Frequently asked questions

German DIN ISO Standard 12757/part 2 establishes the standards of permanence for the colour paste which can be seen on paper when held against light, for the chemical solutions and for the writing styles of the refills. Therefore, refills with a DIN symbol have high writing quality and the writing is waterproof.

Drawing ink consists of water, a binder (or vehicle) shellac, and non-fading pigments to provide colour.

Drawing ink, as opposed to ink, is always non-fading. Areas of use: drawing, documents (indelible), calligraphy.

Marking crayons 762 for writing on rough surfaces such as metal (also heated), cardboard, dry wood etc. Wax marking crayons 772 for writing on smooth surfaces as glass, porcelain, plastics, metal, leather etc.

Nearly all colours are available in 50 ml tins.

Normally, after a long enough period of drying (12 - 24 hours) Plaka is water-resistant. By adding Plaka spray its weather resistance can be improved.

Yes, apart from the two clear varnishes (solvent and water basis) there is also a matt varnish available.

The clear varnishes as well as the matt varnish are frost and mostly weather resistant. If exposed to permanent rain, a temporary softening of varnish and colour can be the case. The initial hardness is restored after drying. If shortly exposed to rain, the surface is not affected.

Pelikan quality opaque paints are colour-intensive, light-fast and adhere to all absorbent surfaces and textiles. Not all shades can be washed out easily. Therefore, it is better to take precautions! Wear an overall or an old shirt when painting. If something does happen, wash the paint out immediately in lukewarm water using soap and a brush. Do not put in the washing machine or use a stain remover. Paint which has been allowed to dry can generally not be removed without leaving a stain. The Pelikan stain doctor has many tips on hot to remove opaque paint colours.

Yes, in shops specializing in artists' materials.

No. Spare parts for the box itself are not available.

The heart of every fountain pen - precision-crafted from 14- or 18-carat gold. Each nib is tested by a master individually by hand. The smoother a pen glides across paper, the higher the quality of materials and craftsmanship that went into the nib. Only an exceptional nib can truly capture your personality on paper, your essence in ink. Unforgettably. Unmistakably.

Depending on pen model, the following nib widths are available. Please consider the specific commendations on the individual product sites:

• F = fine (standard)
• M = medium
• B = broad

No, Pelikan wax crayons are available only in assorted packages.

You can find a detailed guide on how to fill a plunger fountain pen within the "Service" category of our fine writing instruments.

Yes, the Permanent Marker 710. Available in black, blue, red or green.

Yes, the wipeable Whiteboard Marker 741. Available in black, blue, red or green.

No, they are available in assorted packs only.

Crayons are softer than pencils. When using a sharpener, one should try to use the large opening instead of the small one.

Today, all the caps of the fibre-tip pens which are mainly used by teenagers under 14 have to comply with the ISO 11540 standard. This standard regulates the design of fibre-tip pen caps in order to prevent total blockage of the windpipe if a cap is swallowed. The ISO standard was issued by the EC after several deaths occurred, which were caused by suffocation resulting from caps being swallowed. This standard guarantees an air-permeability of at least 8 l/min and is meant for caps of fibre-tip pens whose diameter is smaller than 16 mm.

The black ink of fibre-tip pens for schools is a mixture of red, blue and yellow. The result is a very deep black. Fibre-tip pens which are used for files or documents are mixed with soot, but these inks could not wash out and stored for longer times.

Yes, at shops specializing in writing implements.

Yes, because of their special profile, fountain pens for left-handed persons have to be designed differently from pens for right-handed persons.

No, but you may insert a converter into the cartridge fountain pens so that they can then be refilled out of the ink bottle.

Mainly, there are two filling techniques: the plunger system and the cartridge system (as a variation on the converting technique).

The plunger system: the plunger refill is moved using a filler knob at the end of the shaft. This guarantees that the ink is economically absorbed out of the ink bottle. After filling, release a few drops of ink back into the bottle and then turn the filler knob to the closed position. The cartridge-system: Easy and clean to handle. The most common kinds of cartridges: The small standard ink cartridge (Pelikan = TP/6) and the giant ink cartridge (Pelikan = GTP/5). The variant converter: Makes it possible for you to convert a cartridge fountain pen into a plunger fountain pen. Instead of the cartridge, the converter is inserted into the shaft. The fountain pen can then be filled like a plunger fountain pen out of the ink bottle.

Since people have been using writing liquids, they have been thinking about how to develop a writing instrument which holds more ink, making it unnecessary to constantly dip the writing instrument (the nib) into the writing liquid. Feather pens (of reed) and quills (from geese) were the preferred writing instruments up to the 19th century. Some developmental stages of the fountain pen: 1636 development of the quill fountain pen 1809 first patent for a fountain pen, England 1878 first German patent in the Reich 1885 -1910 resettable and so-called safety fountain pens dominate (filling with pipette) 1929 the era of the plunger fountain pens begins 1960 the cartridge fountain pens starts to be popular.

Fountain pens are manufactured in many manual steps using very precise technology. Generally, they consist of: the nib, ink duct, sleeve with ink reservoir and plunger mechanism or a space for cartridges or converter, the cap and the clip.

The ink duct regulates the pressure between outside and inside, and therefore it supplies the top of the nib with the right amount of ink. The capillary tube keeps an excessive amount of ink from flowing out.

No. There are two kinds of nibs (i.e., OM or OB). The slanting sloped nibs are generally for people who hold the fountain pen at a slant and/or where it slants to the left. If your normal flat writing, the writing piece should be equipped with a straight fountain pen.

Most pieces can be obtained as spare parts from the trader.

Yes, but only Pelikan and Geha products, as long as spare parts are still available. All such items should be sent to:

As plastic is a material that can break, it is difficult to make a general statement as to how high the piece may fall without damage. Whether it breaks depends on various factors, for instance the kind and form of plastic, angle and impact of the fall, the impact or hardness of the floor.

To keep crusting from occurring, the fountain pen should be always filled with fountain pen ink. Furthermore, the cap should always be set straight. Ink crusts on nib and ink duct are to be removed by washing the nib and shaft in warm water. Afterwards, the ink plunger system should be filled several times with cold to warm water (filling up and emptying out the plunger mechanism). For cartridge fountain pens it is normally sufficient to rinse the nib with running water.

No, the largest ink pad is size 1 (9 x 16 cm).

Yes, in all 3 sizes. Sz. 3 (5 x 7 cm), Sz. 2 (7 x 11 cm), Sz. 1 (9 x 16 cm).

In order to colour them oneself with special ink pad colours containing undiluted colour and/or fleeting solvent. Only the necessary amount of colour is to be applied or in other words the surface corresponding to that of the ink pad. The plates can be used from both sides.

The colours of the stamp colour 4 can be removed from many textiles with washing powder and water. Stains on non-absorbing/porous surfaces are mostly come off if spirit is applied. The colours of the special-stamp colours 24 and 84 cannot be washed out of textiles. One can try stain-remover and solvent. Of smooth non-absorbing surfaces colours can be removed with spirit. For thinning and cleaning, we recommend our stamp-cleaner B37/73. This thinning and cleaning can also be applied to the surface of the stamp. Further tips on how to remove ink pad colour can be found with our Pelikan stain doctor.

Stamp colour 4 with oil.

Stamp colour 84. Try before usage.

Buy vouchers at the shops specialising in writing implements and send them with the new words to Printo-fix-Service.

Ink in the modern sense of the word was already in use before Christ. It mostly consisted of liquids containing iron. In the Middle Ages the common ink was a ferro-gallic ink. Those inks aged and dried up in the bottle very quickly and could therefore not be used for fountain pens. After new dyes appeared on the market which were water soluble and after further developments with synthetically water soluble dyes, ferro-gallic ink became less and less popular. The fountain pen inks available today, like the Pelikan ink 4001, are not pure dye inks.

Yes, the royal blue and black ink is available in 250 ml and 1000 ml bottles.

Half-filled cartridges are mostly dried out, which means that they were in storage too long. Ink cartridges can be stored up to 12 months. If they are stored longer, the water from the ink evaporates.

We do not recommend mixing different ink colours because the colours might fade due to of the different pH-values. Because of this fountain pens should be thouroughly rinsed with water before a change in ink colour.

Only the royal blue can be washed out of most textiles. It is best to wash out other colours with washing powder and water as soon as possible but do not treat with a solvent. Unfortunately, if colour stains have had a chance to dry on natural fibres, it is often not possible to completely remove them. Further tips on removing stains can be found in our Pelikan stain doctor.

No. Fountain pen ink is not ink-jet ink. Therefore we cannot guarantee that it will function properly as the fountain pen ink was not developed, or even tested, for use as ink-jet ink. Printer companies will not accept claims against guarantees if ink was used in the printer which is not suited to the printer or which damages it.

Because some colours are fashionable colours and they have been exchanged for others.

Fount India is suitable for all Pelikan piston filling fountain pens. This ink is relatively easy to work with, provided that the fountain pen is used on a regular base and is rinsed every once in a while. Fount India should not be kept in the fountain pen for weeks, if the pen is not in use. Due to the fine colour pigments, it is more difficult to clean, compared to the soluble colorants in regular fountain pen inks. If possible, this ink should not be left to dry out completely.

If you are having problems with the ink flow anyway, it will help to rinse your pen with clear water. Dried /crusted ink comes off easier, if the nib of the fountain pen is set in water for a while (this can take up to 1 week).

There are no known incompatibilities with the materials of the Pelikan fountain pen.

When changing ink or ink colours, it can happen that the ink residues of the old ink will mix with the new ink. Due to the structure of the ink feed, the old ink cannot be rinsed out completely.