Dip pen

Dip pen with holder

Various models of dip pens

A dip pen is a writing instrument used to apply ink to paper. It usually consists of a metal nib with a central slit that acts as a capillary channel like those of fountain pen nibs, mounted in a handle or holder, often made of wood. Other materials can be used for the holder, including bone, metal and plastic; some pens are made entirely of glass.

Generally dip pens have no ink reservoir, so the user must refill the ink from an ink bowl or bottle to continue drawing or writing. Sometimes a simple tubular reservoir can be clipped to the top of the pen, allowing for several minutes of uninterrupted use. Refilling can be done by dipping into an inkwell, but it is also possible to charge the pen with an eyedropper, a syringe, or a brush, which gives more control over the amount of ink applied. Thus, "dip pens" are not necessarily dipped; many illustrators call them nib pens.

Dip pens with replaceable metal nibs emerged in the early 19th century, when they replaced quill pens and,^[1] in some parts of the world, reed pens. Dip pens were widely used well into the 20th century, only gradually being displaced with the development of fountain pens in the later 19th century,^[2] and are now mainly used in illustration, calligraphy, and comics.

While a fountain pen offers the convenience of less frequent refills, the dip pen has certain advantages over a fountain pen. It can use waterproof, pigmented, iron gall ink, particle-and-binder-based inks, such as India ink, drawing ink, and acrylic inks with ease; while fountain pens generally must use water based inks, require thorough and frequent cleaning to prevent clogging when used with pigmented or waterproof inks and may corrode when used with iron gall ink. Steel and brass dip pen nibs may also corrode when used with iron gall ink but this is not as likely nor as problematic as the nib of a dip pen is often cleaned after each use, and is easily replaced. Flexible dip pen nibs allow for the production of a line that naturally varies in thickness.

There is a wide range of exchangeable nibs for dip pens, so different types of lines and effects can be created. The nibs and handles are far cheaper than most fountain pens, and allow color changes much more easily.^[3]