When it comes time for a Christmas gift, writers can sometimes be difficult to shop for. What we love to do best is to tell stories, and while you can purchase electronic gear for us, sometimes another option would be preferable. If the writer in your family uses a fountain pen for writing, there are accessories that could be wrapped up in a basket and would be greatly appreciated by any writer.

Give a Bottle of Ink

The gift of ink is always welcome to a writer. Most fountain pen users can always use another bottle of black ink. In the fountain pen world, there are a few popular ones to choose from. These are a few of my favorites.

Platinum Carbon Black
This premium Japanese black ink is waterproof and will be permanent for decades. If your writer needs to keep their writing around a long time or wants to sign checks with their fountain pen, this is a good ink for those needs.

Pilot Iroshizuku Take-sumi
This ink is not the blackest ink on the market, but it certainly has character. The name means Bamboo Charcoal and the ink shades from black to dark grey, rather like how the ancient pigments of charcoal ink did in japan’s past. It is not a permanent ink, but it is quite elegant to write with.

Noodler’s Bulletproof Black
All American made, Noodler’s Black is a favorite among fountain pen enthusiasts. Cost effective and very dark black, it is “bulletproof” which means that the ink is waterproof and fade resistant.

Aurora Black
This is the most popular black ink on the market. Aurora only makes two colors of ink, a black and a blue, but what they make, they make well. Aurora Black is considered one of the blackest inks available and it is suitable for fountain pens that need a more free flowing ink.

Does your writer already have three bottles of black ink? Try a nice blue instead.

Noodler’s 54th Massachusetts
This Blue-Teal is bulletproof and flows well in a fountain pen. It is named after the first all black infantry unit in the Civil War. It was considered the ink of the year in 2013. Noodler’s ink is American made and you get a large bottle for a low price.

Pilot Iroshizuku Tsuki-yo
This ink is considered the most popular of the new Iroshizuku line and is a dark blue-teal-black. It is conservative enough for business use and is a wonderful unique shade. Tsuki-yo means “Moonlight” in Japanese. It is one of my personal favorites.

Edelstein Topaz
The Edelstein line is a well lubricated ink with vibrant colors. The Topaz is a cheerful turquoise blue with wonderful shading. It works well with a drier fountain pen.

Pelikan 4001 Turquoise
One my my first favorite inks is the inexpensive and somewhat dry Pelikan 4001 Turquoise. The ink is rich and vibrant on the page and shades wonderfully. It makes a great foil for a wet pen that you need to get better control over. I usually keep a pen loaded up with this ink on a regular basis.

Wrap Up a Few Notebooks

Apica CD-10
Apica notebooks are Japanese notebooks for school children. They are very plain and come in an assortment of sizes. The CD-10 is similar in size to our own American composition books. The paper is very fountain pen friendly and the notebook is affordable. It makes a great everyday notebooks for class notes, general writing and other daily uses.

Rhodia Notebooks
Rhodia is one of my favorite notebooks. I pick mine up from Dick Blick Art Supplies, but the are available all over. Their signature colors are black or orange. They are not hard to miss on the store shelves. Rhodia paper is smooth and white and feels great under the pen. The notebooks come in a wide assortment of sizes, in both top bound notepads and traditional side bound notebooks. You can get them with plain paper, quads or lined. My favorite size is the #16 which fits snuggly in my A5 sized book cover.

Composition Books with Brazilian Sugarcane Paper
While these handy notebooks are thought of for grade schooler use and perhaps not your first thought for gift giving, they are wonderful notebooks for writers to have around. I go through around ten of these each year for various writing projects and pick them up during back to school sales. The key is to find the ones that are labeled as being made in Brazil. If you look on the back of the notebook, you can find the country of original written on the label. These notebooks are made of sugarcane paper, the leavings of the sugar refinery process that used to be burned. Now days, the sugarcane husks are recycled into paper, creating a green product that not only saves trees, but happily is also extremely fountain pen friendly.

Toss in a Pen Case

Leverage Bomber Jacket Pen Wrap
This luxury pen wrap holds five fountain pens and secures them with a snap tie. The bomber leather matches their other leather goods including notebook covers, pen cups and other items.

Saki P-661 Roll Pen Case with Traditional Japanese Fabric
This inexpensive pen wrap holds several pens in a lovely fabric. It closes with a black tie. I’ve owned one of these to hold my Artist Pitt pens. It is functional, beautiful and lightweight.

Lookout – Three Pen Holster
Nock Co. is a new comer in the pen case business. Their kickstarter program was a wild success and the new pen cases in cordova fabric are quite popular among pen enthusiasts. They offer several different models of pen cases, the Lookout holds three pens in your pocket and wraps them in fabric to keep them safe. You can purchase models that also hold pocket notebooks with your pens too.

Franklin-Christoph Penvelope
I am in love with the leather of Franklin Christoph. I liked what I saw online, but when I managed to find their table at a local fountain pen convention and was able to hold their pen cases in my hand, I was hooked. I personally own a two pen case in boot leather and carry it everywhere. It still looks brand new even with daily use. They are best known for the Penvelope, a six pen case. The pen cases are affordable and perfect for gifts.

All of the inks and notebooks listed above are available via Amazon or gouletpens.com, with the exception of the composition notebooks. Locally, Paradise Pens at your mall should also carry them.