A $341-million fountain pen market all set to be bigger

While fountain pens are becoming a thing of the past in most developed markets, sales of the writing instrument keep growing in China helped by the country's strong culture of offering gifts and a new interest in craftsmanship.

China is the world's biggest market for fountain pens, with sales of the writing instrument being higher in the country than in the whole of Western Europe combined, providing high-end stationery manufacturers with lucrative opportunities to expand their businesses.

Last year, sales of fountain pens rose to $341 million, an increase of 7 percent from 2014, according to Euromonitor International.