For many fountain pen enthusiasts, using their favorite pens at work offers a small, secret satisfaction that helps carry them through a long workday. However, most office environments call for more conventional ink colors—typically blue or black. With that in mind, I’ve compiled an updated list of work-appropriate fountain pen inks that let you indulge your love of fountain pens while still maintaining a professional appearance. I originally created a similar list back in 2017, but it felt well overdue for a proper refresh.
In general, work-appropriate inks tend to be darker and more saturated, perform reliably on a range of paper qualities, and are easy to clean and maintain. With those criteria in mind, let’s jump right into the updated list.
Pilot Iroshizuku Shin-kai
Shin-kai is a classic, conventional blue-black ink, one of the more conservative choices on the list. It's known for its reliability, solid performance, and easy maintenance. The ink appears as a bright royal blue initially, then dries to a darker, muted gray-blue. It can show a faint red sheen on high-quality, non-absorbent paper, but this is unlikely to be noticeable on typical office paper.
Diamine Writer's Blood
Despite its unconventional name, Writer's Blood is an extremely popular dark red ink, even darker than Diamine Oxblood. It's mostly a solid, deep color, though it can show slight burgundy shading on the right paper. Surprisingly, for a dark red, it's known to be easy to clean from pens and doesn't tend to stain. It's a deep red that's suitable for everyday use without looking like a "teacher grading" red.
Noodler’s Lexington Gray
If you don't want to stray too far from black, Noodler's Lexington Gray is a dark gray ink that offers a more interesting alternative to plain black. It resembles a graphite color, like a 2B lead pencil. This ink is "bulletproof," meaning it's waterproof and bleach resistant, making it great for highlighting over or protecting against spills. It's also noted for being an exceptionally fast-drying ink, which is a major plus for left-handed writers or preventing ink transfer in notebooks.
Diamine Sherwood Green
Diamine Sherwood Green is a deep forest green ink that's often described as having a vintage feel, looking particularly sophisticated on cream or ivory paper. In heavy applications on coated paper, it can reveal a subtle dark red sheen, acting as a "stealth sheener" like Shin-kai. It performs well across different nib sizes, showing chromatic shading in finer nibs and deeper saturation in broad ones. Note that it has a slightly longer dry time, so it's best for situations where the ink has a little extra time to dry.
LAMY petrol
Relaunched in 2025, LAMY petrol is a deep teal color that was one of the most popular new inks of 2025. It's very saturated and looks good in any nib size. Its consistent medium-to-high flow in almost any pen is often compared to the Iroshizuku line. Reviewers appreciate it as a "serious teal," dark enough for signatures but distinct from standard black. It dries relatively quickly, even though it's a saturated and wet-flowing ink, making it reliable for faster note-taking
Jacques Herbin Poussière de Lune
Jacques Herbin Poussiere de Lune is a nice muted purple color that has stood the test of time. It's often cited as a safer, non-iron gall alternative to Rohrer & Klingner Scabiosa, offering a dusty purple look with lower maintenance. Despite being a wet-flowing ink, it performs surprisingly well on low-quality paper with minimal feathering, especially with extra-fine or fine nibs. The dry time can be a bit longer.
Platinum Carbon Black
Platinum Carbon Black is pretty cool because it's pigmented. This means it dries more on the surface of the paper rather than soaking in, providing excellent water resistance and performing well on most paper types, including slightly glossier or coated ones. It's also great for highlighting over. Deeply saturated and more lightfast than other inks due to its pigment, it holds up very well over time. An honorable mention is Platinum Chou Kuro, an even darker and more pigmented version.
Ultimately, a work-appropriate ink doesn’t have to mean boring. Whether you gravitate toward a classic blue-black, a stealthy green, or a muted purple that only fellow pen lovers will notice, the right ink can add a quiet moment of enjoyment to your daily routine without raising any eyebrows. The inks on this list balance professionalism with personality, offering dependable performance on office paper while still letting your fountain pen shine. If you’re unsure where to start, sampling a few is a great way to find what works best for your pens, your handwriting, and your workday. After all, those small, thoughtful choices are often what make even the most ordinary workdays a little more enjoyable. Write on!
