The calligraphy pen is more than just a simple tool for putting words on a page. It comes in a large range of styles made from a variety of materials and used to create distinguishably different letterforms. In the right person’s hand a calligraphy pen can be a thing of beauty creating beautiful things.

We could make the assumption that if you’re looking for a calligraphy pen you already know what calligraphy is, not to mention the many creative uses for the art of beautiful writing. But that would be remiss of us and would steal the chance to tell you that calligraphy is more than mere writing, it’s an art-form in itself. It adds a touch of style to invitations – particularly wedding invitations, certificates, dinner place-settings, menus or highlighting a favourite quote or piece of poetry so that it looks even more special.

But where would calligraphy be without the calligraphy pen? It’s a functional tool that comes in many different guises (as you will see further on) but some calligraphy pens are works of art in themselves. Some of the more exquisite calligraphy pens are made from Venetian blown glass but it’s the manufacture and design of the nibs where the real craftsmanship comes into play.

The modern day calligraphy pen generally comes in three forms starting with the fiber-tipped pen, moving on to the fountain pen and then up to the dip pen.

Let’s have a quick look at each of the types of calligraphy pens to choose from.

Fiber-Tipped Pens

In all likelihood, this is the ideal first pen for the novice calligrapher who is becoming accustomed to the basics of the form. If you’re taking up calligraphy for the first time and are looking for an economical pen, the fiber-tipped pen is just what you’re after. These pens are useful for practice or for creating items that will not be out on display for very long. The ink used in these pens tend to fade over time because they’re not lightfast. Also, it doesn’t take particularly long for the tips of these pens to lose their sharp edge so the lines will start to look ragged.

Fountain Pens 

The fountain pen would be considered the more convenient form of calligraphy pen with the ink delivered from a cartridge within the pen. Originally fountain pens were designed for hand-writing purposes but manufacturers now produce a range for calligraphic work. There are two kinds of fountain pens, one has a refillable reservoir while the other has a replaceable cartridge. The kind of fountain pen you want for calligraphy work is the replaceable cartridge because you will be able to replace the colour a lot more easily. The calligraphic fountain pen is another good pen for the beginner with a good range of nib widths although not as extensive as the dip pen nibs.

Dip Pens 

The dip pen is the calligraphy pen you would need if you were planning on producing high quality, precise work that lasts. The dip pen comprises a penholder, a separate ink reservoir and a steel nib. Although designed to fill the ink reservoir by dipping the nib into an inkwell although many users of the dip pen choose to charge the nib with an eyedropper. Apart for the precision and long-lasting nature of dip pen nibs another feature is that the steel nibs come in a wide variety of shapes and can be quickly detached from the handle for cleaning and switching nib sizes. Effectively you can change calligraphy pens but retain the comfort of the handle that you are familiar with.

The only disadvantage with using a dip pen is that you have to keep refilling the ink reservoir with either a brush or eye-dropper which can break the flow of your work.

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