• Ink writing at its finest.calligraphy image by Diana Wolfraum from Fotolia.com
  
  Ink writing, also known as the fine art of calligraphy, requires specific tools to make sure the letters are swept out on the page with finesse and precision. Not all ink and not every pen is the same, and much like the brushes and canvas of a painter, calligraphy tools must be carefully selected and maintained to ensure they don't break or degrade.
  
  

Nibs

• Nibs are the fine point of a pen that transfer ink to the page. Nibs in modern fountain pens are mostly metal, and come in various shapes, such as square, round and sharp, depending on the type of strokes the ink writer wishes to make. They can normally be switched out between pen casings and reservoirs. Wooden or reed pens can have wooden nibs, which can be cut and shaped as desired. Nibs range in size to create fine or broad lines, and each manufacturer will have a specific size rating system. There are also nibs made for left-hand writers, since the direction of their strokes will naturally differ from right-handed ones.
  
  

Reservoirs

• Unless the calligrapher is a bit old-fashioned and uses quills or reed pens, gone are the days when you had to dip a pen tip into an inkwell to write. Instead, most fountain pens have an internal reservoir of ink, which can be switched out or refilled as needed. Ink reservoirs are connected to the top end of the fountain pen nib, so the ink contained within flows into the nib channels. Reservoirs allow for easy changeovers from different colored and dense inks.
  
  

Sharpening Stone

• Sharpening stones aren't only used on knives these days. Pen nibs must be kept polished and sharp in order to transfer ink to the page efficiently, without snagging or possibly tearing the paper.
  
  

Paper Weights

• Because ink writing can be such a precise art, it is necessary to make sure the surface you are writing on does not shift or wrinkle during the process. Placing paper weights on the corners of a piece of paper can help secure the parchment so you can write with great flourishes without worrying the page will slip out from underneath the nib and streak the ink everywhere.