Best Archival Inks for Fountain Pens: Your Notes Will Last

Written by Shawn Buckles in Ink

There are many archival fountain pen inks available, but not all will stand the test of time. Especially if you're looking to store your notes inter-generationally, the type of ink you choose makes all the difference.

Good archival ink is waterproof, fade-resistant, and pH-neutral. Ideally it also behaves well in the pen and on the paper. Popular archival fountain pen inks are Noodler's Black and other Noodler's Bulletproof inks, De Atramentis Document Inks, Platinum Carbon Black, and Diamine Archival Registrar Blue Black.

Surprisingly, there are some very colorful inks that are outstanding for archival use too.

On the other hand, there are some popular 'boring' inks, that are considered safe by many, that'd make terrible archival inks. I'll list which inks to avoid at the end of the article.

Archival Inks I've Used And Tested

These are the inks I've used and tested and can recommend, and why.

Rohrer & Klingner Permanent Blue

pH:
slightly water-resistant

Nice blue 'permanent' ink that has some interesting shading and behaves and cleans very well. It's not a true permanent ink but better than most regular inks.

Get it here: Rohrer & Klingner Blau Permanent (check at Amazon)

Noodler's Pasternak

pH: ?
bulletproof (UV & bleach resistant)
eternal (archival, fade-resistant)
forgery-resistant
waterproof

It looks green in the pen, purple in the bottle, but it dries as a very nice 'poetic gray' as someone described it.

It cleans reasonably well but it is definitely a lower surface tension ink, coating the inside of your demonstrator.

Get it here: Noodler's Pasternak (check at Amazon)

Noodler's Lexington Gray

pH: 8.6 (slightly base)
waterproof
eternal (archival ink, fade-resistant)
bulletproof (UV & bleach resistant)
forgery-resistant

Very light gray ink that behaves pretty but has a pretty low contrast, so it doesn't provide the best readback.

Get it here: Noodler's Lexington Grey (check at Amazon)

Noodler's X-Feather

pH: 8.6 (slightly base)
waterproof
archival ink, fade-resistant
eternal (UV & bleach resistant)
forgery-resistant

Beautiful rich even black, but it does dry rather slowly.

Get it here: Noodler's X-Feather (check at Amazon)

Noodler's Black Swan in Australian Roses

pH: 7.8 (pH-neutral)
not eternal (archival, fade-resistant)(
partially water-resistant
forgery-resistant
partially bulletproof

One of Noodler's most interesting colors, pretty water resistant, and has some bulletproof properties. Also the most pH-neutral I've measured so far, so I consider this a good archival ink.

Get it here: Noodler's Black Swan in Australian Roses (check at Amazon)

Noodler's Black

pH: 8.6 (slightly base)
waterproof
eternal (archival ink, fade-resistant)
bulletproof (UV & bleach resistant)
forgery-resistant

A very basic and well-behaved black that is bulletproof and should make a great archival ink, although a bit boring.

Get it here: Noodler's Black (check at Amazon)

Noodler's Mata Hari's Cordial

pH: ?
waterproof
eternal archival ink, fade-resistant
bulletproof (UV & bleach resistant)
forgery-resistant

I find this a beautiful dusky purple color. Although it's rather flat and doesn't shade as much, I think that's rather appropriate for archival use. It's just dark enough to provide good read-back.

Get it here: Noodler's Mata Hari's Cordial (check at Amazon)

Noodler's Baystate Blue

pH: 4 (acidic)
not bulletproof (UV & bleach resistant)
not eternal (archival, fade-resistant)
waterproof
fade-resistant

This ink is as acidic as a lemon, so I wouldn't use this for archival.

Get it here: Noodler's Baystate Blue (check at Amazon)

Noodler's Polar Black

pH: 8.6 (slightly base)
waterproof
fade-resistant
freeze-resistant

Polar Black is very wet (it's a lubricated ink). This means it sometimes flows almost uncontrollably, and it's more work to clean out. It does provide a very saturated black and is appropriate for archival use.

If you're looking for a permanent ink that's saturated and can be used outside during winter time, this is a great ink. I use this on the road and in the workshop for example, where it gets pretty cold at times.

Get it here: Noodler's Polar Black on Amazon

Rohrer & Klingner Eisen-Gallus-Tinte Salix

pH: 1.53
waterproof
gall-bases (clean well)

One of my favorite inks, it's a lovely faded medium blue-grey that behaves very well and is easy to clean. Gall-based inks should be thoroughly cleaned out regularly. Some people think gall-based inks are unsuitable for archival use. Good recipes, however, will stand the test of time just fine.

Get it here: Rohrer & Klingner Salix on Amazon

Rohrer & Klingner Eisen-Gallus-Tinte Scabiosa

pH: 1.73
waterproof
gall-bases (clean well)

Gall-based inks should be thoroughly cleaned out regularly. Some people think gall-based inks are unsuitable for archival use. Good recipes, however, will stand the test of time just fine.

Get it here: Rohrer & Klingner Salix on Amazon

Popular Archival Inks

Here are a few popular archival inks that are on my list to try:

De Atramentis Document Black
De Atramentis Document Blue-Grey (Fog Grey is my favorite ink by far currently).
Diamine Registrar's Ink Blue Black (gall-based)
Montblanc Mystery Black

What Inks To Avoid

We want to avoid highly-acidic inks especially. Inks that are not water-resistant at all are probably also unsuitable for using in your archive.

Examples of very acidic inks are:

Pelikan 4001 Black Blue
Diamine Oxblood
Diamine Red Drageon
Faber Castel Royal Blue
Parker Quink Black
Diamine Chocolate Brown
Diamine Majestic Blue
Diamine Emerald
Noodler's Baystate Blue

Here's my running list of ink pH-values.

I haven't tested all these ink's acidity yet, but I'll get to it eventually.

I've complemented the pH-values of my own testing with values of Indy Pen Dance for the following inks:

Rohrer & Klinger Salix
Rohrer & Klinger Scabiosa

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