It’s been a long time since I’ve updated one of the more popular posts on the website: Best Inks for Everyday Writing. As I was preparing for my seminar at the upcoming Baltimore Pen Show this Saturday, I reviewed this post and was surprised to discover it was somewhat out-of-date. Not substantively, mind you - all five inks that I originally discussed back in 2016 make excellent daily drivers - but a few of them have fallen by the wayside over the course of another four years of daily (and much more intense) fountain pen use.

What Makes a Fountain Pen Ink a Great Everyday Writer?

So what inks am I currently using for most of my everyday writing, and why have I chosen these specific inks? Let’s start by revisiting my criteria for an “everyday writer” ink:

Cost. The ink must be relatively inexpensive for those who actually cycle through a high volume of ink in writing-intensive professions. Most of the inks featured on the list below cost anywhere from $0.15 to $0.23 per milliliter, well below the cost of most boutique inks. Sure, the range of available colors isn’t as extensive, but in certain contexts that’s less important than cost and versatility.
Versatility. In terms of versatility, these inks work exceptionally well on a range of paper types, from your high quality Clairefontaine and Tomoe River notebooks to standard copy paper. Sure, you might get some feathering and bleedthrough on the latter, but the stuff they give us in my office won’t even handle a gel pen. (In worst-case scenarios, you just have to use a pencil.)
Safety. All five of these inks are manufactured by companies that also sell pens, which is a good rule of thumb to follow when looking for inks that won’t damage your fountain pens, vintage or modern. That’s not to say that you should abandon all common sense - for example, don’t use red or purple inks in a clear demonstrator or a light-colored pen you want to keep absolutely stain-free - but you’re not going to melt the feed or tarnish a nib by using any of the inks on this list.

My Top Five Fountain Pen Inks for Everyday Writing

Waterman “Serenity Blue”. In my opinion, one of the best all-around fountain-pen inks ever made. Unlike many standard blue inks, Waterman Blue - which I’ll forever think of by it’s old name, “Florida Blue” - has a bright, jewel-like quality to it, and it mixes well with other colors. (Combine 50/50 with Waterman Violet for the original “Blurple” ink.) Waterman blue is also widely-regarded as one of the safest inks around, especially for vintage pens.
Sheaffer Skrip Red. Red like a fire engine, or from your elementary school report card (or maybe just mine). That’s what I think of when I look for a pure red. Sheaffer Skrip Red has long been regarded as the “safe” red ink that won’t stain your pens. Personally, I take this with a grain of salt. As noted above, if I have a prized transparent or light-colored pen that I don’t want to stain, I’ll avoid any ink other than the aforementioned Waterman Blue.
Lamy Blue-Black. After jumping around for years, I’ve settled on Lamy Blue-Black as my preferred blue-black ink of choice. It’s what I consider a “pure” blue-black, that plays things right down the middle without either leaning too far to the blue or black end of the spectrum, and without appearing gray.
Lamy Black. I used to think of black inks as boring, but as I’ve settled into my fountain pen habits over the years, I’ve come to appreciate (1) how using a somewhat nondescript ink color can help you focus when you’re trying to get difficult work done, and (2) how Lamy Black can’t actually be described as “nondescript,” since the ink has subtle gray-green-purple undertones that make it one of the more interesting black inks out there.
Monteverde Passion Burgundy. This company flies under the radar of many fountain pen enthusiasts, but Monteverde makes excellent inks, and I’m partial to their burgundies. “Passion Burgundy” is one of my personal favorites, since it has a bit more pop than traditional wine-colored inks. When you don’t want to use a standard blue, black, or blue-black, and red ink feels too loud for professional correspondence, a deep burgundy offers a classy alternative. (Dark green is another option, but burgundy remains my favorite.)

“Everyday Writers” Sample Packs and Where to Buy Full Bottles

As noted above, one great thing about all of these inks is widespread availability. We carry Lamy inks directly (as well as a diverse selection of others). The great thing about these four brands (especially Waterman, Sheaffer, and Lamy) is that most pen shops carry them and they remain relatively easy to find. either online or brick-and-mortar. If you regularly rely on one of these inks to get your work done, you shouldn’t have to worry about these inks becoming unavailable.