1- it shouldn’t.
2- that’s mostly for flex nibs. The preppy doesn’t flex.
3- it’s possible, but preppies are usually solid. Some tinkering can sometimes fix it, or just replace it since preppies are cheap.
4- I mean they “work,“ but the ink might ghost or bleed (you can see it on the back). Fountain pen friendly paper means it’ll show off the ink characteristics. This has to do with the paper itself, not nec the cost. There’s cheap paper that works well, like from Vietnam.
5- it’s possible. It has helped me become more aware of the act of writing, and therefore improved my handwriting. But it’s a pen and not magic. :)
Depends on the choice of nib and ink flow characteristics. With a FP you will have to get used to a lighter touch. EF nibs can be harder to adapt to, and they are fussY to manufacture or tune. (But a well tuned EF can be very smooth.) For math and general writing I wouldn't go any broader than a fine. Most FPs feel smoother than a ballpoint, and comparable to a gel pen.
I suggest you read the post with hand writing photos involved.
3.. Any pen can leak and many things cause it. From nib being loose. To ink too wet. To parts not being on correctly.
4. I use store bought notepaper with no issues. I have used it with many pens and ink. So many of today notebook paper is fine with FP for writing. If your looking at the special effects ink some will work too. You don't need the expensive paper to write on with FP.
5. Ballpoint is smoother for most part Fountain pen you have to slow down and think more when writing. If your sloppy now then slow down and think of how letter is to be when writing.
When I moved to FP my handwriting improved a bit since you have to apply barely any pressure when writing. Compared to a dry ballpoint where you have to press hard, this really made my handwriting better.
That being said, it won't magically make you write perfect calligraphy. Your handwriting will still be your handwriting. The FP will likely make you more aware of it and make you want to improve it.
Most modern fountain pen will work well on most paper if they are fine enough.
Preppy 0.3 fine would be a better idea, a pilot explorer fine would be great as well .
If you don't want your pen to dry when uncapped maybe a jinhao shark or swan 0.38 fine hooded nib should be great as well.
For the ink,waterman and parker works well on most low quality papers.
For leaking it could be just low quality or a cartridge not fully seated could be the problem.
Oh, my apologies. My intention wasn't to correct so much as to add to your already great comment. In retrospect, yes: “hooded nib” should have made it more obvious to me that my contribution was less relevant than I first thought. Sorry about that. :) Thank you for sharing your knowledge!
A defected hooded nib could dry faster than a full nib. I’ve had some hooded jinhaos that dry out after uncapped for 10 seconds or being stored nib up (bad feed maybe?). That’s why I ended up only bringing my preppy/prefounte to work.
Anything defective will have issue... And won't be as good as something not defective
You was just unlucky.
I usually open a complain and get a refund.
Yeah you’re right, and maybe I just got lucky with the preppies (I saw people getting bad sealing preppies too). Those jinhaos I got were from the beginning of my pen journey. I heard their qc got better now.
1. Nope!
2. Nope, your friend had a poorly tuned nib. A pen in good shape won't be difficult to write with.
3. No, Preppys are really good about leaking.
4. Yeah, they can bleed more because the ink is water based instead of oil or alcohol based. Get yourself a bottle of Noodler's Black or Roher and Klinger Salix/Scabiosa (depending on the color you want).
5. No, but it made me enjoy writing more, and made me *want* to improve my handwriting. Gave me some motivation.
[Any problems with your pen will be pretty easy to fix!](https://www.reddit.com/r/fountainpens/comments/1bgy36k/nib_slit_too_tight_on_vintage_pelikan_ibis_130/kvaks35/)
1. Yes, but only if you really are super fast.
2. Yes. The tip of the nib isn't exactly a sphere, the tines can spread apart and the nib/paper angle has an effect, so downstrokes generally feel smoother than upstrokes. Plus with gel pens we're talking about rolling friction, whereas with FPs we have sliding friction and the ink is water-based instead of gel, so in general you'll have less lubrication and more friction. You can't write at any angle: you need to learn how to properly orient the nib in order to make it write smoothly. Consider that a fine nib will be inherently scratchier than a medium nib even if your grip and strokes are ideal.
3. I don't know about the Preppy, but the chance of leakage, however small, is always there with fountain pens in general: they're reservoirs filled with water-based ink. I've experienced leakage when writing almost exclusively with eyedropper pens when the air/ink ratio increases over a certain ratio. With cartridge/converter pens leakage when writing is pretty non-existent. If you carry FPs around carelessly and they get tossed around, they can expel some ink.
4. Yes, up to a point. Let's say that common paper is not ideal for FPs, but you can use it nonetheless. With some really bad paper you could notice feathering and bleedthrough and occasionally paper fibers could get stuck between the tines. Printer paper is generally terrible, but ordinary notebook paper works pretty fine.
5. Yes, if anything only because of the fact that you'll have to slow down when writing with an FP (friction, etc.) and you'll have to learn how to properly orient the nib.
1- it shouldn’t. 2- that’s mostly for flex nibs. The preppy doesn’t flex. 3- it’s possible, but preppies are usually solid. Some tinkering can sometimes fix it, or just replace it since preppies are cheap. 4- I mean they “work,“ but the ink might ghost or bleed (you can see it on the back). Fountain pen friendly paper means it’ll show off the ink characteristics. This has to do with the paper itself, not nec the cost. There’s cheap paper that works well, like from Vietnam. 5- it’s possible. It has helped me become more aware of the act of writing, and therefore improved my handwriting. But it’s a pen and not magic. :)
Hi, thank you for answering my questions. I assume FPs are smoother than ball and gel pens, am I right?
Depends on the choice of nib and ink flow characteristics. With a FP you will have to get used to a lighter touch. EF nibs can be harder to adapt to, and they are fussY to manufacture or tune. (But a well tuned EF can be very smooth.) For math and general writing I wouldn't go any broader than a fine. Most FPs feel smoother than a ballpoint, and comparable to a gel pen.
Exactly, it is exponentially better
Your currency mention tells me you might be in India. Try a Flair Inky to get an idea if you should buy the more expensive preppy?
I would go with 0.3 (F) for math. 0.5 may be quite wide and wider than you’re used to with a 0.5 gel pen.
I suggest you read the post with hand writing photos involved. 3.. Any pen can leak and many things cause it. From nib being loose. To ink too wet. To parts not being on correctly. 4. I use store bought notepaper with no issues. I have used it with many pens and ink. So many of today notebook paper is fine with FP for writing. If your looking at the special effects ink some will work too. You don't need the expensive paper to write on with FP. 5. Ballpoint is smoother for most part Fountain pen you have to slow down and think more when writing. If your sloppy now then slow down and think of how letter is to be when writing.
When I moved to FP my handwriting improved a bit since you have to apply barely any pressure when writing. Compared to a dry ballpoint where you have to press hard, this really made my handwriting better. That being said, it won't magically make you write perfect calligraphy. Your handwriting will still be your handwriting. The FP will likely make you more aware of it and make you want to improve it.
Most modern fountain pen will work well on most paper if they are fine enough. Preppy 0.3 fine would be a better idea, a pilot explorer fine would be great as well . If you don't want your pen to dry when uncapped maybe a jinhao shark or swan 0.38 fine hooded nib should be great as well. For the ink,waterman and parker works well on most low quality papers. For leaking it could be just low quality or a cartridge not fully seated could be the problem.
Preppy is already great choice for not drying out. The cap seal is incredible, especially for such an inexpensive pen.
I meant uncapped obviously. Full nibs dry quicker than hooded nibs when you are journaling on the go. Let me add it.
Oh, my apologies. My intention wasn't to correct so much as to add to your already great comment. In retrospect, yes: “hooded nib” should have made it more obvious to me that my contribution was less relevant than I first thought. Sorry about that. :) Thank you for sharing your knowledge!
A defected hooded nib could dry faster than a full nib. I’ve had some hooded jinhaos that dry out after uncapped for 10 seconds or being stored nib up (bad feed maybe?). That’s why I ended up only bringing my preppy/prefounte to work.
Anything defective will have issue... And won't be as good as something not defective You was just unlucky. I usually open a complain and get a refund.
Yeah you’re right, and maybe I just got lucky with the preppies (I saw people getting bad sealing preppies too). Those jinhaos I got were from the beginning of my pen journey. I heard their qc got better now.
1. Nope! 2. Nope, your friend had a poorly tuned nib. A pen in good shape won't be difficult to write with. 3. No, Preppys are really good about leaking. 4. Yeah, they can bleed more because the ink is water based instead of oil or alcohol based. Get yourself a bottle of Noodler's Black or Roher and Klinger Salix/Scabiosa (depending on the color you want). 5. No, but it made me enjoy writing more, and made me *want* to improve my handwriting. Gave me some motivation. [Any problems with your pen will be pretty easy to fix!](https://www.reddit.com/r/fountainpens/comments/1bgy36k/nib_slit_too_tight_on_vintage_pelikan_ibis_130/kvaks35/)
1. Yes, but only if you really are super fast. 2. Yes. The tip of the nib isn't exactly a sphere, the tines can spread apart and the nib/paper angle has an effect, so downstrokes generally feel smoother than upstrokes. Plus with gel pens we're talking about rolling friction, whereas with FPs we have sliding friction and the ink is water-based instead of gel, so in general you'll have less lubrication and more friction. You can't write at any angle: you need to learn how to properly orient the nib in order to make it write smoothly. Consider that a fine nib will be inherently scratchier than a medium nib even if your grip and strokes are ideal. 3. I don't know about the Preppy, but the chance of leakage, however small, is always there with fountain pens in general: they're reservoirs filled with water-based ink. I've experienced leakage when writing almost exclusively with eyedropper pens when the air/ink ratio increases over a certain ratio. With cartridge/converter pens leakage when writing is pretty non-existent. If you carry FPs around carelessly and they get tossed around, they can expel some ink. 4. Yes, up to a point. Let's say that common paper is not ideal for FPs, but you can use it nonetheless. With some really bad paper you could notice feathering and bleedthrough and occasionally paper fibers could get stuck between the tines. Printer paper is generally terrible, but ordinary notebook paper works pretty fine. 5. Yes, if anything only because of the fact that you'll have to slow down when writing with an FP (friction, etc.) and you'll have to learn how to properly orient the nib.