Fun with Fountain Pens
We talk a lot about what kind of pen or pencil to write in your Bible with, so ... don't try this at home. It takes a brave soul to try a fountain pen in a Bible. As I mention at my other blog, I'm a bit obsessed with fountain pens, archaic though they may seem:
When I do write in a Bible, I tend to use a Pigma Micron on a ballpoint, avoiding anything that can apply "wet" ink. In theory, though, using a fountain pen in a Bible shouldn't be a problem. After all, the Allan's Journal uses Bible paper and holds up just fine to FP ink:
On the left you can see various examples of ink in use (as well as a sad testament to what happens to one's cursive when one starts writing in block letters during junior high). On the left, note that while you can see the writing through the reverse of the page (just as you would printing in a Bible), none of the ink has bled through. Now, if you're inclined to try this, my recommendation is that you use a Fine (F) or even Extra Fine (EF) nib. These put less ink on the page and give you a cleaner, finer line, allowing you to write smaller, in proportion to the small print in the typical Bible.
For more thoughts on fountain pens, check out "The Craftsman's Pleasure in His Tools."
J. Mark Bertrand is a novelist and pastor whose writing on Bible design has helped spark a publishing revolution. Mark is the author of Rethinking Worldview: Learning to Think, Live, and Speak in This World (Crossway, 2007), as well as the novels Back on Murder, Pattern of Wounds, and Nothing to Hide—described as a “series worth getting attached to” (Christianity Today) by “a major crime fiction talent” (Weekly Standard) in the vein of Michael Connelly, Ian Rankin, and Henning Mankell.
Mark has a BA in English Literature from Union University, an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Houston, and an M.Div. from Heidelberg Theological Seminary. Through his influential Bible Design Blog, Mark has championed a new generation of readable Bibles. He is a founding member of the steering committee of the Society of Bible Craftsmanship, and chairs the Society’s Award Committee. His work was featured in the November 2021 issue of FaithLife’s Bible Study Magazine.
Mark also serves on the board of Worldview Academy, where he has been a member of the faculty of theology since 2003. Since 2017, he has been an ordained teaching elder in the Presbyterian Church in America. He and his wife Laurie life in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.