Are you a fountain pen beginner interested in knowing some basics about fountain pen inks? This post is for you.

A very knowledgable pen professional told me fountain pen beginners have trouble finding solid information on the internet. He’s right. Forums are random. Yes, there are pearls; but you only recognize those with knowledge and experience. Forum posts too often feature someone who took up pens two weeks ago confidently instructing someone who began two days ago. The loudest, most authoritative-sounding voices often belong to absolute blowhards. What about reviews and star ratings on online retailer websites? Context-free at best, suspect at worst, thus useless. Videos are plentiful, and those can be helpful, but many of the most popular are from retailers. Now, I love retailers — just ask my credit card company. But retailer videos are marketing tools. Retailers are always diplomatic.

So here is something a little less random, and a lot less diplomatic, for beginners to fountain pens and inks.

(click Page 2 below to continue)