Nib sizes giude - Santini Italia Fountain pens and nibs Made in Italy

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How to find the right nib for your handwriting?

GUIDE TO SANTINI ITALIA NIB SIZES

The nib is the vital part of any fountain pen. It determines the quality of the handwriting. Quality and writing comfort depend on the material and workmanship of the nib. The production of good fountain pen nibs demands much experience, precision and skills.
Each nib is researched, produced and polished by hand. By adjusting the position of the fountain pen in the hand, each individual is able to find the most comfortable writing position. Our company produce solid gold nibs in different sizes and can personalize a nib for you if you have a special request.



  • EF  - 0.5 mm
  • F    - 0.7 mm
  • M   - 0.9 mm
  • B    - 1.2 mm
  • STUB   - 1.1 mm
  • ITALIC  - 1.1 mm


  • FLEXY
  • SUPERFLEXY
  • LEFT OBLIQUE
  • REVERSE OBLIQUE
  • ARCHITECT'S POINT
  • CHINESE CALLIGRAPHY
  • Flexy & Superflexy gold nib.

    Our flexy gold nib goes through many stamping and laminating steps, to reach a half of the thickness of the regular one, the hole at the end of the slit in the middle of the nib, is positioned further back than the regular ones.
    With a little pressure of your hand, with our F Flexy nib, you can go from F to M & Broad size.

    A regular flexy nib has a medium high flexibility and it is indicated for everyday writing. The nib is very soft and pleasant on writing.

    A Superflexy nib is more flexible than a regular flexy. Due to its very high flexibility it needs a bigger ink flow and for the correct and pleasant use requires a slow writing. This nib can be compared to the vintage flexible nibs (number 6) and it is more indicated for calligraphy writing.
    IMPORTANT NOTE FOR BUYERS!

    After many tests we are pleased to inform our customers, that the best performance of our flexy nib is only with our special ebonite feeder expressly made for it. The reason is that an easy and quick flexibility requires a bigger and constant flow of ink.
    Hence, we are sorry to inform you that only the piston filling models can mount our flexy nib and  it is not  available on all models. All the same we are working in order to give the best performance also for the converter  pens in the future.
    Flexy nib is available on all piston filling models.


    What do you need to know about Cursive Italic nib.
    Cursive Italic nib is very popular among the chosen nibs, but not everyone knows, that Italic exists in different versions. This type of nib is generally used for calligraphy and therefore, sometimes, requires some experience and preparation in writing. Surely this type of the nib will give a lot of personality to the writing. Our Cursive Italic nib has a line size 1.1 mm x 0.6 mm and it is perfect for everyday writing. Usually we produce a regular Cursive Italic, not sharp or crisp, please specify in your order if you are interested in a different type of Italic.

    Types of Cursive Italic:




    Solid Rose Gold nib 18 kt

    Completely produced by a 18 Kt rose gold stripe.
    To create this nib we used a alloy that kept the 750 thousandths of pure gold, but adding for the rest of the alloy only copper and it was necessary to develop a differentiated production, as the metal made harder by copper needs several rolling passages to prevent the too hardened metal from breaking.
    A real Italian craftsmanship.  Available on Libra Cumberland Bronze model and on request  on all Libra Series.

    We produce solid rose gold nib 18 kt in sizes: XF, F, M, B, STUB, Cursive Italic, Architect, Left Oblique, Chinese Calligraphy and Flexy.
    Solid White Gold nib 18 kt

    Completely produced by a 18 Kt white gold stripe.
     Did you know that we are the only company which produces solid white gold nib 18Kt? Most of white gold nibs on the market are simply rhodium plated but produced in yellow gold. What is the difference between white and yellow gold and how the nib performs on paper? The biggest difference is in the quantity of solid silver, that is very soft metal and at the same time remains stiff under the several steps of lamination. The characteristic of the metal makes the nib more stable and the beauty of natural color of the material will give you a pleasure to admire a real beauty of the pure white gold, like a real jewel.
    A solid white gold nib is offered on all our models with rhodium-plated trim.

    Misalignment on flexy nib.

    The Stub flexy and Cursive Italic flexy nibs are calligraphy type nibs.

    The flexy nib we produce is made with thinner gold foil that goes through several lamination steps to get the right balance between stiffness and softness. Being so flexible, it is easy to adapt your writing hand angle, that also means that after using can show a light misalignment, but it does not affect the writing as the tip has been deeply worked to avoid any kind of scratchiness and sharp angles. Also, the ink flow in that case won't be affected.

    Please remember, it is not a stiff nib!
    A small misalignment on flexy nib should not be interpreted as a defect.

    WRITING AND NIB SIZES GIUDE
    find a perfect nib size for your handwriting experience...


    PLEASE NOTE!
    Point sizes indicated in the following tests are just for reference. Being the point finished by hand, the size may vary 10-15% of the indicated measures.

    EXTRA FINE

    Our Extra fine nib has a point size 0.5 mm. Extra fine nib is the nib of choice for those of you with small handwriting, allowing for small lettering without your counter shapes joining up. They are also ideal for writers looking to fit a lot of words into a small space, such as a week-to-view diary. Due to its very small point this nib is less smooth than a regular Fine nib.
    FINE

    Our fine nib has a point size 0.7 mm. It has a thin writing line. This size of the width is approximately 0.2mm finer than the medium nib width. Fine is especially suitable for people with small handwriting. This nib is very smooth and pleasant on writing.
    MEDIUM

    Our Medium nib has a point size 0.9 mm. It has a medium writing line.  The most common nib size. Best suited for general purpose writing, signatures. This nib is very smooth and pleasant on writing.
    BROAD

    Our Broad nib has a point size 1.2 mm. It has a broad writing line. Perfect for quick signatures, letter writing, journaling. Writers who enjoy the fine qualities of their ink on paper. This nib is very smooth and wet on writing.
    STUB

    Our STUB nib has a point size 1.1 mm. The defining characteristic of a stub nib is its shape. Instead of having a round ball of tipping material to create a monoline, the rectangular shape of the stub nib provides a broader vertical downstroke and a thin horizontal one. The purpose is to add a calligraphic flair to your handwriting.
    Best suited for aspiring calligraphers, adding a touch of flair to your everyday writing. Those who love seeing the depth of their ink on paper. The nib is smooth on writing.
    CURSIVE ITALIC

    Our Cursive Italic nib has a point size 1.1 mm. Designed to give extreme line variation between wide down-strokes and narrow side-strokes in the manner of a calligraphy pen. A cursive italic nib is similar to a Stub nib but has squared corners to allow normal handwriting and greater line variation.
    Best suited for aspiring calligraphers, adding a touch of flair to your everyday writing. Those who love seeing the depth of their ink on paper. The nib is sharper than a stub nib.
    CURSIVE ITALIC MEDIUM

    Cursive Italic Medium nib is produced by using 0.9 mm iridium micro ball. The line width is approx. 0.9 mm x 0.5 mm.  Designed to give extreme line variation between wide down-strokes and narrow side-strokes in the manner of a calligraphy pen. It is a good choice for personalizing your handwriting, and it is perfect for everyday use.
    FINE FLEXY

    Our flexy gold nib goes through many stamping and laminating steps, to reach a half of the thickness of the regular one, the hole at the end of the slit in the middle of the nib, is positioned further back than the regulars one.
    With a little pressure of your hand, with our F Flexy nib, you can go from F to M & Broad size. This nib has a medium / high flexibility that can be perfect for everyday writing. Best suited for: calligraphy, embellished signatures, other general purpose writing (when not using the flex).
    SUPERFLEXY

    Our superflexy gold nib goes through double stamping and laminating steps respect a regualr flexy. Due to its very high flexibility it needs a double ink flow and is indicated for calligraphy, signatures. This nib require a very slow writing and not indicated for a regular use.

    available only in yellow gold
    Note: calligraphy type nib, slow writing, fluid inks
    MEDIUM FLEXY

    A flexy medium nib is a regular flexy nib that starts from the Medium point.
    With a little pressure of your hand, with our M Flexy nib, you can go from M to Broad size. This nib has a medium / high flexibility that can be perfect for everyday writing. Best suited for: calligraphy, embellished signatures, other general purpose writing (when not using the flex).
    STUB FLEXY

    To add a touch of personality on writing, we present a stub nib in flexy version . The nib has a point size 1.1 mm. The rectangular shape of the stub nib provides a broader vertical downstroke and a thin horizontal one and a flexibility of the nib offers a maggior lines variation.  The purpose is to add a calligraphic flair to your handwriting.

    Note: calligraphy type nib, slow writing, fluid inks

    BROAD FLEXY

    Our Broad flexy nib has a point size 1.2 mm, due to the flexibility of the nib, the line reaches up to 1.4 mm width. Perfect for signatures, letter writing, journaling. This nib is very smooth and wet on writing and offers pleasant writing experience. We suggest using fluid inks for the best performance.

    Note: calligraphy type nib, fluid inks

    CURSIVE ITALIC FLEXY

    Our Cursive Italic flexy nib has a point size 1.1 mm x 0.8 mm and due to its softness, under a pressure, the vertical line goes up to 1.4 mm width. Designed to give extreme line variation between wide down-strokes and narrow side-strokes in the manner of a calligraphy pen. A cursive italic nib is similar to a Stub nib but has a squared point shape. The nib is considered calligraphy type nib and requires a slow writing.
    The Cursive Italic nib is sharper than the stub nib.
    CHINESE CALLIGRAPHY

    Our knowledge is made directly on our experience with Chinese calligraphers. The nib is made like a "ship hull", it starts from a broad point that is cut in both sides to become thinner and almost pointed "at the very point". In this way, its writing wider in horizontal "medium broad" , still wide going down, if you keep your hand in a normal angle, but as much you go to the very point of the nib, that means using the very end of the nib it becomes thin.
    The iridium point is shaped like a long triangle.
    ARCHITECT

    An architect nib is designed around a simple concept: it’s a fountain pen nib that is wide when working on the horizontal and narrow on the vertical. This means sideways strokes are thick and downward strokes are thin.
    Sounds like any other sort of nib you know? That’s right, an architect nib is the opposite of a stub nib! A stub has a wide, flat shape that causes the nib to write a thin line on the horizontal and a thick on the vertical.
    The main appeal of an architect’s nib is not functional but rather aesthetic. The nib gives your writing a distinct look, like the writing of an architect obviously, but also it has a comic book look so long as you are printing your letters. Your writing will get a calligraphy look without the effort or hours of practice!
    ARCHITECT reverse BROAD

    The idea of the production of this special nib point came after a high demand for an Architect nib. Often, customers asked for a second nib to use together with an Architect nib, especially for writing or coloring. After a long research and tests made, the project has been completed. The nib point is shaped from an iridium micro sphere of 1.2 mm on the both sides, it writes as a regular architect, rotating the nib at 180 degrees, it writes as a Broad nib. Now this special nib size is available on all our products.

    DID YOU KNOW?

    We produce solid rose gold and white gold nibs 18 kt in all sizes*


    exclude superflexy
    Nib test before shipping.

    Customer satisfaction is our priority. All our nibs going through many different tests during and after the production. To offer you the best service and the guarantee of the perfect performance,  each nib is mounted on the tester pen and checked for writing before shipping.

    Along with the order, you will receive a test letter of your nib writing.
    Need help? Please do not hesitate to contact us via Live Chat or email!
    We are always happy to help!

    FIND OUT MORE
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