Pelikan Frequently Asked Questions


Frequently Asked Questions

Below are are the answers to questions about Pelikan that we find ourselves commonly answering. Please have a look through the questions as the answer you are seeking may be there - also have a look at our other useful information for more information on subjects people often ask about.

If you have a question which is not answered below, please let us know. 


Are any of the inks you sell water-proof or bleach-proof?None of the Pelikan range of inks are resistant to water or bleach, however, Noodler's have a range of bulletproof inks which are both water and bleach proof. 

Can I wash any of the inks you sell from clothing?

The Pelikan Royal Blue ink can be washed from clothing, but the other colours cannot - they are no necessarily permanent, but they are designed to stain paper (that is ink's purpose after all!) and so are not easily washable.

(Useful tip for parents - Pelikan eradicators can be used to 'draw' Pelikan Royal Blue ink stains from school shirt cuffs)

Can I use Noodler's ink safely in my fountain pen?
Most of the colours in the Noodler's ink range can be used safely in your fountain pen, regardless of its make. The Baystate colours (currently we only have Baystate Blue) will stain your pen if they are left on any part of it without being cleaned off before it dries. 

The dried ink can be removed with bleach but, as prevention is better than cure, cleaning the ink off when it is wet is easier. It is probably advisable to refrain using either of these two inks in expensive and favourite pens.

Age of My Pen

Has Pelikan ever changed its logo?
Please see the pictures below which show the incremental changes to Pelikan's logo and the years that the changes took place.

How can I tell how old my pen is? 




Pelikan have modified their mother pelikan and chicks logo throughout their history and comparing this can be a useful tool in determining the age of your pen. The pictures below show how the logo changed and the years in which the changes took place.

Pelikan Logo

A further change which occurred in the history of Pelikan was the engraving around the pens. From 1955, when Germany split into the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) and the Germany Democratic Republic (East Germany) the engraving of 'Germany' on the gold band around the centre of Pelikan's Traditional and Souveran pens was replaced with 'W. Germany'. When the Berlin wall was demolished in 1989, the engravings changed back to 'Germany'.

Ray has a Green Striated M800 with W. Germany engraved on it, thus we can determine that it was made between 1987 (the start of M800 manufacture) and 1989 due to the W. Germany engraving.

What is the most popular model of pen in Pelikan's range?The most popular pen in the Pelikan range is the M800 in Green Striated. The Green colour has always been Pelikan's most popular colour.

Which nib width is the most popular?As Pelikan gives a very wide range of nib width options, many people take advantage of the opportunity to have a nib size in their Pelikan which they cannot have in some other makes of pen. The Medium and Broad nibs are the most popular and Pelikan does offer a nib exchange within in the first 28 days after purchase for another size if a customer is not entirely happy with the width or the smoothness of their nib.

Which colour of pen is the most popular?Historically, Pelikan's fountain pen models have been most popular in the green striated colour a this was Pelikan's trademark from 1929 with the introduction of the Pelikan 400 piston fill fountain pen. Today, although there are a range of other colours and trims, the green is still the most popular, closely followed by the black.

Is each pen unique?All of the Souverän pens which come with the 'striated' (pin stripe style) barrel are unique. The design is made from Egyptian cotton and the manufacturing process causes some to have thicker stipes than others, some to be more see through than others, and some to have small blemishes, all of which make each pen unique.

Each nib in the Souveran, Ductus and Limited/Special Edition ranges have hand finsihed nibs, so no two nibs are exactly the same

Cleaning, Maintaining & Filling My Pen

How do I clean the nib of my pen?

How do I fill my piston-fill fountain pen with ink?

How do I remove the nib from my fountain pen?
There are several videos available our YouTube channel - Niche Pens TV -which show how to fill your Pelikan piston fill fountain pen with ink, remove the nib and flush the pen to clean it.

How much ink do the fountain pens hold?The Souveran and Traditional pens have Pelikan's trademark piston filling system and hold as follows:
M1000 - 2.0ml
M800 - 2.0ml
M600 - 1.75ml
M400 - 1.5ml
M300 - 0.75ml
M200 - 1.75ml
M150 - 1.5ml
N.B - These are approximate measurements and it is worth noting that that a standard short ink cartridge holds approx. 0.75ml; a standard long ink cartridge holds approx. 1.45ml

Is there an ink view window on a Pelikan fountain pen so I can see when it needs to be refilled?

The Souveran fountain pens have an ink view window close to the nib which is dark green on the black pens. On the striated pens, the black lines in between the coloured striations are transparent at the bottom next to the threaded point where the caps screw on so remaining ink can be gauged here.

On the Toledo fountain pens, there is a dark green ink view window in the same place as on the Souveran pens, so you can see how much ink is left inside.

On the Traditional range of fountain pens, there is a clear ink view window in the same place as on the Souveran pens, but it is a colourless clear window, regardless of the pen's colour.

The other models of fountain pens take cartridges so the two parts of the pen will need to be unscrewed to view the cartridge inside to gauge how much ink is left.

Ball Pens

What is the difference between the Souverän and Traditional ball pens?
The Traditional K200 and the Souverän K400 both have a push button mechanism which reveals the ball pen tip, whereas the Souverän K600 and K800 have a twist action mechanism.

Obviously, the size of the ball pens increase as you move from the K200 to the K800.


Do the mechanical pencils have an eraser?
Yes they do.

On the D200 and the D400 the eraser is underneath the push button cap which can be removed with ease.

On the D600 and the D800, the eraser is slightly more evasive, but can be easily found by holding the coloured section of the pencil (i.e. the section with the clip on) in one hand, and the black shaft of the pencil in the other, and pulling the 2 sections apart (if you unscrew the pencil, you will not be able to get to the eraser, only the refills)

Roller Balls

How many refills come with a new Pelikan rollerball?
Any Pelikan rollerball comes with one medium nib black roller insert inside. Addition refills can be purchased at the following They are available in Fine and Medium sized nib points and in Black or Blue. 

School Ranges

What type of refills do the Children's pens take?
Griffix, Twist and Pelikano fountain pens take the international standard type of ink cartridge. The Griffix Ink Writer takes the Ink Writer refill NOT the fountain pen cartridges.

We sell Pelikan ink cartridges in two sizes and a number of colours, called TP/6 (short - the name means TintenPatronen, or ink cartridge, 6 pack) or GTP/5 (GiantTintenPatronen 5 pack)

Is there any way of personalising the school range of pens so that my son/daughter is less likely to lose their pen?
The Pelikano, Pelikano Junior and Griffix pens have a clear case and a name label sticker to be put inside to ensure that everyone can see whose pen is theirs to minimise the risk of it being taken by mistake.


Do any of the school range of Pelikan pens present a risk of leaking ink?
The Pelikano, Pelikano Junior and Griffix pens are manufactured with a one piece barrel from the point that the nib section screws in with a long thread, so if there is any leak of ink inside, it cannot seep out. If the end of the pen is sucked on, there is no joint for ink to come out of to help ensure your child's safety. All of Pelikan's inks are water based and non-toxic. 

Leather Cases, Presentation Cases, Etc.

Do Pelikan pens come with a presentation case?
Pelikan Souveran and Classic models come with a presentation box which can be seen on their respective product pages It has an ivory coloured faux leather pouch, which can accommodate 2 pens.

The Stola has it's own, small thick cardboard box which makes it a nice and good value gift.
Generally, the pens cheaper than this do not come with a box, but may have a small cardboard tube as packaging. The Griffix pens come in a clear plastic blister pack.

How do the leather cases for multiple pens protect the pens inside?

The leather cases have separators inside to stop the pens from rubbing against each other and the soft leather is around 4 millimetres thick so provides a good level of protection to your pens against drops, even onto hard services.

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