Fountain Pen Ink and Paper

Oct. 15, 2026

Ink makers, paper and notebook makers that suit fountain pens, and the sites that review and compare inks.

Links checked Oct. 15, 2026. Pentrace has no business ties to any site listed here. If a link has stopped working, or you know a site that belongs on this list, use “Suggest a correction” below.

A fountain pen is only as good as the ink in it and the paper under it. Ordinary copier paper lets many inks feather and bleed through; the papers below are smooth and coated enough to take wet nibs and show off shading and sheen.

Ink makers

• Diamine, Liverpool: one of the largest ranges of bottled ink.
• Noodler’s, Massachusetts: including permanent “bulletproof” inks.
• J. Herbin, France: in business since 1670.
• Rohrer & Klingner, Germany, including iron gall inks.
• De Atramentis, Germany.
• Robert Oster, Australia.
• KWZ, Poland.
• Private Reserve, from the original Pentrace list.
• The pen makers’ own inks: Pilot (Iroshizuku), Sailor, Platinum, Pelikan (4001 and Edelstein) and Montblanc.

Ink reviews and comparisons

• Mountain of Ink: reviews with swabs and writing samples.
• Ink Delta: a searchable gallery of ink swatches.
• Fountain Pen Pharmacist: ink reviews and comparisons.

Paper and notebooks

• Rhodia and Clairefontaine, France: smooth, fountain-pen-friendly pads and notebooks. Exaclair distributes both, and J. Herbin, in the United States.
• Leuchtturm1917, Germany: notebooks.
• Midori, Japan: MD paper notebooks.
• Traveler’s Company, Japan: refillable leather notebooks.
• Hobonichi Techo, Japan: daily planners on thin, fountain-pen-friendly paper.
• Stalogy, Japan: notebooks.
• Crane: cotton stationery for letter writing, from the original Pentrace list.

Pentrace’s own articles on ink and paper go back to the early 2000s.

More links

• Fountain Pen Communities, Video and Podcasts
• Where to Buy Fountain Pens
• Fountain Pen Ink and Paper
• Pen Repair and Nib Work
• Fountain Pen Reference Sites
• Pentrace Links, the original Pentrace.com list, checked in 2026
• Pentrace East: Japanese Pen Links