Purple – the halfway house between calming blue and fiery red. A finely balanced colour that can deliver rich, decadent, deep tones – or spring-like shoots of vibrancy. Naturally, as a secondary colour, purple fountain pen inks lean on the whole colour palette to produce an abundance of choice. While not the first colour that may spring to mind when considering an ink for formal writing, the darker shades are more than suitable for everyday writing, while the more electric shades are known to bring life to the page.
Purples are quickly growing in terms of their popularity with fountain pen users, and are a great alternative to the standard blues, blacks and even reds. As with all colours, you’ll also encounter the different sheening and shading options. Some will be waterproof, while others may offer less resistance and therefore may not be the best choice for the day-to-day. This blog will help give you a flavour of where to start – and showcase some of our best-selling purple fountain pen inks.
1. Waterman: Tender Purple
One of our most popular fountain pen inks - and stellar all-rounder - is Waterman’s Tender Purple. Originally established in New York in 1884 and now manufactured in France, Waterman are world-renowned for their pen-friendly inks. They’re well-loved by vintage collectors thanks to their history and are equally sought after by fountain pen enthusiasts thanks to their usability.
Tender Purple, therefore, sits perfectly as a well-rounded shade that, while vibrant and characterful, is a rich and fairly dark purple that is perfect for longer-form writing. It has a gentle darker shade, which comes to the fore when using a wider nib. If you’re using it for more art-based work, you may also notice sporadic green-yellow sheen, although this is only really noticeable in swabs. Despite it not being water resistant, it does work well on lower quality paper and dries fairly quickly, too.
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2. Van Dieman’s Underwater: Royal Starfish
From a safe pair of hands in Waterman’s Tender Purple, to something a lot more flashy, in Van Dieman’s Royal Starfish - part of its Underwater series. Is it purple, or is it green? Well, it’s unapologetically purple. But thanks to its incredible levels of sheening, it almost feels as though you’re getting two inks for the price of one. Its bright yet mid-level purple shades into darker pools, while the green-teal sheen really comes across well in swabs and brushwork.
It doesn’t smear too badly either, however its long dry time and lack of water resistance means it’s certainly better suited for adding flair to your work. Like all of Van Dieman’s Underwater range, it’s a unique and experimental tone. And we love it.
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3. Diamine: Bilberry
Bilberry is an incredibly popular instalment from Merseyside-based Diamine. As with all of their fountain pen inks, it is well-behaved and works in all types of fountain pen. More than anything though, it boasts a rich mid-range purple which is both bright but deep enough to use in everyday writing.
It features a beautiful copper sheen which adds perfect depth to a classic purple base. Moreover, the sheen is also apparent in writing from both a fine and broad nib so can be enjoyed however it’s used. While it is surprisingly dry for an ink with the characteristics it possesses, it will smear if exposed to water, which is something to be aware of. Nevertheless, you can’t help but fall in love with this rightly popular fountain pen ink.
4. Pelikan 4001: Violet
Staying on the theme of reliable brands, Pelikan’s 4001 Violet is another predictably sturdy choice when it comes to purples. This tone shades from deep purple to light, fruity violet in a subtle manner which makes it perfect for long-form writing – much like Diamine’s Bilberry. In contrast, however, Pelikan’s number carries better water resistance properties, so is even better for day-to-day use.
It shouldn’t really come as much of a surprise, given Pelikan’s track record for quality, high-end writing instruments. Similar to their pens, their inks are known for their high quality and have been used in many official capacities. While it isn’t a formal ink, Violet retains those qualities and deploys them in eye-catching style.
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5. Vinta Inks: Salimbay 1949 (Plume)
The first shimmering ink in this blog, Salimbay is a majestically eye-catching bright purple which straddles a deep pastel blue shade. Its shimmer is a unique pink - further highlighting the darker and lighter contours, which remain starkly apparent whether in writing or as larger swabs.
The ink intends to capture the story of a beautiful princess named Sinsing, who transforms into a bird to be together with her lover, Prinsipenglbon. We think the Phillipines-based producer has hit the spot perfectly in telling this particular tale. Certainly one you’ll want to see in the flesh.
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Other great choices
- Diamine: Imperial Purple
- Pure Pens: Flower of Scotland
- Troublemaker: Foxglove
- J. Herbin ‘D’: Poussiere de Lune
- Noodler’s: Purple Mountain Majesties
What do you think? We’d love to know more about your favourite purple inks – get in touch and let us know!