Fountain pens were once mainly used for everyday writing, and sometimes still are, but today, they can be more specialised in what that they are used for. One usage is not so much specialised, as it is specific to certain people. Deciding what you want to use a fountain pen for is an important first step when choosing one.

One of the first things you may need to consider is whether you are left handed or not. Left handed people do not always need a special pen, and whether they do can depend on their writing style, rather than their handedness itself, but it can be worth considering and it may make writing easier. Those who are left handed do write, and hold pens, differently from the majority who are right handed, and ink from fountain pens especially can be vulnerable to smudging when they are used to write. A left handed pen is definitely worth considering if this affects you.

Two of the more specialised uses for fountain pens today are in drawing and in calligraphy, although these uses can overlap – I myself have a calligraphy fountain pen. These tend to come with an assortment of different tips, unlike a regular fountain pen which only comes with one nib. These nibs are easy enough to change, as they simply screw into the barrel of the pen, and the primary difference is in the thickness of the tip, which results in the lines drawn by the pen being in different thicknesses too. Calligraphy pens can also be used for drawing (which is what I use mine for), and possibly vice versa. One type of artwork that is especially suited to calligraphy pens is such as Chinese and Japanese pen and ink drawings. They can also be used to go over a pencil line, which is then erased.

The type of use can also affect something else, the cartridge which holds the ink. For everyday writing, even if this usage is fairly irregular, a cartridge fountain pen is recommended. The ink isn’t going to be changed (changing ink colours in a fountain pen is more difficult than in other pen types, so you can’t easily switch from black to blue or vice versa), so the potential disadvantages associated with bottled ink should be avoided.

However, for the more specialist uses, a siphon pen has its advantages (these are too cumbersome, and potentially messy, really for everyday use). For one thing, it is possible to put just a small amount of ink inside the siphon. Having several siphons can also be helpful. Even if a fountain pen doesn’t come with siphons, it may still be possible to buy ones that will fit it.

A siphon pen will, of course, also require a supply of ink. If the pen is being used for calligraphy or drawing, these will also probably be in different colours, and may include some of the more specialist – and therefore expensive – inks, such as metallic or glitter (although the last can clog a fountain pen). This will naturally increase the costs, but then this is a more specialised use.

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