Fountain pen ink, from time to time, takes its time to dry. It’s not necessarily an issue in many cases, but when it happens, you’ll end up with the all-to-familiar smudges and smears over your hands – or even worse – your page.
Fear not, however. There are many options out there that are quick-drying and prove much more practical for everyday use. Of course, you may have to consider whether the ink will feather (look fuzzy) on absorbent paper, or even dry up quicker in your pen – giving it an inconsistent flow when writing. Nevertheless, there remains a wide range of choices for fountain pen inks to use on the go, while still being good all-rounders.
In this blog, we’ll take a look at some of the best options for quick-drying ink – whether that’s a blue or black for the everyday, or something with a bit more colour. Of course, it’s subjective in terms of defining what quick drying actually is. Many inks can take up to a minute to dry fully, so we’ll be classing quick-drying inks as anything up to 30 or 40 seconds. If it dries quicker than that – we’ll let you know!
Our recommendations for quick-drying black inks
J. Herbin: Perle Noire
One of the best all-rounders, J.Herbin’s Perle Noire is a deep, dark black that lays down a pleasant rich tone with elements of shading. There aren’t many reports of significant feathering out there, while the dry time is pretty decent at 30 seconds or so on high-quality paper (quicker on copy paper). From a high-quality and experienced ink producer, this is a good go-to. Discover >
Pelikan 4001: Brilliant Black
Another well-rounded ink, Pelikan’s 4001 Brilliant Black is well thought of by fountain pen users. It has low levels of feathering and bleed and can dry in as little as 20 seconds on more porous paper. It appears a little lighter than Perle Noire, but shows hints of darker shading and sheening, - a safe choice. Discover >
Private Reserve: Velvet Black
All of Private Reserve’s range can be considered quick drying. Velvet Black is a generally flat mid-range black, which sheens slightly with a wider nib. It has a similar drying time to Perle Noire, and also shows very little signs of bleeding. It’s also got decent levels of water resistance, so is great out and about. Discover >
Also consider…
There are other options out there, of course. Some of the quickest drying inks you’ll encounter come from the Pilot Iroshizuku range. In particular their grey Fuyu-Syogun and Kiri-Same are very quick drying, and don’t bleed too much either.
Our recommendations for quick-drying royal blue inks
Pilot Iroshizuku: Asa-Gao
Pilot’s Asa-Gao is a bit special. Its colour is a fantastically rich royal blue, with undertones of purple. You may also unearth a red-copper sheen with a thicker nib. It dries quickly (around 15 seconds) and has a surprisingly wet flow for such a quick drying ink. It is a little more pricy than other everyday inks, but worth every penny. Discover >
Noodler’s: Bernanke Blue
Our left-handed team members and customers really seem to enjoy Bernanke Blue, thanks to its reliable properties (very quick drying time and usability) not compromising its tones. It’s a vibrant, electric royal blue – which doesn’t tend to cause much, if any, bleeding. Even on highly coated paper, it will dry in as little as 15 seconds. Discover >
Diamine: Royal Blue
Another fantastic choice for you if you’re needing to take quick notes, is Diamine’s Royal Blue. On less coated paper, it can take as little as 10-15 seconds to dry, which is pretty impressive! It has a soft tone with little evidence of shading. It doesn’t feather too much, although may do a little with a thicker nib. Discover >
Also consider…
If you’re looking for the very quickest drying blue ink, look no further than Van Dieman’s Bass Strait. It will be dry within 10 seconds, even on higher quality, coated paper. However, you will notice more feathering and bleeding on lower quality papers. If you’re looking for the best all-rounder that isn’t a classic blue, J. Herbin’s Bleu Calanque will dry in 15 seconds, and doesn’t appear to feather all that much either.
Recommendations for alternative quick-drying inks
Browns
- Van Dieman’s Oak Wood: Very quick drying mid brown, does feather a little on some papers View >
- Pilot Iroshizuku Yama-Guri: 15 seconds to dry, with a slight golden sheen, purple undertone and very little feathering, if at all View >
Reds
- Van Dieman’s Bay of Fires: Very quick-drying, eye-catching orange-red, decent water resistance with no bleed (a bit of feathering does occur) View >
- Lamy T53 Ruby: All-rounder medium red, a little shading and no feathering or bleeding, drying in 20-30 seconds View >
Greens
- Diamine Inkvent Elf: A green with mint undertones, dries very quickly and has a little shading, no bleeding or feathering View >
- Robert Oster Light Green: Eye-catching Almost fluorescent limey green, 15-20 seconds to dry, with no feathering View >
Purples
- Colorverse #69 Opportunity: Eye-catching magenta, slight shading, a little bleeding and feathering on lower-quality paper View >
- KWZ Gummiberry: Rich and beautifully deep purple, dries in 15-20 seconds, some slight bleeding and feathering View >
Pinks
- Diamine Shimmer Pink Glitz: Bright pink with golden shimmer, quick-drying, very low levels of bleed and feather View >
- Pilot Iroshizuku Kosumosu: Pale to deep shading pink, similar dry time to Pink Glitz, a little feathering with thicker nibs View >
Oranges
- Pilot Iroshizuku Fuyu-Gaki: Reddish orange, flat ink, dries in 15 seconds or so, slight bleeding with thicker nibs View >
- Van Dieman’s Bay of Fires: Very quick-drying, eye-catching orange-red, decent water resistance with no bleed (a bit of feathering does occur) View >
Yellows
- Diamine Sunshine Yellow: Deep, rich yellow orange, plenty of shading, dries in 20-30 seconds, minimal feathering with a little bleed View >
- Noodler’s Apache Sunset: Dark yellow-dark orange wet ink, takes a little longer to dry, little feathering but a bit of bleed View >
