Many writers enjoy the elegant look and feel of a quality fountain pen in their hands. Fine fountain pens make a wonderful present for those who enjoy writing, and you can pamper yourself with a new fountain pen to add to your writing instrument collection. You can also buy fountain pen supplies and the pens themselves for your friends and relatives as gifts to show them that you care for their anniversaries, birthdays and other big celebrations and events throughout the year.

Fountain pens are like a ballpoint or rollerball pen, in that they have similar barrels and all three use ink. However, there are some distinct differences between fountain pens and other pen types in terms of ink. Fine fountain pens require a thinner, or more viscous, ink than does the ballpoint pen. Rollerball pens also utilize more viscous inks than do ballpoint pens. This gives the rollerball and fountain pens the light touch needed to release the ink from the rollerball or fountain pen tip to the page, and makes for a very smooth and fluid writing experience.

When you find fountain pens for sale, you will want to decide how you want to refill the ink inside the barrel of the pen. You may select a fountain pen that utilizes replaceable cartridges. These fit quickly and easily inside the pen barrel, and there is a mechanism so that the ink flows to the nib of the pen properly. Alternatively, you can choose to buy fountain pen ink that comes in a bottle, and refill the pen yourself, or dip the nib into the ink for writing.

These classic pens make a statement when you keep them on your desk at home or at the office. You can pick up one of these pens for writing something as simple as a note to yourself, or you can use the pens for writing a lovely poem to your significant other, or the next Great American Novel. The fountain style of pen, although not always the pen that is the least expensive, is a writing instrument that you will have, use and cherish for a lifetime of writing projects. There is nothing better to the person who loves to write than to have a favorite pen at the ready in whichever room they happen to be, so that they do not lose any important ideas, and that getting the ideas down on paper becomes more of a memorable event. Positive reinforcement in the act of writing means that you will be enticed to do more, which is no bad thing.

You can buy fountain pen ink refills, as well as shop for fountain pens for sale, from fine writing instrument sellers online.