This is one of several scans I'm posting today. All inks (except the one noted) are bottled ink. Except for that one exception, all color names were written with a Speedball B-6 steel dip nib (the exception was written with the corner of a Pilot Parallel pen).

These are photos taken without flash, then adjusted to be consistent with each other and to match what I see (to the extent possible on my particular monitor). I hope they are useful to someone.

PURPLES

- Conway Stewart Violet (a light-medium magenta-like color, only slight shading)

- Diamine Imperial Purple (bold purple, seems to be directly in the middle of red and blue, little or no shading)

- Caran d'Ache Storm (dusty purple or a softened purple; has a touch more red/plum than Diamine Imperial Purple but it's not as vivid of a color; more shading than this example suggests)

- Rohrer & Klingner Alt-Bordeaux (dusky purple-wine; little shading; more reddish than Caran d'Ache Storm) (also shown in my Red ink comparison)

hi Blueiris,

thanks for this review. I am a purple freak, as you can see from my name.

if you don't mind me asking, how would the prices of the inks compare? I like Diamine Imperial Purple best. So far, I have only one purple ink (Sheaffer purple ink).

thanks,
purpledog

Hi purpledog,

I believe all of these colors are available from Pendemonium, so you can check their website for pricing details per ounce/milliliter. I think the Diamine Imperial Purple is probably the most economical because it comes in the largest bottle. The Caran d'Ache Storm is probably the most expensive, as it's a small (but pretty) bottle but has the highest price. I think the Rohrer & Klingner as probably next most expensive, then the Conway Stewart.

You can find these colors at other online retailers, too, such as Pear Tree Pen Company and Art Brown (Diamine and Caran d'Ache), The Inked Nib (R&K), and Penseller.com (Conway Stewart). This is last I checked, anyway. There are others who sell these inks, too, I'm sure.