I use Pelikan blue-black bottled ink in my Jotter, and since I have yet to get a converter for my Pelikano, a blue-black Pelikan cartridge for it. I was wondering if its just me or is there a difference in shades of the two inks? The cartridge ink seems more 'washed-out', like it has some green mixed in, while the bottled ink is a real nice blue with hints of black.

I don't have an answer, I'm afraid, but I was underwhelmed by the blue-black cartridges. Same with the royal blue carts, actually. It's put me off trying the bottled ink, but I do love a good blue-black. Sounds like an excuse to buy more ink - thank you.

Jon

It's more likely to be a difference in the pens (this is not to say there's no difference in the ink.) Paper will make a difference in how the ink looks, too.

When you get a chance and are able to, try both the bottled ink & cartridge ink in several pens and on several papers.

HTH,
Ann

The pen makes a huge difference, as does the paper. For example, my Pelikan M400 makes Waterman Blue look totally dark, navy-like blue. Out of my Sheaffer TRZ it's more purplish-royal blue.

Ah . . . yeah, what she said.

Advice from others about fair comparisons having been taken on board, I would agree with the OP: there IS a difference between Pelikan 4001 blue-black bottled ink and cartridges. Tested using the same Waterman Kultur F on the same sheet of paper for both types of ink. Not only is there a difference in shade, but there is also a variation in water-fastness.

Both types of ink were bought as current/new stock from the same 'bricks and mortar' retail shop during the summer of 2007.

Left side was 'dipped' in plain water for 10 seconds, the right side was 'soaked' for about a minute. The centre stayed dry other than a bit of splashing.

Click to view attachment

It's almost as though they left the 'blue' component out of the cartridges, but it's also interesting that the cartridges show a fair amount of water resistance.

DeeJay

Maybe this is just prejudice coming out here, but in 38 years of using fountain pens, I have yet to come across a cartridge with ink that I like. I know they are convenient, but I have often felt that cartridges are in the league of tea-bags - obviously not, in this case, the floor-sweepings, but maybe the tank-flushings.

I agree. The pen and paper are factors. I do have the blue Pelikan cartridge in a Pelikan Rollerball and the blue ink bottle from Cross (made by Pelikan) in an Esterbrook fountain pen. Given these instruments, I noticed that the cartridge was more on the purple or reddish side than the bottle, which is more of a neutral blue. I prefer the blue from the bottle than the cartridge.

In any piece of writing the potential factors that might affect the outcome include -
the nib
the ink delivery system (ie. the rest of the pen)
the paper
the ink
the environmental conditions
the person holding the pen

The point of my sample, posted above, was to *eliminate* the effect of all
those factors other than the ink itself, by keeping them the same. The only
thing that changed - in that sample - was the ink. The reason that is significant
is that naively one might have expected the ink to be the same as well,
given that it comes from the same manufacturer - Pelikan - with the
same branding - 4001 - and is marked as the same colour - BlueBlack.

DJ