Even if you’ve left school years (or decades) ago, the art of neat handwriting is truly a valuable skill. It’s still a part of our daily lives in 2022, especially in education or employment when taking exams or making notes in meetings. Even if you only write by hand when sending a birthday card or preparing a shopping list, how many times have you gone shopping and been unable to decipher what one of the items was? Exactly.

And the best part in all of this, is that it’s never too late to learn how to write neatly and clearly. It’ll make a major difference to your life, from getting the right fruit at the store to being able to read your notes from a lecture or meeting. If you’re an employer interested in avoiding mistakes made through sloppy handwriting, it might even help your team be more enthusiastic about writing neatly if you distribute engraved pens, like these from https://www.pens.com/uk/c/engraved-pens.

What makes handwriting good?

Certain aspects of handwriting are a matter of personal taste, for instance, if the letters must be joined or if the lowercase letter “i” is marked with a dot or a circle. However, other features are almost universally considered neat. These include:

• Shaping; whether the letters are rounder or sharper, consistency is key

• Spacing; roughly the same amount of space between each letter, word, or paragraph

• Sizing; with each letter being a similar height and width to comparable letters (t/l, a/o, f/j)

• Stress; as the pressure used affects how a letter is shaped

For those keen to learn, the correct pen makes all the difference due to the pressure, angle, and grip required. It will affect the shape of letters if you grip a pen too tight or have to press down hard to make the pen write.

Finding the right pen

There are many different styles of pen and the one that helps you write neater is a matter of personal preference. Fountain pens can make beautiful calligraphy, but if you don’t know how to use it, they’ll result in a blotchy, scratched-up mess. Take the following as a guide, but make sure to try out all sorts of pens to find the one that works for you.

Fountain pens

These ergonomically-designed pens are more eco-friendly because you only need to refill the ink when it runs out. More user-friendly options allow you to just switch out the cartridge, rather than using bottled ink, They’re often easier to write with for longer periods because you don’t have to grip as hard.

Ballpoint pens

Ballpoints also come in various widths, so you can pick one that suits your grip, and because there’s no need to refill ink, they can be especially convenient. They’re great if you need to write quickly, such as taking notes during a lecture. However, because they are lighter, more pressure is needed to write.

Rollerball pens

These combine the convenience of ballpoints with the comfort of fountain pens, which is much better for handwriting. Additionally, the thin ink and small tip will help keep letters consistent.

Hopefully, this has helped you to see that there are handwriting benefits to each type of pen, but the best one is the one that works for you. Grab some pens and try for yourself to see which makes your handwriting neater.