Top 5 compared
The best calligraphy pen sets
Wedding invitations, birthday cards and journal pages written in graceful lettering, learned one stroke at a time.
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The top 5 at a glance
Calligraphy is lettering with a pen that makes thick and thin strokes, and it turns cards, place cards and envelopes into something worth keeping. Sets come in three kinds. Felt and brush pens are the easy, mess-free way into modern lettering; a cartridge pen with swappable nibs is the classic way to learn italic and the other traditional hands; and a dip pen with bottled ink is the oldest and most expressive, though it takes the most practice.
Felt and brush pens carry their ink inside, so there’s nothing to fill or spill. A cartridge pen takes cartridges, or bottled ink through a converter, while a dip pen goes back to the bottle as you write, and needs a jar of water nearby for rinsing the nib.
What matters
- A range of tip or nib widths, for big and small lettering.
- Waterproof, fade-proof pigment ink, for cards meant to last.
- A guide or workbook, if you’re starting from nothing.
#1PANDAFLY Calligraphy and Hand Lettering Pens (10 pens)
Under $10
Ten black pens in different sizes: five fine tips from 0.5mm to 3mm for even lines and small lettering, and four brush tips from extra small to large plus a soft brush for thick-and-thin strokes. The pigment ink is waterproof and fade-proof, so finished cards and place cards last.
What owners say: Owners like the smooth ink flow and the wide spread of tip sizes, find them good for newcomers and practiced letterers alike, and one uses them for wedding place cards. Some find the black more charcoal than true black, and a few pens arrived dry.
A closer look: Practice the basic strokes before whole letters: a thin upstroke with a light touch and a thick downstroke pressing harder, over and over down a page. The fine pens handle the small print on a card, while the brush pens make the big flourishing headings.
- Waterproof, fade-proof ink
- Ink doesn’t bleed
Best for: Cards, place cards and lettering
- Pens
- 10 pens, black
- Nibs
- 0.5–3mm + 5 brush tips
- Ink
- Pigment, built in
- Guide included
- No
#2Kuretake ZIG Calligraphy Markers (12 colors)
$10–$20
Twelve colors of Kuretake’s ZIG calligraphy markers, each with a 2mm square tip at one end and a 3.5mm at the other, so one pen writes the small lines and the big headings. The water-based ink blends: lay two colors side by side and pull a wet brush across for a gradient, or draw flowers and leaves around the lettering in the same pens.
What owners say: Rich colors that really pop, owners say, with the jewel tones a favorite, and the broad tips make fancy lettering easy for a newcomer. A few found the markers didn’t glide as smoothly as they’d hoped.
A closer look: Hold the square tip at one steady angle to the line and its edge makes the thick and thin strokes for you: the 3.5mm end for envelope names and headings, the 2mm end for the words beneath. Cap each pen between words on a long piece, since water-based ink dries at an open tip.
- Blends with a water brush
- Draws decorations as well
- Draws thick and thin strokes
Best for: Colored lettering and decorated cards
- Pens
- 12 markers, 12 colors
- Nibs
- 2mm + 3.5mm square tips
- Ink
- Water-based, built in
- Guide included
- No
#3June & Lucy Calligraphy Kit for Beginners (6 pens and workbook)
$20–$30
A hardcover workbook, bound with a gold spiral, that takes a beginner through hand lettering step by step, with six black brush pens in four sizes, from extra fine to a full brush, to practice with. The book does the teaching, so it suits someone starting from nothing.
What owners say: Owners love the beautifully decorated cover and the workbook’s many practice pages, and say it explains each step as you go, with numbered strokes to follow. One says it kept them happily busy.
A closer look: Work through the book in order rather than skipping ahead to whole words: the early pages of single strokes are what make the letters look even later on. Lay a sheet of tracing paper over a practice page and it can be used again and again.
- Gold spiral-bound hardcover workbook
- Reuse pages with tracing paper
- Acid-free, non-bleeding ink
Best for: Learning from scratch
- Pens
- 6 brush pens
- Nibs
- 4 sizes, extra fine to brush
- Ink
- Pigment, built in
- Guide included
- Yes
#4Plotube Calligraphy Dip Pen Set (12 nibs, 7 inks)
$30–$50
The traditional way: a wooden dip pen and an antique brass holder, twelve nibs, two of them gold-colored, and seven bottles of ink from black to hot pink, with a beginner’s booklet, all in a black presentation box. Dipping takes practice, but it gives crisp thick and thin lines.
What owners say: Well made and good to look at, with a generous choice of nibs, is the verdict from owners. They split on the ink and on whether it’s easy to start with, and a few struggled to fit the nibs.
Heads up: Start with the black ink, which the maker says is thicker and flows more steadily from the wide nibs.
A closer look: Dip the nib just past the little hole in its middle, then touch it to the rim of the bottle so it doesn’t flood the page. When the ink stops flowing smoothly, swish the nib in a jar of water and wipe it dry before going on.
- Black to hot pink inks
- Includes gold-colored nibs
- Arrives in a gift box
Best for: Writing with nib and ink
- Pens
- Dip pen + brass holder
- Nibs
- 12
- Ink
- 7 bottles
- Guide included
- Yes
#5Wordsworth & Black Calligraphy Pen Gift Set (6 nibs)
$50–$75
One metal pen with six nibs, a bottle of ink and a converter, in a presentation box with instructions. Made for someone who writes cards and letters by hand and would like them to look beautiful.
What owners say: A smooth writer and a handsome one, owners say, and many enjoy having six nibs to try. Some found the nibs inconsistent or had ink blot on the page, and not everyone thinks it justifies its price.
A closer look: Rinse the nib in lukewarm water whenever you change ink or put the pen away for a while: dried ink is what makes fountain pens scratchy. The converter lets you fill from the bottle for a cheaper refill.
- Suits left- and right-handers
- Comes in a gift box
- Blue and black cartridges
Best for: Handwritten notes and letters
- Pens
- 1 metal pen
- Nibs
- 6
- Ink
- Bottle, converter + 6 cartridges
- Guide included
- Yes
How they compare
Swipe sideways or rotate device to see all 5.
| Feature | #1PANDAFLY 10 | #2Kuretake ZIG 12 | #3June & Lucy kit | #4Plotube dip pen | #5Wordsworth & Black |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall | Best for color | Best beginner kit | Best dip pen set | Best premium | |
| Picked Rating | 9.1 | 9.1 | 9.0 | 8.8 | 8.6 |
| Price | Under $10 | $10–$20 | $20–$30 | $30–$50 | $50–$75 |
| Pens | 10 pens, black | 12 markers, 12 colors | 6 brush pens | Dip pen + brass holder | 1 metal pen |
| Nibs | 0.5–3mm + 5 brush tips | 2mm + 3.5mm square tips | 4 sizes, extra fine to brush | 12 | 6 |
| Ink | Pigment, built in | Water-based, built in | Pigment, built in | 7 bottles | Bottle, converter + 6 cartridges |
| Guide included | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Best for | Cards, place cards and lettering | Colored lettering and decorated cards | Learning from scratch | Writing with nib and ink | Handwritten notes and letters |
| Buy now | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon |
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