The best purple fountain pen ink is Waterman Tender Purple. It is a deep, saturated violet that is readable whether you’re using a pen with an extra fine or broad nib. It can also have a striking green sheen in heavier applications. Also, since all Waterman fountain pen inks are well behaved, they clean out of pens easily. However, this also means that Tender Purple is not waterproof at all. If you need an ink that can stand up to accidental spills, read on for our other picks.

All Waterman inks have thoughtful bottle designs. Because they’re faceted, they can be turned to rest on their sides. This makes it supremely easy to fill your pen even as the ink level gets lower.

Kaweco Summer Purple is perfect for anyone who wants a more subdued ink. It has enough water resistance that anything you write stays legible enough to copy to a fresh sheet if it gets wet. It also has excellent highlighter resistance.

Summer Purple is available in a 50 ml bottle and convenient standard international short cartridges.

Diamine Imperial Purple is a beautiful and well-behaved royal purple. It has moderate water resistance and exceptional highlighter resistance. It’s available in an 80 ml bottle size that will last for a long time, as well as a 30 ml bottle and standard international short cartridges.

Though it’s reasonably dark, this ink is still noticeably purple, so we recommend checking with your teachers before you write your next paper with it.

Rohrer & Klingner sketchINK Jule is a versatile purple ink that’s great for artists. This complex color lies somewhere between a muted brown and burgundy. It can be used to create washes with a water brush while it’s wet. Or, you can create completely waterproof linework if you let the ink dry.

Rohrer & Klingner Jule is a pigment-based ink, so any pen that is inked with it should be cleaned regularly to avoid clogging.

Artists can also read our guides on The Best Fountain Pens for Drawing and The Best Waterproof Fountain Pen Inks to further their creative pursuits.

If you’re a left-handed writer or simply need to take quick notes on the go, De Atramentis Document Violet is the best fast-drying purple ink. It dries in just over ten seconds on Rhodia paper, which is very smooth and tends to make inks slow drying. All De Atramentis Document Inks are safe to use on official documents. They are lightfast, waterproof, and highlighter proof.

Document Violet can actually be considered more of fast-absorbing than a fast-drying ink, as it soaks into the paper’s fibers instead of staying on top of the paper’s surface. This may cause the ink to “feather” or look fuzzy.

Writers who are dipping their toes into colorful inks can try Private Reserve Ebony Purple. It’s a dark, blue-leaning purple that could be mistaken for black at certain angles. This also makes it an excellent ink for professionals, as it doesn't draw attention to itself like a bright purple would.

We should note that Ebony Purple comes in an ink bottle with a wide mouth that tends to form an ink bubble at the top. It’s a good idea to open the bottle on a flat, nonporous surface with a towel underneath to prevent accidental spills and stains.

Dominant Industry Evening is a dreamy, light purple ink that shifts between a dusky lilac and pink with a blue-violet sheen. To ensure it’s legible on paper, we recommend pairing this ink with wetter nibs.

All Dominant Industry Inks come with cloth bags to protect the bottles from dust, and single-use pipettes that can be used to fill eyedropper pens.

Platinum Mixable Silky Purple is a bright, punchy magenta. Its only downside is that it is has poor water and highlighter resistance, so we don’t recommend using it to sign any important documents.

Silky Purple can be used on its own or combined with Platinum’s other Mixable Inks to create your own custom ink. The Mixing Kit—which includes dilution liquid, an empty bottle, plastic droppers, and a color chart—makes it easy to try out your ink experiments.

Sailor Manyo Nekoyanagi is a lovely dual-shading purple ink that shifts between a pastel purple, blue, and pink on the page with captivating blue-green sheen. Dual-shading inks—also known as chroma-shading, double-shading, dual-color, or dual-tone inks—look like two different colors when they pool on the page. They are at their best when paired with a broad or stub nib pen and fountain pen paper.

J. Herbin Améthyste de l'Oural is a rich, velvety plum color with silver shimmer. It’s named for the amethysts of the Ural Mountains between Europe and Asia. These amethysts were popular goods during the 16th and 17th century gemstone trade.

Each Jacques Herbin Special Collection Ink contains tiny glitter particles suspended in the ink. We recommend gently shaking the bottle before filling your pen and agitating your pen before writing. This fountain pen ink line is safe to use in fountain pens but does require a thorough cleaning when changing inks—unless you want your next ink to have silver sparkles, too.

Learn more about the Special Collection Inks by reading our guide.