Quill Pen Company Review
Quill Pen Company is an office supply retailer specializing in products for small and mid-sized businesses, and also offering a rewards program for its customers.
In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, quill pens were an indispensable writing utensil. Made from feathers harvested from large birds such as geese, turkeys, or swans, quill pens provided an effective means of expression during these centuries.
History
Quill is an American office supplies retailer offering over one million products to small and mid-sized businesses. Established over fifty years ago, Quill operates as a subsidiary of Staples.
The quill pen first made its debut around the 6th century, and quickly became one of the dominant writing instruments over millennia. Crafted from bird feathers – usually goose, but also used by swans and turkeys – quill pens required constant sharpening, leading to small knives known as penknives being created specifically to do this task. President Thomas Jefferson kept geese at Monticello so he could supply himself with quill pens.
AT Cross Company opened their first factory in Rhode Island in 1846, producing quality pens as gifts for loved ones and often engraving them. Laszlo Biro invented a metal nib which combined viscosity, pressurised reservoir and ball-socket mechanisms to keep ink from drying inside of it and regulate flow control effectively.
Design
From the 9th to 19th centuries, quill pens were the go-to writing tool. Constructed from goose, swan or turkey feathers with pointed tips and narrow slits for ink circulation through capillary action to reach their nibs, quill pens were widely used writing instruments.
Victorian-era steel nibbed pens began gaining momentum due to being easier and less costly to use, replacing quill pens which fell out of favour until Lewis Waterman created the first modern fountain pen design around 1884.
He used a three-channel ink feed, which prevented clotting while also enabling users to easily control ink flow, revolutionising the pen industry. Twenty goose-quill pens from this invention now reside at the Supreme Court of the United States each day before being taken home by lawyers who appear before it.
Materials
Quill pens made of feathers first appeared around the 6th century and went on to dominate writing for nearly millennia. More precise than reed pens, quills allowed for intricate manuscripts, religious texts and intricate illustrations to be created using them – these quills could often be sharpened into point using a penknife for added precision.
The finest quills were derived from primary flight feathers discarded by birds during their annual moult cycle. Swan feathers were particularly prized due to their strength and fine line quality; those from their left wings proved better suited for right-handed writers as they curled away from the sight line.
Custom pens are an inexpensive yet effective marketing tool for companies seeking to reach their target audience with personalized messaging. In addition, custom pens make wonderful keepsakes for calligraphers and make great presents on special occasions.
Inks
Historically, quill pens used dye- or pigment-binder ink, which must be liquid enough to flow smoothly from their nibs while thick enough not to leak onto paper beyond what was desired. Furthermore, water resistance was essential so as not to let any bleeding onto pages.
The quill pen first made its debut around the 6th century and was widely used until 19th century for signing and other formal documents. It gradually replaced bamboo-made reed pens as the most commonly used signature tool.
Office supply stores sell refill cartridges of quill pens in packs of four or thirty, making this more cost-effective option than buying brand new pens in bulk.
Writing
Quill pens have been used for millennia. From 500-1800 AD in Western civilization, quill pens were the primary writing instrument. Composed from goose, swan, and turkey feathers with an ink reservoir in its hollow shaft and narrow slit producing fine writing points, quill pens could then be dressed or cured by heating in hot sand or ashes to remove membranes, desiccate oily parts, harden the shaft, and harden its shaft for optimal writing performance.
To use a quill pen, you begin by dipping its nib into ink and drawing capital stem strokes in succession with uniform spacing between strokes. After writing is complete, sprinkle sand on your writing surface to absorb excess ink without damaging paper; and finally swish your nib in water to rinse it clean.
