In the face of obsoletion

A curious look into fountain pen innovation

I subscribe to five different newsletters from boutique online retailers selling fountain pens, glossy specialty paper, and glimmering inks. Glorious stationery. My eyes flutter to open their vibrant emails whenever they show up in my inbox because I know I’ll be gushing over new pen models, new colourways, new collaboration products that manufacturers and retailers have released over the past week.

In this digital age, the clocks of innovation keep on moving for the analogue world, even though they face the doom of obsoletion. There really isn’t any reason why people need to keep reinventing a pen, let alone a fountain pen that’s been largely replaced by the more ubiquitous ballpoint pen. They are hardly utilitarian. Fountain pens are finicky — they can leak, dry out when uncapped for too long, and are twice the size of their more modern counterparts. It’s no wonder that people have abandoned it for the more practical ballpoints and rollerballs.

I don’t believe the monetary incentive is there. Fountain pens and avid stationery hobbyists barely bring in enough revenue to make a dent in any company’s balance sheets, even with the resurgence of analogue hobbies following accelerated digitalization during the pandemic. Most companies that produce specialty stationery make the bulk of their revenue through office and school supplies. The leading products for Pilot are the retractable ink gel rollerball G-2 and erasable ink FriXion pens. Cosmo Air Light, a newer and rising entrant of glossy and thin paper for fountain pen enthusiasts, doesn’t even get a mention in manufacturer Nippon Paper’s latest financial statement.

How about Western legacy brands? Montblanc, the pinnacle of fine writing instruments, still hails it as its #1 business, though in its latest financial year only brought in 2% of total sales to its parent company. German fountain pen maker LAMY announced its sale to Japanese stationery giant Mitsubishi Pencil this February to “develop the growth area of digital writing” and grow its international market. That seems quite a pivot away from analog writing.

Despite the fact that fountain pen innovation doesn’t bring in neither utilitarian nor direct economic value, the innovation train is still humming. Sailor, a Japanese luxury pen maker, last month introduced a new fountain pen model that allows the grip section to be rotated according to the handwriter’s preference. Smaller ink companies such as South Korea’s Wearingeul and the Philippines’s Vinta Inks are releasing new formulations for ink that can showcase shimmer (glitter) and sheen (a shiny look). Who would have thought that these writing instruments could still be improved since its inception in the 1800s?

Perhaps because these fountain pen business lines sit under a company umbrella that has diversified and more reliable revenue streams such as from office and school supplies, the fountain pen teams can focus more on the craft and improving the product. These fountain pens could act as loss leaders, products that take a hit in profit but in turn spread the brand name through novelty, craftsmanship, and artistry. Similar to how Ferrari builds cars for Formula One races, Italian company Montegrappa builds Frankenstein pens (the straightjacket pen case, the monster head hidden in the pen cap, and all-brass trim are pretty darn impressive).

The ongoing developments in the fountain pen industry remind me that there are devoted efforts to things that bring people joy, passion, and enjoyment amid an environment that hyperfocuses on churn, revenue, and speed. People’s love for these fountain pens are contagious, so much so that I watch people’s stationery picks, read newsletters from boutique online retailers, and listen to a weekly two-hour podcast on pen, paper and inks.

How monochromatic would the world be if we just focused on utilitarian and economic value? I could write my plans with a bland black-and-blue ballpoint pen, but I choose to flourish my future with some sunny shimmer and sheen.

Thank you to folks who were fully onboard this sheen and shimmer:

Jisoo

and

Josh Ponelat

.

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Looking back: Greeks put university outside the city centre so people can say provocative things. — Source: Prof G Pod

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Update log:

• 📖 Reading The Millionaire Fastlane by MJ DeMarco (35% completed). I think I’m finally over him chastising people in the “slowlane” and finally getting to the crux of his “millionaire fastlane”.

• 🎮 Finished the second game in the Phoenix Wright series, Justice for All. I’ve started on the third one: Trials and Tribulations. I’m playing versions remastered for the Switch.

• 📷 Developed my overexposed film shots. I don’t quite spot the results though I used a Fuji Superia Premium 400 which from my research is able to handle a lot of exposure? Maybe I should try a roll where I do multiple exposure stop adjustments and check those results.

• 🧊 A meal I’ve had thrice in the last hot, summer week: Korean cold noodles.

• 🔑 I lost my keys for the first time ever and was distraught after tracing my steps yet still unable to find it. I immediately bought a replacement key organizer, which is this one from Orbitkey.

• ✍🏼 I’m committed to write longer, more complex essays, and am doing so with

  Michael Dean
  , who has been so gracious and patient with my writing journey. Congratulations on the latest OSV Fellowship!

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