This exhortation takes on a literal meaning when applied to writing with a fountain pen. As more and more people are discovering or rediscovering fountain pens many are bringing their ballpoint habits with them and their fountain pen experience can suffer as a result.

       Ballpoint pens require significant pressure to get the ink started and then continue to write without skipping. A properly adjusted fountain pen should not.
At this point, please allow me to explain briefly the mechanics of a fountain pen nib for those who may never have thought about it. Ballpoints and rollerballs have round balls at their ends, as do fountain pens. However, there are two vital differences: the fountain pen's round ball (called the pellet or tipping material) does not roll and it has been slit with each half affixed to its corresponding tine. (More arcane facts: when a nib is manufactured the tipping is welded to the tines and then they are slit as a unit. When we re-tip a nib, the tines must be perfectly aligned before we weld a new pellet to the ends and then slit the new pellet to match the already-slit tines.) The inner edges of each half of the tipping are only slightly rounded because such rounding can cause start-up and skipping problems (we call this excessive rounding of the inner margins). When light or moderate pressure is applied to a fountain pen's nib, the tines aren't splayed much and the two halves of the tipping stay in close proximity. But when heavier pressure is applied the tines separate and expose the sharp inner margins of the tipping material to the paper. Such exposure makes a pen feel scratchy.

       Aside from the stresses put on your fountain pen's nib when heavy pressure is used, your hand and fingers become tired and strained from gripping the pen. If you can manage to use lighter pressure your hand will thank you, your pen will thank you and likely you will enjoy the whole writing experience more.
Scratchiness is usually most evident with fine and extra fine points. These pellets are small to begin with and then they are slit in half. When firm pressure is applied to pens with fine and extra fine nibs the result can be unpleasant.

       When a potential customer requires an Extra Fine point that writes glassy smoothly, requests light ink flow, and also tells us they are heavy handed, we politely suggest that they find another fountain pen supplier or restoration facility. We don't think this combinations of attributes and requirements is possible in the same fountain pen nib.

       Ink flow characteristics and paper quality also have an affect. Different brands of ink will write quite differently in the same pen. Some inks offer more lubrication than others, and some are more free flowing. (Watch for an upcoming article on this topic.) Some paper is not fountain pen friendly. We like paper that is hard and not very absorbent. Softer paper, though it may be of very high quality, is not as smooth for writing, and may cause the ink to bleed out from the line. Our every-day paper is Hammermill Lazer print paper. We suggest experimentation with inks and papers to find one that works for you.

       So, especially when writing with fine and extra fine pointed fountain pens, take a deep breath, relax and LIGHTEN UP!!!