What is it about writing with a pen that seems to all at once soothe the mind, capture the imagination, and connect us to endless possibilities?

Well, for starters, a pen is a lovely piece of technology: simple yet elegant, unassuming yet capable of helping us to create wonders.

To help craft your written labors of love (as well as your doodles and weekly grocery lists), there’s something incredibly satisfying about using a customized pen that’s made just for you.

Personalized pens have long been popular with prolific writers as well as other great thinkers and celebrities.

With your custom pen, you’re in good company. Let’s have a look at four of our favorite famous pen lovers. 

Queen Elizabeth II

Numerous heads of state around the world are known to have favorite pens. Bill Clinton used a Cross rollerball, while John F. Kennedy used a Parker ballpoint. Queen Elizabeth II is also a fan of the Parker brand, using the Parker 51.

Image from: Wikimedia

Elizabeth is known for her incredibly long life and reign, serving as Queen of the United Kingdom and Head of the Commonwealth since 1952.

What do the duties of a modern queen include?

Well, for one thing, she signs her name. A lot. From official documents to birthday cards; applying her treasured signature is one of Elizabeth’s fundamental royal obligations.

In fact, anyone celebrating a 100th birthday, or various other anniversaries and personal landmarks, is eligible for a personalized card from the Queen.

To write like royalty, select and customize the perfect Parker pen for you or the person that you’re gift shopping for.

Parker pens are available in a variety of styles, including a fountain, gel, ballpoint, and rollerball pen (read on to learn more about these styles).

And of course, any pen purchased through Dayspring Pens can be personalized.

Further Reading: The 6 Best Parker Pens: #1 Is Super Affordable!

Stephen King

Stephen King has been described as the “King of Horror,” having published 61 novels that have sold over 350 million copies — including terrifying classics such as Carrie and The Shining.

After suffering a road accident in 1999, King wrote Dreamcatcher using a Waterman cartridge fountain pen. He found writing with a fountain pen to be therapeutic, rhythmic, and calming.

Furthermore, King stated that the use of a pen slowed down his thought process and helped him to consider each word.

Many pen users will relate to King’s opinions on the benefits of writing with a pen.

King even went so far as to describe the fountain pen as “the world’s finest word processor.”

The perfect personalized pen for Stephen King? Maybe some blood-red lettering spelling out “King of Horror” in a spooky gothic font. 

Related Topic: 3 Reasons Why Stephen King Writes With a Fountain Pen

Neil de Grasse Tyson

You don’t have to be a famous astrophysicist to collect personalized pens. But if you do happen to be one, you’d have some truly stellar pen designs on your desk.

Astrophysicist, author, and science communicator Neil de Grasse Tyson is a known collector and user of fountain pens.

Pen nerds will enjoy hearing one of the world’s great thinkers and speakers breaking down his pen preferences in this interview.

Tyson’s enthusiasm for his pen collection is contagious, as he clearly goes the extra mile (or light year?) with his taste for customizable pens.

Tyson’s three rules for custom pens are as follows: the pen needs an interesting nib (the part that contacts the writing surface); the cap has to post (slide on to the back of the pen while you write); and the personalization should, of course, be astronomy-themed.

Neil de Grasse Tyson’s custom pens feature outer space imagery and travel with him in a special small briefcase. One of his favorites features a replica imprint of a lunar boot footstep made on the Apollo 11 moon landing.

But, that’s not all; the pen features materials that were actually on the Apollo 11 mission! 

Discover More: Customizable Luxury Fountain Pens

Emma Watson

In the Harry Potter films that shot her to superstardom, Emma Watson played the clever and studious Hermione Granger, often sporting a feather quill pen to assist in her spell and potions studies.

Outside of her acting career, Watson has proven to be equally as ambitious as the young witch she portrayed.

Watson has promoted gender equality and education for girls around the world; work that has brought her as far as Bangladesh and Zambia.

In 2014, she was appointed as a United Nations Women Goodwill ambassador, which resulted in her famous delivery of a speech on gender equality at the United Nations headquarters in New York City.

It should come as no surprise that Miss Watson carries a fountain pen.

In an interview with Candy Magazine, Watson described the contents of her handbag, and included in the shortlist of items, was a Parker fountain pen which she exclaimed to be “so good!”

Parker IM Fountain Pen

She’s certainly not wrong about that! Fountain pens use liquid ink, allowing for a smooth and easy glide over the paper without needing to press down excessively. That means a fountain pen is great for use during an extended writing session.

We aren’t privy to any details regarding personalization in Watson’s pen set. However, whether buying for yourself or as a gift, a personalized fountain pen is a great way to make a favored writing implement stand out and stay with its owner for years.

Check It Out: The 7 Best Parker Fountain Pens

Finding the Perfect Pen

From literary and Hollywood royalty to the British royal family — brilliant and distinguished individuals love a good pen, for reasons both practical and stylistic.

If you’re looking to elevate your own writing game or send a special gift to a friend, loved one, or coworker, start by reviewing the four basic ink styles for pens: ballpoints, rollerballs, fountain pens, and gel pens.

• Ballpoint is the most popular pen-style. Ballpoints are reliable, consistent, widely available, and low priced. They function via a small ball at the tip that rolls on contact, releasing ink from the tube cartridge.
• Rollerballs, such as uni-ball pens, function like ballpoints, but usually use water-based ink, which requires less pressure to leave a strong mark on the page, but can still write with a fairly fine point.
• Fountain pens have replaceable ink cartridges. Instead of a point, there’s a nib, which is split down the middle, releasing ink through an inner channel. Fountain pens are elegant and iconic, but they also excel in performance, providing excellent ease of writing. 
• Gel pens feature a water-based ink with a high color pigment to water ratio, which helps them apply a full color effectively over dark-colored paper or slick surfaces.

Did you know? While not an ink style, stylus pens used for touch screenwriting are another important modern pen type.

The Ultimate Guide to Pen Writing Styles will help you to better understand the different types of pens and which ones you might prefer.

Knowing the basic pen styles will get you started, and then you can enjoy selecting your various preferred characteristics, such as weight, color, and material. Pens are as varied and fascinating as the people that use them.

To complete the perfect pen, have it personalized. 

How to Personalize Pens

Personalization might be done to express your taste or personality on your own pen, to create logo pens for a business or special event, or to craft the perfect gift.

Along with selecting a pen’s specifications (color, design, etc.), the personalization of a gift pen will typically involve adding the person’s name to the pen. There are some ways to get this done cheaply, namely imprinting or pad printing.

However, these methods will not result in a precise and elegant aesthetic finish, and the lettering will degrade over time.

To achieve a beautiful and permanent personalization, have the name engraved.

At Dayspring Pens, we engrave the majority of our orders in-house. Most of our engraving is performed with a fiber optic or CO2 Laser Engraving Machine. This offers precise and permanent engraving that will never fade or wear away.

Engraved gift pens make for an absolutely classic gift and one that anyone would appreciate.

Premium brands to consider include Cross, Waterman, and Parker.

Excellence in Craft 

We’ve been satisfying discerning customers for over 25 years thanks to the pride we take in both craft and customer service.

As stated by recent customer Nancy H:

“The pen I purchased, the engraving, and the packaging are all fabulous… I want to spread the word that there are still GREAT companies out there with top-notch customer service and this company is one of them in my book!”

If you’re ready to reach for the stars, it’s time to start writing like the stars. Get started today by finding the perfect customizable pen from our premium selection.

Featured image: Wikimedia

Daniel Whitehouse is the President and CEO of Dayspring Pens. He uses his expertise with premium writing utensils to create exceptional, intentional products and craft easy-to-understand articles that help both new and experienced users learn more about their writing tools. He lives in Virginia where he and his wife are raising their four children. To learn more about him and his insights about custom engraved gift pens, follow Daniel on LinkedIn.