First off, most fountain pen ink is water based (with a few exceptions of iron gall), but, yes, they are all liquids. The majority of the ink on the market, including the wet or dry ones we will mention below, are safe for fountain pens and will work in fountain pens. However, certain fountain pens and ink seem to play together better than others. Finding the perfect pen and ink match is part of the fun.
Secondly, the wetness or dryness of an ink is a matter of personal opinion just as much as it is the perfect symphony of pen, ink, and paper all working together for a beautiful writing experience. An ink that flows graciously and lusciously from a pen nib and results in very smooth, saturated writing would be considered a wet ink. Whereas, an ink that flows rather conservatively and lightly out of a pen and does not leave a great deal of ink on the page when writing is considered dry. If you're using a flex pen or have a pen that seems to write dry, you can try filling it up with a wetter ink to help with the flow issues. Left handed writers may naturally gravitate towards a drier writing ink as well, as they will be less likely to smudge it when pushing the pen across the page. But each fountain pen writer has their own features they look for in a good ink. Here is a brief overview of our favorite wet and dry ink brands overall and a few suggestions you can try to get the full wet and dry ink experience.
WET INKS:
When thinking about wet inks, Noodler's is, by-and-large, most people's first answer. Nathan Tardif creates his stunning inks with a healthy dose of lubrication and pigment, resulting in a wet, juicy flow. Another brand worth mentioning for its wet inks is Diamine. With a rainbow of great ink shades, Diamine has an ink for everyone.
Here are our top 5 Wet Inks:
Diamine Apple Glory
De Atramentis Gold
Rohrer and Klingner Alt-Goldgrün
Noodler's Air-Corp Blue-Black
Noodler's Apache Sunset
DRY INKS:
When asked about some good dry ink options, our Customer Care team unanimously responded with the Pelikan 4001 inks. This inks are great for anyone looking for a dry ink that won't spread greatly when writing and will have a conservative ink flow. It is generally thought that dry inks are not as vibrant as their wetter cousins but the 4001 inks put that notion to the test. Susan, one of our Customer Care team members, notes that the Pelikan Violet is especially gorgeous and is a favorite of hers. Royal Blue is another bright and brilliant choice. However, for the more professional, subdued needs, Brilliant Black is the way to go. Another fantastic option for dry writing are the Lamy inks. These fun inks with the built-in blotting paper roll on the bottle are smooth writing while still dry flowing.
Here are our top 5 dry inks:
Pelikan Violet 4001
Lamy Black
Monteverde Brown
Pelikan Royal Blue 4001
Lamy Blue-Black
There are other factors outside of the ink itself that can affect ink flow. Being mindful of the paper you're using will help immensely in having a desirable writing experience. Writing on cheap printer or notebook paper can make even the driest inks feather and bleed in the right circumstances. Also, using a flex or stub nib, both of which put down a great deal of ink all at once, requires an ink that can keep up with that ink flow.
What are your preferences: wet or dry? Let us know in the comments below!
Write on,
The Goulet Pen Company Team
