Best Fountain Pen Inks for Beginners: 5 Safe Bottles

Five bottles of blue fountain pen ink in a row, labeled with their pick: Serenity Blue, LAMY T52, Pelikan 4001, Blue Velvet and Kon-peki — Five easy-cleaning blue inks for a first fountain pen, drawn in proportion.

Products compared

Product	Brand origin	Made in	Price range
Waterman Serenity Blue fountain pen ink, 50 ml bottleWaterman	France	France^*	Price range: $$$5–20 per item
LAMY T 52 fountain pen ink, blue, 50 ml bottleLAMY	Germany	Germany^*	Price range: $$$5–20 per item
Pelikan 4001 Royal Blue fountain pen ink, 62.5 ml bottlePelikan	Germany	Germany^*	Price range: $$$5–20 per item
Diamine Blue Velvet fountain pen ink, 40 ml 150th Anniversary bottleDiamine	United Kingdom	United Kingdom^*	Price range: $$$$20–75 per item
Pilot Iroshizuku Kon-peki fountain pen ink, 50 ml bottlePilot	Japan	Japan^*	Price range: $$$$20–75 per item

Notes on these facts

Waterman Serenity Blue fountain pen ink, 50 ml bottle: Made by Waterman S.A., Paris (part of Newell Brands). Made in France: Goldspot lists the 50 ml bottle as made in France, and Officeworks (Australia) gives France as the country of origin; its barcode 3034325106298 carries a French GS1 prefix. Waterman was founded in New York in 1884 but today is Waterman S.A., based in Paris, owned by Newell Brands since 2000 (Wikipedia). Waterman's own site (waterman.com) blocks automated reading behind a browser check, so we couldn't read its French or English product page; the ADI distributor listing seen in search also gives France. Source. Price: example listing.
LAMY T 52 fountain pen ink, blue, 50 ml bottle: Made by C. Josef Lamy GmbH, Heidelberg (part of Mitsubishi Pencil Co., Ltd.). Made in Germany: LAMY's German ink guide says all LAMY inks are "Made in Germany" and produced at the LAMY factory in Heidelberg. Milligram also lists the T52 as made in Germany. Source.
Pelikan 4001 Royal Blue fountain pen ink, 62.5 ml bottle: Made by Pelikan Group GmbH (Germany), owned by Hamelin since December 13, 2023. Made in Germany: Pelikan's English product page (mam.pelikan.com) for the 62.5 ml Royal Blue bottle lists the ink as made in Germany. That page refused connections when we rechecked on October 20, 2026, and Pelikan's German ink pages don't state the country; Pelikan's German maker, Hamelin GmbH, is based in Hanover. Source.
Diamine Blue Velvet fountain pen ink, 40 ml 150th Anniversary bottle: Made by Diamine-Speciality Inks Limited, Merseyside, England. Made in United Kingdom: Diamine's history page says the brand now makes its inks at its own facility near Aintree Racecourse, on the edge of Liverpool (see our Diamine Oxblood guide). Diamine's Blue Velvet listing (read in full on October 21, 2026) doesn't print a country of origin. Source. Released: Diamine launched the 150th Anniversary collection, which includes the 40 ml Blue Velvet, in 2014, per Mountain of Ink; Diamine's listing doesn't give a date.
Pilot Iroshizuku Kon-peki fountain pen ink, 50 ml bottle: Made by Pilot Corporation (Japan); sold in the US by Pilot Corporation of America. Made in Japan: Kohezi's listing for the 50 ml Kon-peki gives Made in: Japan and says Pilot has always made its own inks. Pilot's Japanese catalog page for INK-50-KO (read in full on October 20, 2026) doesn't state a country; its JAN, 4902505367281, carries Japan's 49 prefix, which shows where the code was registered, not where the ink was made. Source. Released: Pilot's Japanese site says Iroshizuku went on sale in 2007 with five colors but doesn't name them, so 2007 is the line's launch year; we found no Pilot date for Kon-peki itself.
Price bands are typical US retail, checked October 2026. Conversions to US dollars are approximate, at October 2026 rates (US$1 = ¥158 = ₩1,330 = NT$32.5 = CN¥6.7 = SEK 9.9 = DKK 6.7 = ₺49.6 = C$1.41 = A$1.43 = CZK 21.7; €1 = US$1.12; £1 = US$1.32; CHF 1 = US$1.21).

Key takeaways

All five picks are water-based dye inks; none is water resistant, which is why they rinse out of a pen with plain water.
Bottle sizes: Pelikan 4001 62.5 ml, LAMY T52 50 ml, Waterman 50 ml, Iroshizuku 50 ml, Diamine Anniversary 40 ml.
Measured dry times range from about 20 seconds (Serenity Blue, Blue Velvet) to 40 seconds (Pelikan 4001) in reviewer tests.
A LAMY T52 bottle holds 40 times the 1.25 ml in a LAMY T10 cartridge, about 62 fills of a 0.8 ml Z28 converter.
Pigment inks such as Platinum Carbon Black need cleaning at least weekly, per Goulet, so they're a second-bottle choice.

What is the best fountain pen ink for beginners?

For most beginners, the best first ink is Waterman Serenity Blue: a plain water-based blue that dries in about 20 seconds in one test and has a long record of being safe in pens. Any of the five picks below rinses out with water. It’s #1 because it’s the forgiving classic: quick to dry, easy to rinse and long called safe in pens, which matters more in a first ink than color.

Safest all-rounder: Waterman Serenity Blue. Why it’s here: quick to dry in one test and long called safe in pens, in a 50 ml faceted bottle that tips to reach the last ink.
For LAMY pens: LAMY T52. Why it’s here: LAMY’s own ink for LAMY pens, in a 50 ml bottle whose base holds a blotting-paper roll; made in Heidelberg.
Washable: Pelikan 4001 Royal Blue. Why it’s here: the most washable pick: Pelikan says it washes out of fabric and can be erased with an eradicator, in the largest bottle here (62.5 ml).
Saturated color: Diamine Blue Velvet. Why it’s here: the pick for saturated color, a vivid blue with a hint of red sheen that is still a plain dye ink, in a 40 ml triangular bottle.
Step up: Pilot Iroshizuku Kon-peki. Why it’s here: the step up in price, a deep cerulean dye ink in Pilot’s heavy 50 ml bottle.

How did we choose these picks?

We compiled these picks from published sources, not hands-on testing: makers’ specs and claims, reviewer dry-time tests, US availability and price band. Every pick had to be a water-based dye ink that rinses out with water; we then chose by pen, washability and color.

How do these beginner inks compare?

All five are water-based dye inks with low water resistance; they differ in color, flow and bottle.

Ink	Pick	Bottle	Dry time (reviewer)	Water resistance	Band
Waterman Serenity Blue	Safest	50 ml (1.7 fl oz)	About 20 s (Mountain of Ink)	Medium	$$
LAMY T52 blue	LAMY pens	50 ml (1.7 fl oz)	Not published	None (LAMY)	$$
Pelikan 4001 Royal Blue	Washable	62.5 ml (2.1 fl oz)	40 s (Mountain of Ink)	None (Goulet)	$$
Diamine Blue Velvet	Saturated	40 ml (1.4 fl oz)	About 20 s (Goulet)	Low	$$$
Iroshizuku Kon-peki	Step up	50 ml (1.7 fl oz)	20–25 s (Goulet)	Low	$$$

Maker list prices: LAMY €11.00 (about US$12) in Germany, Diamine £8.92 (about US$12) before VAT in the UK and Pilot ¥2,200 (about US$14) in Japan.

Reviewer dry times drawn as bars at 1 second = 6 px: Waterman Serenity Blue about 20 s, Diamine Blue Velvet about 20 s, Iroshizuku Kon-peki 20–25 s, Pelikan 4001 Royal Blue 40 s and, for contrast, Platinum Carbon Black 60 s — Reviewer dry times on fountain-pen-friendly paper; Carbon Black is shown for contrast, not as a pick.

What makes an ink beginner-friendly?

It’s water-based dye, it flows easily, and it rinses out with plain water. That covers most standard blues and blacks from pen makers.

Dry time matters if you write fast or left-handed: Serenity Blue and Blue Velvet measured about 20 seconds, Pelikan 4001 about 40. Pelikan’s ink also runs dry in flow, which can help on cheap paper but may feel scratchy in a dry nib.

Which inks should beginners avoid?

Pigment, iron gall and shimmer inks, until you’re comfortable cleaning a pen. Pigment inks such as Platinum Carbon Black are waterproof once dry but don’t redissolve, and Goulet says to flush it out at least weekly.

Sailor says pigment ink that dries hardens inside a pen. Iron gall and shimmer inks are specialty inks too; in our view they’re best left until you’ve cleaned a pen a few times. Our how to clean a fountain pen guide shows a simple flush.

Cartridges or a bottle?

Use the cartridges that came with the pen, then move to a bottle and converter. One 50 ml LAMY T52 bottle holds 40 times the 1.25 ml of a T10 cartridge, which works out to about 62 fills of a 0.8 ml LAMY Z28 converter.

Waterman sells Serenity Blue as long cartridges too, which suits Waterman pens. For a first pen to fill, see our best fountain pens for beginners.

Which color should you start with?

A standard blue. Pelikan says colored inks need more frequent cleaning than plain blue, which is why all five of our picks are blue. If you’d rather start in black, Pelikan 4001 Brilliant Black is a classic dye-based black from the same 4001 line.

When you want more colors, our best fountain pen inks roundup adds blacks, browns and greens.

Where are these inks made?

Waterman in France, LAMY and Pelikan in Germany, Diamine in the UK and Iroshizuku in Japan. Goldspot lists Serenity Blue as made in France, LAMY says its inks are made in Heidelberg, Pelikan’s own page says Germany, and Diamine makes its ink in Liverpool.

Frequently asked questions

What fountain pen ink should a beginner avoid?

Pigment inks, iron gall inks and shimmer inks, until you're used to cleaning a pen. Goulet says to flush Platinum Carbon Black at least weekly so the pigment doesn't clog the feed.

Should beginners use cartridges or bottled ink?

Start with the cartridges that come with your pen, then buy a bottle and a converter. A bottle is far cheaper per fill: one 50 ml LAMY T52 holds as much as 40 T10 cartridges.

Is blue or black ink better for a first fountain pen?

Blue. Standard blues such as Waterman Serenity Blue and Pelikan Royal Blue are known for washing out easily; Pelikan says colored inks need more cleaning than plain blue, and the most permanent blacks are pigment or bulletproof inks.

Can you mix fountain pen inks?

Not in the pen. Flush it with water before changing inks so the old and new ink don't mix in the feed; our cleaning guide shows how.

Do these inks work on cheap paper?

They feather more on copy paper than on fountain-pen-friendly paper such as Rhodia or Midori MD. A fine nib and a drier ink such as Pelikan 4001 help on cheap paper.

Are these inks safe for a LAMY safari or Pilot Metropolitan?

Yes. All five are ordinary water-based dye inks made for fountain pens; fill a converter from the bottle and rinse the pen with water between colors.

Sources (16)

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