What is a professional looking ink that isn't Blue, Black or Blue/Black?

I think a good deep brown looks very professional. Something like PR Chocolat.

A brown would be nice. I use Waterman Havana Brown.
Another color to consider would be a dark green. I use Private Reserve Avocado, which I like very much, but I have heard of many others using Mont Blanc British Racing Green.

Green Marine - only 5 to 10% bulletproof though. Red-Black as well.

Walnut, which is more durable and very conservative.

It is known Walnut is used in that capacity a lot, as I am rather familiar with its sales volumes and the resulting e-mails about how it is used by people. Green Marine and Sequoia to a lesser degree as they are not as durable. If durability is an issue there is Grizzly, Hunter, and now and then when available Mata Hari's Cordial (which is a pretty deep conservative burgundy, and resists UV light very well...as well as the tools of the forgers). The last one is not as abundant as I would like it to be, however - my apologies.

I'm very happy with Noodler's Walnut as well as Saqouia, although I don't use saquoia for official documents. I'm looking for other colors that also mimic Black or Dark blue as far as looking professional. So I'll be eagerly watching the inks listed here

My first reaction is to tell you that there is no such thing as a professional-looking ink that is not black, blue, or blue-black.

I suppose, however, you could stretch the concept of professional to include a green-black like Zhivago or Aircorps or a brown-black like Walnut.

I love Havana Brown and use it often at home. It is not, however, a professional-looking ink, so I will not sign official correspondence with it.

Brown, green or red, I think.

Dark green or dark brown

For some reason, I cannot picture any color other than black on a formal ("professional") document. Just the concept of being in color strikes me as informal, not serious, maybe even partyish.........

I recently started using PR Tanzanite in some fine nibs that needed extra flow. To my surprise, it looks more blue than purple on the page, and is (IMHO) within the realm of professional blues.

Almost all written words at my current job are typed, but I would have been comfortable handwriting a college theme with Tanzanite ("all formal papers must be written in blue or black ink") if I'd had it back then.

I've also used light and dark teal inks for professional signatures on the edge of the blue domain. My job-search personal letterhead was printed in teal and signed with Waterman South Seas Blue.

My choice is certainly a deep rich dark violet, something like J. Herbin's Violet Pensée.
Alejandro

My votes are: a brown like R&K Sepia or PR Copper Burst, the latter with some black added in to darken it up. That, or something like Noodler's Zhivago (Green-Black) or Noodler's Red-Black. Also, you could look actual Blue-Blacks, those with a purple tinge, which are quite different from many of the modern 'Blue-Blacks,' which are more often just dark, dark blues.

Aaron

Is this ink just for "professional-looking" signatures, or for hand-written things like memos or notes to colleagues?

For signatures, any of the browns suggested -- Walnut or Red-Black would be appropriate. If you want to pay the premium, the FPN LE Galileo Manuscript would be a good choice, too. While I personally enjoy using Green Marine for signatures on professional correspondence, I am in a position where I have a little more latitude about what I do. If you're a senior partner or independent, and you have the personality to support using Green Marine, go for it. Pushing the edge just a bit further (but not, in my opinion, too far) Antietam would be a very distinctive and professional-looking signature ink -- brick red/terracotta, almost brown.

For longer writing, El Lawrence is a distinctive, conservative greenish gray. On the right color stationery, I think it would be right at home in a professional setting. Especially in a medium, stub, or broad nib. And El Law is bulletproof, as I recall.

Other than the colors mentioned-I would also add Private Reserve Ebony Green to the list.

Alejandro wrote:

"My choice is certainly a deep rich dark violet, something like J. Herbin's Violet Pensée."

I like Violet Pensee, too, as a professional ink color. I also use some browns, sepia and burgundy. I think MB bordeaux is a sober professional color. I have received no criticisms on my inks colors yet, and I have gotten some compliments.

Seriously, people I can't believe nobody has mentioned the most professional looking ink in existence: Noodler's Legal Lapis. There's nothing like it for signing official documents.....except maybe Iraqi Indigo (now Violet Vote)... or Bulletproof Black...or Walnut....or Beaver.....or Upper Ganges Blue....

Nobody has mentioned Legal Lapis because the original poster is asking about inks OTHER THAN black, blue, and blue black. Legal Lapis is considered a member of the blue black family of inks.

I agree.

Brown or very dark violet.

MB Racing Green -- MB Racing Green -- MB Racing Green

I was (and still am) a big proponent of blue, black, or blue/black inks. Pelikan blue/black was my go-to for quite a while.

Then along came MB Racing Green. Sure, it's green. But it's not so green that an ink conservative, such as myself, would be turned off. I've used it to sign bank documents, leases, contracts, gov. forms, etc, and no one has said anything about it, either positive or negative. The Pelikan M600 doing the signing gets all the comments.

MB Racing Green has enough life to be interesting, though. I like it much better than any standard ink I've used. Very easy on the eyes. Indeed, I've heard green is the easiest color to read. (Again, don't confuse this for a bright, felt-pen green, because it's not. Very earthy and subdued...not what I would think of if someone said "Green Ink"). The other ink that often gets professional recommendation is Zhivago, which produces an undeniable black in all the pens I've tested with it. Very boring.

In all seriousness, I've used over 30 inks at this point. My choice is MB Racing Green. It behaves flawlessly, has an appealing color, and can be used on the daily for any purpose. I don't have enough experience with MB pens to say one way or the other about them, but MB inks are the best as far as I'm concerned.

Noodlers Purple Wampum, especially in a wet writer, looks nearly black, and I think can pass muster on all but the most official of documents. I'm an attorney, and I use it for note-taking (in my Lamy 2000) all the time. PR Fiesta Red also is good, as it is a nice dark red. Basically, I think you're looking for dark colors. Something not too bright or garish.

I went to school in the 50's. Back then, fountain pens were in normal use, and ballpoints were available, but tended to blob and skip.

"Proper" or "business" colors were Black, Blue, and Blue-Black ... ONLY.

Anything else was strictly for fun or personal use. This isn't my opinion of acceptable color -- it's my best recollection of what actually WAS an acceptable color. Colored inks were used for personal letters only.

Everyone is entitled believe that the deep green/purple/burgundy/brown they use is suitable for business. It's a little like defining "business casual." We can dispute whether a tie for men is part of the deal (depending on geography), but a sports bra top for a woman is definitely not.

If your boss "compliments" your ink color, it indicates that your choice is far from the norm, and therefore unacceptable in business. If your boss is a fountain pen fanatic, like the rest of us, then it's probably a sincere admiration.

I don't see non-uniform ink colors as business casual. Instead, I view them as an acceptable means of personal expression. Rather than paralleling brown ink to jeans in the work place, I would parallel it to the large pink tie Donald Trump wears on TV. Before, everybody dressed relatively uniformly, with white dress shirts and a simple tie. Now, business professional attire includes striped or non-white collared shirts with unique ties. Likewise, inks no longer have to be black or blue to be accepted as professional, but can be of a variety of colors while still maintaining a level of professionalism.
Along these lines, when a boss compliments your ink color, it should be viewed as you breaking from the norm and being identified as an individual. Your boss will always recognize your differently colored ink as yours, and it will come to represent you much in the way your custom-designed checks or unique glasses will be recognized instantly as an extension of your personality.

I tend to agree with Philip. The 50's was an era of cookie cutter corporate consumerism, and Soviet paranoia. In short, if you didn't dress, act, and buy like John and Jane Doe down the road, something was amiss. The social standards of the 1950's are about as applicable today as the social standards of the 1850's (no offense meant).

Granted, I wouldn't go to a job interview and fill out my paperwork with a purple ink (for the love of God). But I would feel entirely comfortable using Montblanc British Racing Green. I've used it for all kinds of documents, and (again) haven't gotten a comment one way or the other (which is a testament to it's ability to blend in -- or slip through the cracks, if you prefer).

If you regularly sign G13 classified KGB assassination orders, then by all means, use blue or black (blue-black if you feel extra daring). If your pen duties fall into the range of 99.9% of normal persons, then go with one of the recommendations in this thread.

Yeah, it all depends on what profession you're in, doesn't it? This has come up before and it's been pointed out that certain legal documents are required to be signed in certain colors and so on. The points made about standing out versus blending in should be considered carefully. If you're the boss, you may have more latitude when corresponding with those in your employ, but may have to put on a different face when you deal with clients or stockholders.

If you are a consultant there's a fine balance. You want to convey that you have solutions that your clients haven't considered, but at the same time show that you have the capacity to be invisible. The person who has hired you wants your out-of-the-box thinking but wants to showcase it as their own good management skills. Then a nice dark green or brown may be just the thing.

If you're an ad exec, you might just want to write everything you do in bright pink ink...

In all fairness to the original poster, he did ask for "professional" colors. The rest is our individual interpretations or personal comments on the topic, all of which are valid. Although the definition of what a profressional ink color might be has certainly altered, I think Splicer is right that certain professions have tighter rules than others. I would add that certain organizations have tighter rules than some. I used to work part time for a private contractor that had a contract with the Veterans Administration. I could use whatever color ink I wanted in communications with the contractor, but the VA documents had to be signed in black or blue. On active duty in the Army, I could use a wide variety of ink colors in private messages, but official documents required black.

For the last 20 years of my professional life, I have functioned in positions of authority and I was the guy reading job applications submitted by others. You might be surprized at what I saw on paper, from lavender to screaming pink. The "I gotta be me" mentality has pervaded the thinking of the younger members of the workforce, and they will express their "uniqueness" any way they can. I was employing people in church work, parochial education and social services, so there could be a degree of flexibility in professional conduct. But screaming pink ink told me that the individual might not be a disciplined worker. A dark violet, brown or burgundy ink might be a better option. Job interviews usually confirmed the impressions I got from the application forms.

By the way, only about 1/3 of the applicants used black or blue ink. Isn't that interesting?

The other day having a 'professional appearance' to my report was ruined by having NOT used a noodler's waterproof ink as I normally use. Any colour would have been fine, as long as it is waterproof. A drop of water hit the report, when I walked across the square to the other building.... and a big unprofessional ink blotch formed. That wouldn't have happened with a ballpoint or waterproof ink.

I used Private Reserve Sherwood Green for many years in a professional capacity. I found folks were more curious about the fact that I used a fountain pen than the colour choice. If I was asked about the colour I either replied "it's so it's distinguishable from a photocopy" or "I like it." Either answer seemed acceptable to people.

One day I happened to have another pen in my pocket and signed an outgoing letter in blue ink. My secretary came running in because she thought I'd made a mistake.

I used black for years, until the advent of the really good copy machines, then went to Blue for all my "legal" signatures.
My favorite is Parker Penman Sapphire -- still have bunches of it. Of course I grew up in the cookie cutter paranoid 50's