Fountain pen and digitalisation

An NFC Tag in a Fountain Pen

When cataloguing their fountain pens, many collectors use small paper labels to record important information. A Tompens innovation replaces these paper labels with digital ones: NFC tags.

I have experimented with several NFC methods, with many failures. The main problem is placing the NFC chip in the pen so that it does not interfere with the pen’s operation. Most NFC chips manufactured for data capture are not suitable for incorporation into fountain pens. They either do not fit or the phone cannot detect the signal. Finally, I managed to find an NFC chip with a suitable antenna that I could safely incorporate into the first pen I fitted with this technology, an Esterbrook Purse.

With NFC enabled, the stored data appears as soon as the phone is held against the pen. The data can be password-protected or left rewritable so that it can be updated. The chip can also be permanently locked, preventing any later changes.
The data recorded can be information about the pen, a short poem, a message, a prayer, a secret code, a mantra or anything else.
The future has begun, as the slogan used to say. If you would like a personal digital label in your fountain pen, let us know.