Should I Use an Italic Nib?

There are many people out there in the pen world that like to use an italic nib, however as you may know, sometimes they are not widely available on the pen you may want. Especially if you are looking to get one on lower price range pens, you can get one on a Conway Stewart - a choice of Fine, Medium or Broad italics, with other pens you can get them, but more often than not you have to send them away to get an italic fixed. Alternatively you have to send it off to a nib-meister who will work their magic and grind one to your desired specifications.

However, Lamy do an inexpensive and fairly amiable series of pens called the 'Joy', available in 1.1, 1.5 and 1.9mm stub nibs.

So what sort of results can you get with an italic nib? and what is an italic nib?

Essentially the idea of an italic nib is to give you variation in line width depending which way you use it. So as you can see below, if you hold the pen at around 45 degrees to the page and write from left to right it will give you a thin line, and right to left gives you a broader line. Using the pen square on to the page will give you a broader line still.



Italic nibs achieve this diversity by being cut slightly differently from ordinary round nibs. 





In cross section this is how an italic nib looks, the top example being a cursive italic due to its rounded corners, which is perfect for ordinary writing.

The second example is a formal italic which is cut pretty much absolutely square - and has to be held at absolutely the right angle to the page otherwise you will cut the paper, but gives a very clear definition between different strokes thickness.


With practice, using an italic nib can become like second nature, adding both interest and some style to your writing.  We'd recommend that for everyday writing a 1.1 or 1.5 will be more than sufficient, as it means that you can write at a normal size whilst still achieving a good diversity of line thickness.

Take a look at the Lamy Joy here....