What's The Purpose Of Reverse Writing?

[Willtato]

In almost every pen review, I read/hear everywhere about people testing the ability of a pen to write upside down. What's the reason for this? I always wondered this as It's normally a fine line produced - is that the reason? I mean, if someone wanted a fine line, the "cheap" pilot penmanships/plumix/kakunos have fine lines, you also get the preppys and the (definetly cheap) jinhao sharky 993.

Is there some reason people look into this, or is it just to do with workmanship and the liking of the versatility idea?

 

Thanks

[Arkanabar]

The versatility, I think. At least one nib grinder (Richard Binder) provided an Italifine option, intended to be a stub or cursive italic in normal use, and a fine nib on the other.

[Intensity]

Because its useful to able to get a significantly finer line for annotations or even regular writing. I use my Sailor 21K Fine nib exclusively in reverse, as in normal orientation it writes much wider and juicier than my Sailor EFs. In reverse it is a perfectly smooth extra fine writer, comparable to Sailor EF. I do the same with my Pilot VP fine, depending on what I want to do. And many other pens. Its always a great bonus when a nib can write well in reverse, without catching on paper and with sufficiently steady ink flow.

[como]

So you can appreciate normal writing?

[FountainClogger]

In almost every pen review, I read/hear everywhere about people testing the ability of a pen to write upside down. What's the reason for this? I always wondered this as It's normally a fine line produced - is that the reason? I mean, if someone wanted a fine line, the "cheap" pilot penmanships/plumix/kakunos have fine lines, you also get the preppys and the (definetly cheap) jinhao sharky 993.

Is there some reason people look into this, or is it just to do with workmanship and the liking of the versatility idea?

 

Thanks

 

For me, reverse writing can make sense in these cases:

- Drawing;

- Finer lines for occasional tiny writing (notes, no space) with no need to change pen;

- More "range" when you're almost out of ink.

Edited February 18, 2020 by FountainClogger

[inkstainedruth]

The only pen that I've really used upside down in the TWSBI 580-ALR with a 1.1 mm stub. It was such a firehose with the first ink I tried in it, Diamine Shimmer Arabian Nights, that writing upside down was the only way I was able to control the flow.

I don't know whether it was a combination of the ink and the nib width and feed, or what the issue with it was. But that ink just did NOT do well in that pen with the nib in the normal orientation. I guess the next time I put that pen into rotation it should be something very dry -- like R&K Salix or some other IG ink. Hmmm. What a good idea. I was thinking that I needed to have another pen inked up with something that was good for signing checks with.... I guess another option might be a pigmented ink; hesitating to try Noodler's Kung Te Cheng, because it is so badly behaved as far as stuff like nib creep -- and yet is pretty much "everything" proof....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

 

ETA: The other pen I have tried using for "reverse writing" would be the Sailor Pro-Gear Slim with the zoom nib, and that's partially designed for doing that. But for most pens? No, haven't really tried.

Edited February 18, 2020 by inkstainedruth

[Mercian]

As Intensity already said, it’s a nice useful ‘extra’ to have a ‘finer’ option available for when one wishes to add marginal notes to something that one has already written (or e.g. to a textbook).

 

E.g. my Parker “51” is fitted with a ‘Fine’ nib, but if I invert it it still writes reliably, with an XF (or maybe XXF?) line.

 

The ability to write when inverted isn’t something that I demand from a pen, but it’s a nice extra option to have.

[katerchen]

Instant extra fine for those of us who prefer bolder Mediums for most writing, without having to switch to a different pen, when I want to cram extra notes/markup into a tiny space between lines.

[Tseg]

It helps lengthen online videos to help presenters better monitize their review offer.

[eharriett]

I'm a lefty. I don't intend to write reverse, but I think because of the way the nibs are sometimes pushed, it matters a bit. One of the reasons I like those triumph nibs. Works well in all directions.

[Parker51]

i misunderstood the origonal question and so was going to say so that one can read the writing in a mirror, or to demonstrate that one has dyslexia, but you aren't talking about that kind of reverse writing.

You are talking about writing with the side 180 degrees from the side you normally write with. Several pens through history were designed to be able to do this so as to allow for different line widths from the same pen and so testing this possibility out on pens not designed for that purpose is a mild bit of amusement.

[JulieParadise]

Reverse writing gives you twice the options in a single pen.

 

Having a pen like a Sailor with a zoom nib for a while now I like to only take out this one pen only. It gives me the pleasure of doodling with it in a variety of line widths from the start but also enjoyable writing when used on the upside, wet & smooth and juicy.

 

And even when I tune normal nibs, I always at least try to make the upper part of the nib tip to be usable and smooth & wet enough for reverse writing. Some of my pen friends here in Berlin have come to enjoy the versatility of a nib (say, in a Pelikan M800 with its not fine-"fine" nibs) that enables them to just have this one pen with them (like in a meeting or trial/proceedings -- one is a judge) and have be able to write in the margins or in between lines without fussing with different pens.

[Karmachanic]

Here's an extreme example:

https://www.regaliawritinglabs.com/products/regalia-epilogue

[como]

Oh ya, have fun tuning that nib!

Here's an extreme example:

https://www.regaliawritinglabs.com/products/regalia-epilogue

[EliH]

I use reverse writing to make small notations or changes in between lines. That way I can quickly make a small note, then switch back to broad writing without grabbing another pen.

[pajaro]

I have noticed, for example, that my Parker 51 stub writes more like a cursive italic upside down. It was probably tuned to do that. It was made by Minuskin. I bought it used.

[jchch1950]

There was a Parker nib in the 80's that was made for that purpose:two different wides with the same nib you only have to turn around the pen. If I'm not wrong it was Parker 180.

[sandy101]

Travellers crossing the equator, need to turn the nib upside down, so that the letters written with the pen appear the right way up.

 

Imagine arriving from in Australia from the UK, and only be being able to send upside down postcards.

[Anderglan]

Travellers crossing the equator, need to turn the nib upside down, so that the letters written with the pen appear the right way up.

 

Imagine arriving from in Australia from the UK, and only be being able to send upside down postcards.

Good grief, I sincerely hope, there's a better solution, at least for the U.S. embassy staff, like this one I presume:

[A Smug Dill]

Sometimes (especially European brands, but Chinese brands too) pen manufacturers simply fail to deliver EF nibs that write fine enough to be useful as such, and when one is stuck with such a pen, being able to produce finer lines with it by reverse-writing is a good thing.