TWSBI

Ta Shin Precision specialises in the international sale of plastics and metals. It manufactures products ranging from Lego parts to high-end writing instruments.

Wishing to sell under its own brand, the company decided to create writing instruments under the name TWSBI. Its five letters have a specific meaning. The brand wanted to reflect both Chinese culture and writing in its name. The “Hall of Three Cultures” is also known as the “Hall of Three Rare Treasures”. It is located in the Forbidden City. The Qianlong Emperor (18th century) stored there the first authentic works of Chinese calligraphy by the Wang Xizhi family of the Eastern Jin dynasty (316-420). These masterpieces are now stored in the Palace Museum in Beijing and Taipei. It is Wang Xizhi’s “Timely Erasure after Snowfall”, Wang Xianzhi’s “Mid-Autumn Festival” and Wang Xun’s “Letter to Boyuan”.

In Chinese, the name of this room is “San Wen Tong”. The letters placed backwards, probably for convenience of speech, give TWS. The last two letters form the word bi, which means “writing instrument”.

TWSBI’s mission: “To inspire and recapture the romance of art and literature… starting with the nib.”

The ideal fountain pen

The brand made its name by successfully designing a fountain pen that met all the requirements that had been identified through a questionnaire for fountain pen enthusiasts. For example, the ideal fountain pen should not roll around on the desk when uncapped (faceted barrel). It should be able to be filled quickly and easily (piston mechanism). The designers have made it perfectly watertight (O-ring), easily dismantled for optimal cleaning (a small spanner is provided). Its price should be affordable (stainless steel nib). Of course, it had to be aesthetically pleasing (bright colours and polished attributes).

TWSBI models combine tradition with their piston mechanism and modernity with their design. Today, they are known and recognized throughout the world.