Lamy

Josef Lamy founded his pen company in Heidelberg, Germany, in 1930, and Heidelberg is still home. Lamy is known for modern pen design, from the Lamy 2000 to the Safari.

Where to buy Lamy pens

To compare Lamy with other makers, see fountain pens. The shop is at 263 Josephine Street in Cherry Creek, Denver, and products ship across the continental U.S. from theambrosianpantry.com. Visitors can ask staff questions in the shop. Lamy pens take Lamy's own T10 cartridges, which are made for Lamy fountain pens, so keep spare ink from the same maker.

Which Lamy to start with

Lamy was founded by C. Josef Lamy in Heidelberg in 1930 and is known for modern pen design. A first Lamy should match how the person writes: a light pen for daily notes, or a heavier metal pen for someone who likes weight in the hand. The pen and pencil guide explains nibs, cartridges and converters, and a notebook from notebooks and journals completes the gift.

About Lamy

Based in
Heidelberg, Germany
Founded
1930
Known for
the Lamy 2000 and Safari pens

Josef Lamy, who had been an export and branch manager for an American pen maker, founded the company in Heidelberg in 1930 as the Orthos fountain pen factory. Heidelberg is still home.

Gerd A. Müller, a former Braun designer, created the Lamy 2000, launched in 1966 and still made today. The Safari, by Wolfgang Fabian and Bernt Spiegel, followed in 1980. Later designers include Franco Clivio.

Lamy questions

How do fountain pens get their ink?

A fountain pen draws liquid ink from a reservoir inside it. Many take ink cartridges, small sealed tubes of ink that slot into the pen, while a converter is a refillable reservoir that fits in place of a cartridge and draws ink from a bottle. Lamy, a pen maker since 1930, makes its own ink cartridges for its fountain pens.

Who owns Lamy?

Josef Lamy founded the company in Heidelberg in 1930, and Dr Manfred Lamy later became its sole managing director. Since February 2024 Lamy has been part of Mitsubishi Pencil, the Japanese stationery company behind the uni and POSCA brands. Lamy is still based in Heidelberg.

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