Well-loved by seasoned pen aficionados and novices alike, the vibrant Platinum Preppy series of pens features high-quality and affordable fountain pens and highlighters. The Preppy’s translucent body gives stationery fledglings a tangible way to understand a pen’s basic anatomy. You can easily see and disassemble basic components such as the tip, cartridge, and cap. With the Preppy, you can also experiment with different ink filling systems. In this blog, we’ll discuss the basic components of a Preppy, how to customize your Preppy with different tips and ink filling systems, and the differences between the two Preppy pens.
While different Platinum Preppy product lines offer varying colors and tip forms, they do share basic components: the cap, barrel, grip, and cartridge.
Platinum's tests show that, while many fountain pens dry out within four months, their fountain pens retain 40% moisture at the 24-month mark due to the Slip & Seal mechanism. In our experience, a Preppy can lie unused for months without drying out. Our testing set always writes immediately, no matter how long we leave it. Watch this video to see us test the Preppy for a whole year.
These labels are more subtle on other colors of the Preppy Fountain Pen. If you do not like the lettering, you can remove the labels by rubbing them with non-acetone nail polish remover or isopropyl alcohol. Do not use acetone to remove the labels, as this will damage the pen.
The barrel is light with most of the weight concentrated at the tip. This makes the pen easy to hold without requiring a heavy-handed grip. Additionally, the pen measures 5.9 inches posted, comfortable to grasp because it's neither too long nor too short.
Refill a Preppy highlighter or fountain pen with any of these three methods listed below. Watch out Fountain Pen Filling Systems video to see demonstrations of each method.
This is the easiest way to install ink into your Preppy. Use the cartridge that comes with your pen or check out other ink cartridges that are compatible with the Preppy.
1. Insert the cartridge's stopper (the end with the metal ball) into the grip section.
2. Press the cartridge down firmly into the grip section until the cartridge stopper is punctured.
3. Leave the pen pointing downward to help the ink saturate into the nib or tip.
Use the Platinum Fountain Pen Converter to fill your Preppy Pen with different bottled inks. The converter has a smaller ink capacity than a Platinum cartridge does, but is reusable and allows you to choose from a wide range of bottled inks.
1. Insert the converter into the pen. Twist the end knob until the piston is fully extended.
2. Twist the piston in the other direction, retracting it to draw ink. Repeat if the converter is not full.
3. Clean up by wiping off the nib with a paper towel and reassemble the pen.
Although it requires a little bit of work and patience, this method allows you to choose between different bottled inks and gives you greater ink capacity than the converter method. All you need is a Preppy, an O-ring, silicone grease, an eyedropper or syringe, and a bottle of ink. This method works best for fountain pens. The ink lays down wetter and pools slightly when you use the eyedropper method with the highlighter tips.
1. Disassemble the pen and remove the cartridge. Stretch the O-ring over the threads at the end of the grip section. Lubricate this area with silicone grease.
2. Unscrew the barrel. Fill up the barrel to the threads, leaving room (about ⅓ of the barrel volume) to ensure proper air pressure.
3. Screw the pen back together with the nib facing up. The O-ring should be 20-25% compressed. Gently shake the pen up and down to get ink flow.
The Preppy’s highlighter tips can be replaced once they wear out. This is both economical for the consumer and sustainable for the Earth. If you already own a Platinum Preppy fountain pen, you can easily switch the nib for a highlighter tip without buying a new pen. In our demonstration, we switched an unused highlighter tip to a marker tip, but if you’re replacing inked tips, we recommend using tweezers or a pair of gloves to avoid messiness.
1. Find the plastic white base. It is the plastic funnel that holds the tip.
2. Pull the old tip straight out.
3. Insert your new tip and push it tightly into the feed to secure it.
Now that you know the similarities within the Preppy family, you’re probably curious as to what the differences are. Below, we’ll discuss the different features and performances of the fountain pen and highlighter product lines to help you decide which pen (or pens!) suit your needs and preferences.
The medium 05 nib feels the juiciest to write with, while the fine 03 and extra fine 02 nibs produce more feedback. The latter two nibs, however, produce thinner lines that are optimal for small and thin handwriting.
Even lighter inks like yellow and pink are highly visible. The ink neither feathers on fountain pen friendly paper (like 75-80 gsm Maruman or Kokuyo paper) nor printer paper. Note that the ink may pool and show through printer paper if you press down too hard in one area.
Nib Size | Colors | Smoothness |
---|---|---|
Platinum Preppy Fountain Pen 02 - Extra Fine | Black, Blue Black, Red | Slight Feedback |
Platinum Preppy Fountain Pen 03 - Fine | Black, Blue Black, Crystal, Green, Pink, Red, Violet, Yellow | Smooth |
Platinum Preppy Fountain Pen 05 - Medium | Black, Blue Black, Red | Very Smooth |
We conducted a finger smudge test for each fountain pen nib at 10, 20, and 30 seconds.
Nib Size | 10 sec. | 20 sec. | 30 sec. |
---|---|---|---|
Platinum Preppy Fountain Pen 02 - Extra Fine | |||
Platinum Preppy Fountain Pen 03 - Fine | |||
Platinum Preppy Fountain Pen 05 - Medium |
Check out our comprehensive video guide to the Platinum Preppy Fountain Pen for more information.
Do note that Preppy highlighter ink tends to create bleedthrough on porous papers like printer paper and thin book pages but does not really bleed on magazine paper or glossy paper. While more bleed-resistant on nonporous paper, Preppy highlighter ink will take longer to dry on such surfaces.
Do you want to review all of the different kinds of Platinum Preppys at once? Use our comparison tool to see their specifications side by side.
Our writers draw on their personal expertise, consult our in-house subject matter experts, and do extensive research to make our guides as accurate and comprehensive as possible. We then test every finding that makes it through the research stage. Only the techniques and tools whose performance we personally confirm make it into our guides as recommendations.
The Platinum Preppy series welcomes novices and seasoned stationery addicts alike to tangibly understand the fundamental building blocks of a pen. Its vibrant colors and customizability make even the most mundane writing task a curious and exciting endeavor. Let us know in the comments below what your favorite Platinum Preppy Pens are!