How To Write Very Very Small?

[financialwar]

I have a math test coming up, we are allowed to bring a A4 paper to write our own notes (one sided and has to be handwritten).

 

I need to what is the best pen and technique to write as small as possible? I can bring magnifying class to test.

 

I am thinking about 0.5 mechanical pencil. I never used anything finer than it though.

Edited May 24, 2013 by financialwar

[DriedUpBob]

Not really fountain pen related but I would suggest some .3 roller balls from jet pens. They are border line scratchy but since you're almost writing with a needle.......

 

Bob

www.mypenneedsink.com

[sopa]

While I can't suggest any specific technique, I can tell you that with my Sailor nib marked F4, with an iron gall ink like Montblanc Midnight Blue, I can write really tiny and yet very legibly. It certainly is smaller than what I could write with a 0.5mm pencil.

[ziptrickhead]

I hate to be "that guy" but honestly if you need to write that many notes on a formula sheet I think you have bigger problems than just trying to write small...

 

On the other hand to stay on topic, I went to school for engineering so handwritten formula sheets were abundant. I always used a F nib Lamy Safari. My classmate used a super fine mechanical pencil and probably fit 5 times the info on the sheet than I did. I have some hi-tec-c pens that are 0.25 mm that write wonderfully narrow lines you can consider. In the end writing small is all about taking your time and having neat handwriting. I have pretty poor handwriting but I can write small if I want and still have it be legible:

 

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8230/8572536057_0d67874ee1_b.jpg

[financialwar]

Not really fountain pen related but I would suggest some .3 roller balls from jet pens. They are border line scratchy but since you're almost writing with a needle.......

 

Bob

www.mypenneedsink.com

 

 

0.3 mm ??!

[attika89]

I cant really say anything technique wise other than "go small"

I think you could either try a 0.3mm mechanical pencil, or maybe the Zebra Super Fine H8000 what is the finest ballpoint I've ever used.
You can also try a Japanese EF or maybe even an F fountain pen, but I think you would be better with those mentioned earlier (I would go with the Zebra pen). Especially if you need it only for this test.

[CAG_1787]

I really don't think FPs are the way to go on this task. Frankly, you're just not going to be able to find a FP that can write as minutely as some of the dimensions already mentioned here for MPs and BPs. And that's not even considering the possibility of smudging, which would be devastating with such small writing.

[attika89]

http://www.kephost.com/images4/2013/5/24/a1_2013_5_24_8n28gpyv95.jpg

[financialwar]

FP is definitely ruled out because the ink spreads on the paper.

[beak]

It could be worth trying your nibs upside-down; one of my Lamy 'fine's writes a beautifully clear but microscopic line this way.

[financialwar]

Not really fountain pen related but I would suggest some .3 roller balls from jet pens. They are border line scratchy but since you're almost writing with a needle.......

 

Bob

www.mypenneedsink.com

 

I'll probably stay with pencil because I can rub out mistakes.

 

I don't think I can buy 0.3 mechanical pencil here in Sydney though.

[inotrym]

Go for the 0.3 pencil. You don't want to waste your limited surface with correction smudges (or, even worse, to have to rewrite the whole page)

[risingsun]

It could be worth trying your nibs upside-down; one of my Lamy 'fine's writes a beautifully clear but microscopic line this way.

This is my suggestion as well, if you want to give it a try... It works very well with some nibs.

 

I have to say that in my experience, putting together a carefully-crafted formula sheet was one of my best study tactics in my university days, and the effort that goes into it pays off to help learn the material. I wholeheartedly disagree that this means "you have bigger problems". FWIW, I always did mine with a 0.5mm mechanical pencil.

[financialwar]

Go for the 0.3 pencil. You don't want to waste your limited surface with correction smudges (or, even worse, to have to rewrite the whole page)

What's worse is that we have to write on the a A4 paper issued by the school with school stamp and student name, and we only get one paper.

[Garageboy]

0.3mm Pencil

Also, as a guy who has crammed a semester's work onto 1 8.5 x 11 page, don't...

[vondauster]

What's worse is that we have to write on the a A4 paper issued by the school with school stamp and student name, and we only get one paper.

 

With that constraint, pencil is the only thing that makes sense to me. If you had plenty of time, and as many sheets available as you need until you got it perfect, then I personally would be tempted to use ink, therefore a fountain pen in my case, but not here.

 

Will

[Vendome]

Pilot needlepoint pens have a variety of line sizes.

[DRWWE]

As I recall from my school days, when we were allowed to bring similar notes into a test, we all carefully prepared them and most of us didn't even use them during the test. The act of preparing the notes managed to make the material sink into our young brains. If you must write small, I would use your fine pencil or a fine ballpoint simply because you will have less of a chance smearing ink while you write. I think the pencil would be preferable because you can erase a mistake. An extra fine FP would do the job but, if writing all that data onto a small space, you will risk smearing ink, feathering making the line wider, and delays with drying time.

[Elizabeth in NJ]

Too bad the school issues the paper. I was thinking French Ruled would be great for organizing the information so it would be easy to find. When I did this on regular paper, I liked to rule boxes around sets of info. You could do the same. It's handy.

 

Agreed with the others that making the sheet and deciding what to put on it is top-notch study for the test.

[jbb]

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8219/8298382938_26f5d81a4e_c.jpg