I haven't been here long, but during the time I've been here, I have read a lot of the inky posts and reviews. And anybody who's read these archives knows--Penman Sapphire is regarded as like ,the standard, by many people.

Well, I had a Penman Sapphire cartridge around here, and I decided to see how it compared with some other inks I've got. I did a comparison on a page with DC Blue and Noodler's Blue, and there's about a dime's worth of difference. The Penman Sapphire looks less saturated than either--probably because it does not flow as well as Noodler's Blue or DC Blue.

I'd say it flows a little better than Pelikan Fount India, but definitely closer to Pelikan Fount India in the way it flows than to Noodler's or to DC Blue.

The Penman looks a little duller to me. It's a decent color, for sure, but I'd take DC Show or Noodler's Blue over the Penman, and that's before you consider flow characteristics.

I've only got one cartridge of this ink, but if there's anybody out there who'd like me to mail them a page that consists of a line written in Penman, a line written in DC Blue, and a line written in Noodler's blue, I'd be glad to trade for something similar from you.

I can just scan this page and maybe I will, but I'm thinking a scan would just understate or overstate the differences, which aren't much.

CowDad

I haven't used much DC blue, but I do use a lot of Penman Sapphire. For me it flows well in all of the pens I use it in, and is a rich, saturated blue. I've compared it to many other blues that I can get my hands on, but prefer it to them all. The closest I've found to it in color is PR Lake Placid Blue. If I get a chance I'll try to put together a sampler for you.

kathy wc

I agree. Though I perceive Penman Sapphire and DC Supershow Blue to be very much alike, I do prefer the Penman. It just jumps off the page...

I can't see how one can overrate or underrate Penman Sapphire or inks in general. For beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Penman does, however, have some characterisctics (the smudging) that make it less than perfect.

Be that as it may, it's still my favourite!

since the cartridges are getting a bit old, it's possible the flow isn't so great because the ink is a bit saturated. Though I couldn't say that without actually seeing it.

I like Sapphire but I found the flow actually to be a bit too much (it was the bottled form). Like you, I prefer DC Blue - it's a bit brighter and more vibrant to my eye. But I see Sapphire as a true bright blue while DC Blue leans just a teensy weensy bit green by comparison.