Best Fountain Pen Inks for Beginners
Choosing your first fountain pen ink can feel overwhelming. With thousands of inks on the market, how do you know which ones are actually good for beginners? The truth is, not all inks are created equal — some are finicky, hard to clean, or behave poorly on ordinary paper.
This guide covers the 10 best fountain pen inks for beginners — inks that are well-behaved, easy to maintain, and available in beautiful colors. Whether you just bought your first pen or you're looking for reliable everyday inks, these recommendations will serve you well.
What Makes a Good Beginner Ink?
Before jumping into specific recommendations, it helps to understand what separates a beginner-friendly ink from one that might cause frustration. Here are the four qualities to look for:
- Well-behaved on most paper: A good beginner ink doesn't feather, bleed through, or spread uncontrollably on ordinary office or notebook paper. It should produce clean, legible lines even on cheaper paper stock.
- Easy to clean: Some inks stain pens or are notoriously difficult to flush out. Beginner inks should rinse away cleanly with water, making it easy to switch between colors or maintain your pen.
- Affordable and widely available: Your first inks shouldn't break the bank. The best beginner inks come from established brands, are easy to find online, and offer good value per milliliter.
- Good color and saturation: Even a "safe" ink should look beautiful on paper. The inks below all offer rich, satisfying color that will make you want to write more.
Tip: As a beginner, you'll want to avoid specialty inks like shimmer inks, iron gall inks, and pigmented inks until you're comfortable with basic pen maintenance. These inks require extra care and can clog feeds if not maintained properly.
Top 10 Beginner Ink Recommendations
1. Pilot Iroshizuku Kon-peki
Kon-peki ("deep cerulean blue") is often the first ink enthusiasts recommend, and for good reason. It's a vibrant, cheerful blue with beautiful shading that makes even mundane notes feel special. The Iroshizuku line is known for its exceptional flow and easy cleaning, and Kon-peki is the crown jewel of the series.
It performs flawlessly in virtually any pen and on most paper. If you only buy one ink, this is a fantastic choice.
2. Waterman Serenity Blue
If there's one ink that fountain pen veterans universally agree is "the safest ink on the planet," it's Waterman Serenity Blue. It flows smoothly, dries quickly, cleans out effortlessly, and behaves perfectly on even the cheapest paper. It's the gold standard for well-behaved inks.
The color is a classic, pleasant medium blue — professional enough for the office but lively enough to enjoy. It's also very affordable, making it an ideal workhorse ink.
3. Pilot Iroshizuku Take-sumi
Take-sumi ("charcoal") is a beautifully balanced black ink. It's not the most intense black on the market, but it's one of the best-behaved. The ink flows generously, cleans out completely, and produces a refined, slightly soft black that's gentle on the eyes during long reading sessions.
Every ink collection needs a reliable black, and Take-sumi is an excellent first choice. It works wonderfully in any pen, from budget starters to high-end writers.
4. Diamine Oxblood
Oxblood is a rich, dark red with brown undertones that looks like it belongs in an antique ledger. It's one of the most popular non-blue, non-black inks in the hobby, and it's a perfect introduction to "fun" ink colors. Despite its dramatic appearance, it's remarkably well-behaved and easy to clean.
Diamine inks in general are a beginner's best friend — they're affordable, available in over 100 colors, and consistently well-behaved. Oxblood is the standout of the lineup.
5. Lamy Blue
If you bought a Lamy Safari as your first pen, Lamy Blue is the natural companion. It's a straightforward, dependable blue that's slightly darker and more saturated than Waterman Serenity Blue. It flows well, dries reasonably fast, and washes out of pens (and clothes) without much fuss.
It's also one of the most affordable inks on this list. The 50ml bottle will last months of daily writing, making it an excellent value for new fountain pen users.
6. Diamine Sherwood Green
Sherwood Green is a deep, rich forest green that feels sophisticated and distinctive without being distractingly bold. It's dark enough to be legible as everyday writing but clearly not blue or black — making it an excellent choice for anyone who wants to stand out just a little.
Like all Diamine inks, it's well-behaved, easy to clean, and comes at a very reasonable price. Green inks are underrepresented in many collections, and Sherwood Green is the perfect place to start.
7. Pilot Iroshizuku Ama-iro
Ama-iro ("sky blue") is a bright, cheerful light blue that brings a smile every time you uncap your pen. It's lighter than Kon-peki, sitting closer to the color of a clear summer sky. The shading is beautiful — thin strokes appear almost translucent while pooled areas deepen to a vivid blue.
Being part of the Iroshizuku family means impeccable behavior in any pen. It's a wonderful choice for journaling and personal writing, though the lighter color may be too faint for some professional settings.
8. Sailor Sei-boku
Sei-boku is a deep, dark blue-black with a touch of warmth. What makes it special for beginners is that it's pigmented and water-resistant — meaning your notes won't smear or wash away if they get wet. Despite being pigmented, it's remarkably safe for fountain pens when used regularly and flushed periodically.
It's an excellent choice for students, professionals, or anyone who needs their writing to be permanent. The color is rich and authoritative without being as stark as pure black.
9. Diamine Imperial Purple
Imperial Purple is a true, rich purple — not too red, not too blue, just a satisfying regal violet. Purple inks are surprisingly legible and make for a striking change of pace from the usual blue and black. It's a color that people notice and comment on.
As with the other Diamine inks on this list, it's affordable, well-behaved, and easy to clean. If you want to explore beyond the traditional color palette, purple is a wonderful place to start.
10. Pilot Iroshizuku Shin-ryoku
Shin-ryoku ("deep green") is a lush, saturated green that sits between emerald and forest. It has the signature Iroshizuku smoothness and flow, and it shades beautifully from a vivid green in thin strokes to a deep, almost black-green where ink pools.
It's more vibrant than Sherwood Green but still dark enough to be readable. If you want a green that really shows off what fountain pen ink can do, Shin-ryoku is a stunning choice.
Where to Buy: Start with Samples!
Before committing to full bottles, consider buying ink samples first. Many online retailers sell 2-3ml sample vials that give you enough ink to fill a pen several times. This way you can try five or six inks for the cost of a single bottle. It's the smartest way to discover what you like without accumulating bottles you don't use.
Find Your Perfect First Ink
Use InkPalette to explore fountain pen inks by color. Pick any shade you love, and we'll show you the closest real-world inks from dozens of brands — including all the beginner favorites listed above.
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