The Best International Short Cartridges

by Pen Fashion Admin July 3, 2019

There are numerous ways to fill your fountain pen with ink, but cartridges remain a staple. New fountain pen users find cartridges the easiest to use since there aren't any confusing mechanisms like pistons or plungers to deal with. Even bottled ink devotees might reach for a cartridge when they're tired of lugging around heavy bottles.

Cartridges come in multiple shapes and sizes, and not all of them fit the same pens. Luckily, many popular pens use the standard international short cartridge size. We'll be discussing the characteristics of these cartridges and how to use them in your fountain pen. Read on to find out what our favorite international cartridges are.

CHARACTERISTICS

Size

International short size cartridges are about 1.5 inches long.

The international short size cartridge measures about 1.5 inches long and 7 mm in diameter. It holds around 0.8 ml of ink.

International vs. Proprietary

International Cartridges vs. Proprietary Cartridges

International cartridges can be used in different brands of pens. Proprietary cartridges are only compatible with certain brands.

Fountain pen cartridges can broadly be divided into two basic categories: "proprietary" and "international." Proprietary cartridges are just what they sound like: cartridges shaped specifically to fit only in a certain brand of pen. For example, Lamy cartridges only fit in Lamy pens and Pilot cartridges only fit in Pilot pens.

International cartridges have no such restrictions. They use the same shape and opening to fit into any compatible pen, regardless of brand. This makes them handy for trying different inks or swapping your favorite ink between pens.

Many European pens use international cartridges, with some popular examples including Kaweco, Faber-Castell, Pelikan, and Visconti pens. They also make their own ink cartridges in the international short size.

International Short vs. International Long

International Short Cartridge Size vs. International Long Cartridge Size

International long size cartridges measure about 2.8 inches long.

While the opening of all international cartridges is the same, they can come in two sizes: short and long. Most international cartridges are short, but some brands come in long cartridges, including the popular Waterman and Pelikan inks. Long cartridges measure about 2.8 inches long and hold 1.4 ml of ink, almost twice as much as short cartridges. While their additional capacity is handy, the downside of long cartridges is that they're just too long for pocket pens like the Kaweco Sport.

How to Install Cartridges

The opening of an international cartridge has a flared plastic cup and a seal. Insert this end into your pen's grip section to puncture the seal and let ink flow through the pen feed. Our guide to installing cartridges has pictures to help identify the opening of the cartridge and step-by-step instructions for installing it.

How to Refill Cartridges

For those who want to try bottled inks, international cartridges are ideal for refilling using a syringe. They're widely available and compatible with a variety of pens. Unlike some proprietary cartridges, international cartridges don't have any agitator beads or stoppers to impede refilling. Just insert a blunt-tip syringe into the cartridge opening to refill it. You can find photos and instructions for prepping and refilling an ink cartridge here.