Abstract: A protective shield for a felt tip pen is provided for spacing the ink-laden felt nib of the pen from a ruling edge to prevent ink from contacting or bleeding under the ruling edge. The protective shield includes a relatively thin plate substantially overlying one side of the felt nib and including a relatively short wing projecting at least slightly beyond one longitudinal margin of the overlaid side. In use, the plate engages the ruling edge with its outboard face to space the felt nib therefrom when the felt nib is moved over a writing surface in a direction generally parallel with the plate. Alternatively, when the felt nib is moved over a writing surface in a direction generally perpendicular to the plate, the free marginal edge of the wing engages the ruling edge to maintain the nib in spaced relation therewith.