I just bought some Sheaffer red ink...the bottle at the bottom says Slovenia in a glass imprint. My question is that I don't see the color of the ink on the bottle. Also it is packaged in an all-plastic square box, as many were. The cap was red, but I also saw other caps that were red but not as bright. I thought it was odd that I didn't see any color name.

In addtion, there were a few Sheaffer inks that were in a cardboard box, not plastic. Were they the older versions of Shaeffer ink. The boxes were a maroon/redish and said Sheaffer Skrip on it, but I think the ink was blue or black.

My question is whether or not there is a way to know exactly what inks.

Unfortunately, Sheaffer's new Slovenian ink is packaged rather poorly. The only way to identify the ink color once the outer plastic box has been discarded is to have the cap with the color sticker intact. If you don't have the cap, then dipping and testing is the only other way.

As to the red color, Sheaffer's 11 ink colors (of which only 8 come in bottles - orange, gold (yellow), and pink only come in carts) tend toward middle of the road ink colors.

I and other dealers have given Sheaffer feedback on the bottle labeling, the bottle shape (bring back the inkwell bottle), and ink colors and names (Persian Rose and Persian Blue, for example). Sheaffer would do well to have about 16-20 colors in the stable.

Cheers,

Jim Mamoulides
www.PenHero.com

The slightly narrower and taller maroon box is what was being produced before production moved to Slovenia. Inside is the famous Skrip-well bottle, with the little reserve in the upper part of the bottle that makes filling a pen easier.

I've seen extra color stickers on the the plastic packaging for the conic-section (or "cone") shaped Slovenian Skrip bottle, but it's still pretty confusing.

Quinks marking of the colours on the bottle is just as bad as sheaffer - just one coloured label which often is not even placed properly square! I just don't know what is the matter with these marketing people sometimes. Nothing wrong with leaving a good design and layout as it is. John