Does A Fine Nib Use Less Ink Than A Medium Nib?

[Snoutmol]

I'm wondering how much more/less different ink grades consume. Is this a pro for using finer nibs?

[Randal6393]

True, a fine nib puts less ink out when writing than a broader nib. But that's only part of the story. How much ink is lost due to evaporation? How much gets trapped in the feed and thickens there? How much gets on your thumb when you put it on the nib? Etc, etc, etc. Most ink is lost in other ways than just putting it on the page.

 

I have a large selection of pens and have written with fountain pens for over 40 years. Use italic nibs in fast-flowing pens, so use a lot of ink in comparison to what a fine nib would use. May spend $40 per year on ink. (Unless I run out of my Montblanc favorites, which doubles the cost.) So think my cost in ink is quite reasonable, compared to what I spend on pens, nibs, paper, etc. Wouldn't worry too much. We all tell our wives we are saving money and being ecologically sound using fountain pens but ...

 

Enjoy,

[benay148]

Yeah, less ink being put down on the paper means less ink consumption in general. There are some other factors though. For example a wet fine may lay down more ink than a dry medium.

 

If we take a Lamy for example, a full converter will last about 5 or more pages with my EF nib. If I use the same pen with my broad nib I'll be lucky to get a page and a half.

[Manalto]

If you're looking to conserve ink in your writing, a fine tip will help but nothing beats following the advice of Strunk & White.

[alaskazimm]

It depends.

 

As others have said, there is not necessarily a direct correlation between the nib size marked on the nib and amount of ink laid down. As an example - My Pelikan M805 EF and my son's Conklin Duragraph M put down lines that are about the same width. But the Pelikan I think is actually wetter and so would go through more ink than the Conklin. Indeed, the M805 uses more ink than many of my wider nib pens.

 

And the ink used may make a difference. I like Diamine inks, which tend to be wetter, and that is what I use most often in the Pelikan. If I switched to a drier ink like Pelikan 4001, I would guess the Pelikan would use comparatively less ink.

 

*edit for spelling*

Edited December 19, 2015 by alaskazimm

[jar]

Ink is cheap.

[Joe in Seattle]

Manalto

 

Thanks for the happy memory: Omit needless words!

[DrDebG]

If you're looking to conserve ink in your writing, a fine tip will help but nothing beats following the advice of Strunk & White.

+1 - Excellent comment! Less is more.

[Snoutmol]

The book has a permanent place on my desk, so don't worry; I have that part of ink conservation down, I hope. But there are many other uses for a pen, like sketching or even taking notes in class, where the advice of omitting needless wouldn't be applicable, and the nib would be fending on its own with the consumption of ink.

 

The main reason I asked the question though was just curiosity, and because sometimes I feel guilty about spending all my money on a Lamy 2000 fine instead of a medium, but nah, the fine is far more useful for me. And ink is cheap. I was just trying to find one more tiny way to defend my fine nib.

 

That is interesting though: I had no idea a cartridge contained only enough ink for a few pages. (I'm glad my 2000 has such greater capacity.) A ballpoint cartridge lasts a lot longer, I believe, but then again a ballpoint puts down, generally, a very thin and dry line.

[Manalto]

Max, You are justified in using any ink your heart desires. Learning is more effective when you're enjoying it; if a fine pen filled with a beautiful ink makes your learning experience more pleasurable, it's also making it more efficient. (A cool room and slight hunger are also said to help.) While those Philistines around you are cramping up with their crappy ballpoints, you (in your mid-winter tee shirt) shall be penning efficient, handsome notes, stomach growling.

 

I hope you realize my Strunk & White comment was meant tongue-in-cheek.

Edited December 20, 2015 by Manalto

[pajaro]

Ink isn't all that cheap.

 

If you use a fine point you might use more ink if you like fine nibs, because you will write more.

 

The fine nibs probably evaporate as much ink as others.

[Manalto]

There you go - get a horrible pen and lousy ink and you'll never use them.