Fountain Pen Refill Cartridges

Color Ink Refills

First, you should ask yourself if you want colorful ink for your fountain pen refill. If you are using your fountain pen for basic writing tasks, you might think it’s best to stick to a standard black or blue ink for refill ink cartridges, as this makes your text much easier to read. If you are using your fountain pen refills for drawing, or if you are starting on a creative assignment, you might want a pop of orange or green ink for your fountain pen refills to make your work stand out.

Flow & Saturation

Second, you should keep an eye out for the flow and saturation of your fountain pen refills. Flow or “wetness” refers to how ink moves through a pen. The wetter the ink in your fountain pen refills, the faster the flow. Fountain pen refills with wetter ink tend to feather more, which means the ink will spread beyond where it has been applied to the paper. Wetter ink will also feel much smoother than dry, making it easier to move your pen across the page.

Water Resistance

You should also keep in mind the waterproofness of your fountain pen refills, if that is of importance. There are very few fountain pen refills that are completely waterproof, but there are several that can resist water damage. This could be especially important if you are planning on transporting your project or your fountain pen refills in your backpack or binder, as your work and tools will be more weather resistant.

Type of Paper

Finally, it’s important to take into account what kind of paper you are writing on when considering the best fountain pen refills. Some sheets of paper will absorb ink much faster, sometimes leading to feathering, which will use more of your fountain pen refill. Make sure the paper you use with your fountain pen refills is smooth, as this will help you use your fountain pen refills most efficiently.

A fine or extra-fine nib, which should deliver a line width of around 0.4mm and 0.6mm, will only create a thin line and use much less ink from your fountain pen refills. If you are always using a fountain pen with this kind of nib, you could probably do with one of the smaller fountain pen refills, as you won’t need as many fountain pen ink cartridges per package. Each fountain pen refill should last you around 12 to 15 pages worth of writing, though this varies from person to person.

On the other hand, if you are using a fountain pen with a medium or broad nib, which delivers around a 0.8mm line width or a 1.0mm line width, you will work through your fountain pen refills much faster. If you use a fountain pen like this, you are much better off purchasing a fountain pen refill that comes in packs of four or more.

Yes, they can be! Fountain pen refills allow you to keep using the same pen without discarding it each time you run out of ink. Refillable fountain pen ink cartridges are also available, so you can reuse the ink cartridge along with the pen itself. Ultimately, fountain pens will last you for as long as you need them, and if you use bottled ink fountain pen refills or refillable fountain pen ink cartridges, you can reduce your writing tool’s ecological footprint almost completely.