The quill is made of large birds of a feather, a large part of the previous is removed from the goose wings, after degreasing, hardening treatment after cutting tip. In the West in haven't created the dip pen, metal pen pens and ball pens, quill pen for the main writing tool, should be used with ink to write. Quill manual cutting is the preferred tool of Western calligraphy writing, can produce different strokes and toughness than metal pen. Quill pen can absorb ink, can have a steady supply of water by capillary action in writing effect.
During the Middle Ages before most of reed pen, but then gradually replaced by the quill pen, writing material for the parchment, papyrus (or paper).
The popularity of the quill in about 700 BC, the quill the toughest mostly taken from five feathers on the wings of the birds, the left wing feathers is better, because the growth angle can better meet the right hand to write
User habit of holding the pen. In addition to the goose, goose quill swan feathers is rare and expensive; to write fine font, crow feathers best, then the eagle, owl, Turkey.
Quill pen production in different ways, according to the different writing purposes, such as bold word, just scarfed large angle to. Writing small, will cut more sharp, as the current pen with M, F, B etc.. But the quills are as easy to wear, this also resulted in some Western calligraphy writing.