Category: Fountain Pens

Half the fun of a fountain pen is the ink. Unlike a sealed cartridge pen, you can fill a fountain pen with thousands of bottled inks — but for journaling you want ink that behaves well on paper, dries reasonably fast, and doesn’t bleed. Here’s what to look for and some reliable favorites.

What makes a good journaling ink

• Well-behaved: low feathering and bleed, so it looks crisp even on everyday paper.
• Reasonable dry time: especially important if you’re left-handed.
• Water resistance (optional): useful if you want entries to survive a spill. Pigmented and “permanent” inks resist water; most standard inks don’t.
• Easy maintenance: standard dye inks clean out easily; heavily shimmering or pigmented inks need more frequent flushing.

Reliable inks for journaling

• Waterman Serenity Blue / Inspired Blue: famously well-behaved and easy to clean — a perfect first ink.
• Pilot Iroshizuku range: beautiful, consistent colors that flow smoothly and behave on most paper (a premium treat).
• Diamine standard inks: a huge, affordable color range with generally good behavior — the enthusiast’s everyday choice.
• Platinum Carbon Black (pigmented): waterproof and archival for permanent journaling — just clean the pen more often.

A note on shimmer and sheen inks

Shimmer inks (with fine particles that sparkle) and strong sheening inks look spectacular, and they’re very popular for decorative journaling. Just know the trade-off: the particles need a wetter pen and more frequent cleaning, and they dry more slowly. Use them for headers and special pages rather than fast daily writing, and flush the pen regularly so nothing clogs.

Ink and paper go together

Even the best ink feathers and bleeds on bad paper. Pair your ink with fountain-pen-friendly paper for the best result — see our guide to paper and notebooks that don’t bleed. New to fountain pens generally? Start with how to use a fountain pen and our best fountain pens for journaling.

A fountain pen rewards a little care with years of smooth writing. The two things that keep it happy are occasional cleaning and sensible storage. Neither is difficult — here’s the routine.

How often to clean

Flush your pen every 4–8 weeks with regular use, whenever you change ink colors, or any time it starts skipping, hard-starting, or writing drier than usual. Dried ink in the feed is the most common cause of flow problems.

How to clean a fountain pen

1. Empty it. Remove the cartridge or expel the remaining ink from the converter.
2. Flush with cool water. Run cool (never hot) tap water through the nib and section. If it has a converter, draw clean water up and push it out repeatedly until the water runs clear.
3. Soak if needed. For stubborn dried ink, let the nib section sit in a cup of cool water for a few hours or overnight.
4. Dry. Gently blot the nib on a soft cloth or paper towel and let the pen air-dry nib-up for several hours before re-inking.

Avoid hot water (it can damage some materials), soap or solvents (unless using a product made for pens), and never force anything into the nib slit.

How to store a fountain pen

• Store it nib-up if inked and used regularly, so ink doesn’t pool and leak into the cap.
• Always keep the cap on to stop the nib drying out.
• For long storage, clean it out first and store it empty — dried ink in an unused pen is the usual cause of a clogged nib.
• Keep it out of heat and direct sun, and carry it nib-up in a case or pen sleeve to prevent leaks.

If it still won’t write

A pen that skips after cleaning usually just needs the ink to re-saturate the feed — write a few loops and give it a minute. If problems persist, a longer soak with a drop of pen-safe cleaning solution usually clears it. For everything else fountain-pen, see how to use a fountain pen and our best fountain pens for journaling.

Fountain pens look intimidating but are genuinely easy to use once someone shows you the basics. Writing with one takes almost no pressure, which is why so many journalers fall in love with them. Here’s everything a beginner needs to start.

What is a fountain pen?

A fountain pen is a pen that writes using liquid ink fed through a metal nib by gravity and capillary action. Instead of a disposable cartridge of thick paste like a ballpoint, it uses free-flowing ink from a replaceable cartridge or a refillable reservoir. The nib’s split tip releases ink onto the paper as you write, which is why it needs so little pressure.

How to fill a fountain pen

There are two common systems:

• Cartridges: the easiest. Push a sealed ink cartridge onto the section until it clicks and pierces. Wait a minute for ink to reach the nib.
• Converter or piston filler: lets you use bottled ink. Dip the nib fully into the ink, then twist the knob (or operate the converter) to draw ink up into the reservoir. Wipe the nib clean afterward.

How to hold and write

1. Hold it at roughly a 45-degree angle to the paper, with the nib’s engraved side facing up.
2. Use almost no pressure. Let the pen’s weight do the work — pressing hard will damage the nib and cause skipping.
3. Find the “sweet spot” by rotating the pen slightly until the ink flows smoothly and quietly. Every nib has an angle where it writes best.
4. Keep the cap on when not writing so the nib doesn’t dry out.

Choose the right paper

This is the one thing beginners get wrong. Fountain-pen ink is wet and will bleed and feather on cheap paper. Use fountain-pen-friendly paper (Rhodia, Leuchtturm1917, Tomoe River, or anything 100 gsm and up) and your writing will look crisp. More on this in our guide to paper and notebooks that don’t bleed.

Troubleshooting

• Skipping or hard starts: the nib may be dry — give it a moment, or the pen may need cleaning.
• Scratchy feel: check your angle and rotation, and lighten your grip.
• Ink won’t flow: the cartridge may not be seated, or the pen needs a flush.

Keeping your pen happy is mostly about cleaning — see how to clean and store a fountain pen. Ready to buy your first one? The LAMY Safari is the top beginner pick in our best fountain pens for journaling guide.