or a vintage fountain pen; whether you are using a simple blue or black ink or ink with sheening or shimmering properties; whether you are using an expensive paper like Clairefontaine or Tomoe River, or more affordable paper like Rhodia and Kokuyo, or environmentally friendly choices like recycled or sugarcane paper. Fountain pens provide enjoyment, however you choose to experience this hobby.
In conclusion
These are just a few benefits of using fountain pens. If you are ready to begin your journey into a fountain pen world, here are my articles on vintage pens: Buying your first vintage fountain pen and Filling systems in vintage fountain pens.
If you have any questions, you can reach me at Mastodon.
