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Are Field Notes Fountain Pen Friendly? Bleed and Ghosting Test

I wrote with my fountain pens on one Field Notes page to see which ones ghost and which ones bleed through.

Luis Duque, PE · September 26, 2026 · 5 min read

I recorded this test on Fountain Pen Day. Over the last few years I've gathered a nice little collection of fountain pens, so I used them to answer a question I had myself: are Field Notes fountain pen friendly?

My test notebook was the Field Notes Everglades National Park edition, my current notebook at the time. It uses 60-pound bright white paper that technically is not fountain pen friendly, so I tried different nib sizes and inks to find out whether it can be.

Watch the full video for everything shown on camera.

The pens I tested

### Montblanc

The Montblanc is a really special pen. It was my father's, and it has a beautiful 18 karat gold nib and piano accents. I've been taking piano lessons, so every time I use it, it reminds me of both my dad and the piano, and it feels very special.

I'm not sure what nib size it is, but it writes a lot thicker than my other pens, so I'm guessing it's a broad or even a double broad.

### Two TWSBIs

TWSBIs are really popular and really affordable. Mine write great, with beautiful, really smooth nibs. Both have fine nibs, like every other pen in this test except the Montblanc.

### Kaweco Perkeo

The Kaweco Perkeo is a really simple pen, all black with a black nib, and I bought it because I thought it was gorgeous.

It's my trial-ink pen right now: I got a few ink samples, and the one in it is a nice dark gray. For some reason it writes a little scratchier than my Kaweco Sport, even though the nib seems to be the same.

### Kaweco Sport

I have two Kaweco Sports. The green one was my first fountain pen.

Its twist cap feels really nice, and it's really light and super compact, so it's a great pen to carry around, and it writes beautifully. The second, in Olivine, has quickly become one of my favorites.

### Traveler's Company fountain pen

What I like about the Traveler's Company fountain pen is its form factor: it extends to almost a full-size pen. I swapped in a Kaweco nib, and that made it so much more enjoyable to write with.

The results

I wrote a line with each pen on the same page, then turned the page over to check for ghosting and bleed-through. Keep in mind this is 60-pound bright white paper, not Tomoe River or Midori.

One of my pens started strong and then ran out of ink or dried out partway through its line.

Pen	Nib	Result on Field Notes
Montblanc	Broad or double broad (my guess)	Bleed-through
TWSBI	Fine	A little ghosting, no bleed-through
Kaweco Sport	Fine	Minimal ghosting, no bleed-through
Traveler's Company fountain pen	Fine Kaweco nib	Minimal ghosting, no bleed-through
Kaweco Perkeo	Fine	Bleeds through

The Montblanc shows a little bleed-through. That was totally expected from a super wet pen with a really thick line.

The TWSBI did surprisingly well: a little ghosting, but no bleed-through. The Kaweco Sport is exactly what I use in these notebooks, so I wasn't surprised to see minimal ghosting and no bleed-through at all.

The Perkeo, the scratchier Kaweco, bleeds through for some reason. Its line is the same thickness as the Sport's, yet it bleeds through like crazy in places.

Are Field Notes fountain pen friendly?

Honestly, the answer depends on which fountain pen you own, along with its nib size and ink.

I've found that Kaweco ink is fairly dry. It gives me really clean lines, which I love, and I haven't had any issues with the Kaweco Sport.

I use Palm Green and black ink in it all the time in my notebooks. The paper has just enough friction to feel super nice to write on, and I get no bleed-through, only minimal ghosting.

So my answer is yes, and I'll keep using fountain pens in my Field Notes. I know there are a ton of videos out there saying Field Notes are not fountain pen friendly.

Don't expect a super inky fountain pen to work, but you can definitely use fountain pens in Field Notes. I had filled about 10 or 15 of them when I recorded this.

Best for: fine nibs with a fairly dry ink. Skip wet, broad nibs on this paper.

If the bleed-through is happening in a planner rather than a pocket notebook, I wrote up why fountain pen ink bleeds through planner paper.

The gear worth a look

Field Notes: a standard Field Notes pack. The one I tested is the Everglades National Park edition.
Kaweco Sport: the same model as my first fountain pen (mine is green), no bleed-through on this paper.
Kaweco Sport Olivine: one of my favorites in the lineup.
Kaweco Palm Green Ink: one of the two inks I use all the time on my notebooks.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Are Field Notes fountain pen friendly?

Field Notes can be fountain pen friendly, depending on the pen, nib size and ink. Don't expect a super inky fountain pen to work, but a fine nib with a fairly dry ink, like my Kaweco Sport, shows only minimal ghosting and no bleed-through.

Which fountain pen worked on Field Notes?

The Kaweco Sport, the pen I use in Field Notes all the time, showed no bleed-through and only minimal ghosting. The TWSBI and the Traveler's Company fountain pen with a Kaweco nib also avoided bleed-through.

Which pens bled through?

Two pens bled through Field Notes in my test: my Montblanc, a super wet pen with a really thick line, and my Kaweco Perkeo, which bled through like crazy in places.