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Quick answer
The Pilot Parallel Pen is a calligraphy fountain pen whose nib is two flat steel plates side by side instead of one folded nib. Pilot launched it in 1999; it comes in 1.5, 2.4, 3.8 and 6.0 mm in the US (plus 3.0 and 4.5 mm), is 171 mm long and takes Pilot's 12-color Parallel cartridges.
On this page12 sections
The 3.8 mm Parallel Pen, green-capped in the US range, to scale at Pilot Japan's 171 mm.
Plastic barrel and screw-on cap; nib of two special-alloy (steel) plates
Released
1999*
Price range
$$$5–20 per pen (multi-packs divided by the count)
Colors
Redcap color; 1.5 mm nib
Ink colors
Parallel black cartridgeone included
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Notes on these facts
Made by Pilot Corporation (Japan); sold in the US by Pilot Corporation of America. Made in Japan: per Goldspot's listing ("Made in Japan"). Pilot's Japanese press release and US pages don't state it. A search-result summary of a Swiss listing for the European FP3-38-SS gave China; we couldn't confirm that on the page itself, so origin may vary by market. Source. Price: example listing. Released: Pilot Japan's October 8, 2020 press release says the Parallel Pen has sold since 1999; the 3.0 and 4.5 mm widths and the ivory Japanese barrel followed on October 14, 2020.
Colors: names per Goulet Pens, checked October 24, 2026. Cap colors and widths per Goulet Pens' Parallel listings (Pen Chalet and Goldspot match). The black and red cartridges in the box per Pilot Japan's 2020 press release. Tints were sampled from Goulet Pens' product photos and ink swabs; tiles show the cap color. Tints are representative, not measured. Shops stock different colors.
Price bands are typical US retail, checked October 2026. Conversions to US dollars are approximate, at October 2026 rates (US$1 = ¥158 = ₩1,330 = NT$32.5 = CN¥6.7 = SEK 9.9 = DKK 6.7 = ₺49.6 = C$1.41 = A$1.43 = CZK 21.7; €1 = US$1.12; £1 = US$1.32; CHF 1 = US$1.21).
Key takeaways
Pilot Japan lists six nib widths: 1.5, 2.4, 3.0, 3.8, 4.5 and 6.0 mm; the 3.0 and 4.5 mm were added on October 14, 2020.
US cap colors mark the width: red 1.5 mm, orange 2.4 mm, green 3.8 mm and blue 6.0 mm, per Pen Chalet and Goldspot.
Pilot Japan gives 171 mm (6.7 in) long and 13.3 mm at the widest, with a screw-on cap; Pen Chalet lists 8.5 g.
The box holds a black and a red cartridge, a cleaning pipette and a nib-cleaning sheet; Pilot sells cartridges in 12 colors.
Goldspot says the pen is made in Japan; it ranked #3 in Amazon's Calligraphy Pens best sellers on October 21, 2026.
What is the Pilot Parallel Pen?
The Pilot Parallel Pen is a cartridge calligraphy pen whose nib is made of two flat plates laid side by side. Pilot Japan says it was developed from Pilot’s fountain pen technology and has sold in Japan and abroad since 1999. Pilot calls the design its “parallel plate mechanism”: two special-alloy plates with the ink held between them.
Because the whole edge of the plates touches the paper, the pen draws a crisp broad stroke on the downstroke and a fine one across, the contrast that calligraphy depends on. On October 21, 2026, the 3.8 mm set ranked #3 in Amazon’s Calligraphy Pens best sellers.
Pilot Parallel Pen specs
Spec
Value
Maker
Pilot Corporation (Japan); US seller Pilot Corporation of America
171 mm (6.7 in) capped (Pilot Japan); Pen Chalet lists 171.5 mm
Diameter
13.3 mm at the widest (Pilot Japan); 11.4 mm barrel (Pen Chalet)
Cap
Screw-on, about 2.25 turns; doesn’t post (Pen Chalet)
Weight
8.5 g (Pen Chalet); Amazon lists 9.07 g
In the box
Pen, black and red cartridges, cleaning pipette, nib-cleaning sheet
Japan list price
¥1,200 (about US$7.60) before tax, October 2020
US items
90050 (1.5) · 90052 (3.8) · 90053 (6.0)
Made in
Japan (per Goldspot)
Which nib width should you choose?
Pick the width by the height of the letters you want: narrow nibs for small writing, wide nibs for headings. The 3.8 mm is the width that ranks highest in Amazon’s calligraphy list and a common first pen for learning letter shapes, because its thick and thin strokes are easy to see.
The 6.0 mm stroke is four times as wide as the 1.5 mm.
In the US, the cap color tells you the width: red 1.5 mm, orange 2.4 mm, green 3.8 mm and blue 6.0 mm, per Pen Chalet and Goldspot. The 3.0 and 4.5 mm widths arrived in Japan on October 14, 2020; US retailers list them less often. Japan’s 2020 renewal also changed the barrel color there from gray to ivory.
What ink does it use?
Pilot’s own Parallel Pen cartridges, in 12 colors. Pilot Japan lists black, blue-black, sepia, violet, blue, turquoise, green, light green, yellow, orange, red and pink, at ¥250 (about US$1.60) before tax per cartridge item. Each pen comes with one black and one red cartridge.
For bottled ink, retailers say the pen takes a Pilot converter, but they name different ones: Pen Chalet says CON-40 and Goldspot says CON-50. Check the converter against your pen before you buy.
How do you blend two colors?
Touch the nibs of two pens with different inks together for a few seconds, then write with the one that received ink. The line starts in the borrowed color and fades back to the pen’s own. Pilot Japan describes this as a gradation made “by pen touch alone”; the ink must be compatible, so Pilot’s own cartridges are the safe choice.
How do you clean it?
Flush the nib with the included pipette and slide the thin plastic sheet between the plates to clear paper fibers. Pilot puts both in the box. Paper fibers caught between the plates are the usual cause of a stroke that starts to skip.
How does it compare with other lettering pens?
The Parallel Pen is for broad-edge calligraphy; brush pens such as the Tombow Fudenosuke are for brush lettering, where pressure, not the edge, sets the stroke width. For ordinary writing in a fountain pen, the Pilot Metropolitan offers a 1.0 mm stub, a milder version of the same thick-and-thin effect. Our brush pen roundup compares brush-lettering pens. Our best calligraphy pens for beginners roundup compares it with the LAMY joy and the Sakura Pigma Calligrapher.
For brush-style strokes from a fountain pen, the Sailor Fude de Mannen uses a bent nib instead of a flat one. For cheap broad-edge practice without ink bottles, the Speedball Elegant Writer marker has a plastic chisel nib from 1.3 to 3.5 mm.
Where is the Pilot Parallel Pen made?
Goldspot’s listing says it is made in Japan. Pilot’s Japanese press release and US pages don’t state a country, and we saw a search-result summary of a European listing giving China, which we couldn’t confirm on the page, so origin may vary by market.
How much does it cost?
It falls in our $$ band ($5–20 per pen) in the US. In Japan, Pilot listed it at ¥1,200 (about US$7.60) before tax when the 2020 range went on sale.
Frequently asked questions
Which Pilot Parallel Pen size should a beginner buy?
The 3.8 mm is a common first choice for learning letter shapes at a size that shows the thick and thin strokes clearly; it is the size that ranks highest on Amazon. Go to 1.5 or 2.4 mm for smaller writing, and 6.0 mm for headings and posters.
What do the Pilot Parallel cap colors mean?
In the US the cap color marks the nib width: red 1.5 mm, orange 2.4 mm, green 3.8 mm and blue 6.0 mm. Pen Chalet lists the newer 3.0 mm in pink and 4.5 mm in turquoise.
What comes in the box with a Pilot Parallel Pen?
Pilot packs the pen with one black and one red cartridge, a cleaning pipette and a thin plastic nib-cleaning sheet.
How do you blend colors with a Parallel Pen?
Load two pens with different colors, hold one nib against the other for a few seconds so ink passes between them, then write: the line fades from one color to the other. Pilot Japan describes this as gradation made by pen touch alone.
Can you write thin lines with a Pilot Parallel Pen?
Yes. Turning the pen onto the corner of the nib draws hairlines, which Pilot Japan lists as one of the pen's uses alongside calligraphy and gradations.
Does the Pilot Parallel Pen cap post?
No. Pen Chalet says the screw-on cap takes about 2.25 turns to close and doesn't post on the back of the pen.
Is the Pilot Parallel Pen a fountain pen?
Yes. Pilot Japan says it was developed from Pilot's fountain pen technology, and it writes with cartridge ink through a feed, like other fountain pens. Only the nib differs.
