Good Ink For Legal Writing (On Legal Pads)

[papabear16]

Hello,

 

I'm relatively new here, and have a rather unique question for you. To preface this, you need to understand where I'm coming from. I'm very color-blind. I can see colors, of course, but I'm sure I perceive them differently than most of you. So while I enjoy color, combinations that are pleasing to my eye are often not to others.

 

(For those curious, my wife sets out my clothes. My staff knows our marriage is on the rocks if I come in looking like a clown.)

 

Okay, with that said, I'm at attorney, and thus do a significant amount of my writing on normal yellow legal pads. I'd like to find an ink to use that would be interesting and different from the usual blue or black, and both pleasing to my eyes and to others on that paper.

 

For example, I recently saw Waterman's Havana Brown, and while I know it's a standard, I loved it. How would it look on a legal pad? I have no idea.

 

So, I was hoping people here would post suggestions of inks or ink colors that would look good on traditional yellow paper to their eyes. From those, I can choose which ones look good to me, and explore further.

 

Thanks for your help.

[Laura N]

I think with yellow legal pads, the quality of the paper is so bad these days that your real issue is going to be finding an ink that doesn't feather. Waterman Florida Blue is good about that, as is Pelikan Royal Blue, and so are iron gall inks like Montblanc Midnight Blue.

 

As for color, I guess I can't help. I'd just stick with a blue, since its stands out on the yellow. Maybe a darker blue or a blue-black would be different enough for your purposes? Waterman Blue Black is still out there, though it is now named Mysterious Blue, for reasons that are, to me, a mystery.

[Ghost Plane]

You want to think about nib size and ink performance in addition to colors as most legal pads are awful paper and the inks feather like crazy. Color will change drastically between an EF nib and a BB nib, so factor that in as well.

 

Do you have red/green or a broader color spectrum problem? I'm thinking of dark purples to begin with. Look at a drier ink like Waterman, Montblanc or Pelikan that won't feather as badly, then explore the darker colors.

 

I personally have no problem with Havana Brown in the business sense. Waterman Purple might be another good choice for business use.

 

Goulet Pens sells samples, but not all the inks will perform well on indifferent paper. You might invest in colors that look interesting you on a screen, then spend an hour or two experimenting with your wife in tow. Those that perform well on your paper and make both of you go, "Oooooooooooh pretty!" will be your go-to office ink.

[papabear16]

Good advice so far, thank you. I should say that we're lucky here—my boss likes nicer paper, so I haven't noticed much feathering. Also, I have much broader color issues than the more-common red/green. One downside is that blue ink is my least favorite—most blues appear quite light to me, and disappear into the page. They stand out a little more on a yellow legal pad than on white paper, but I almost universally use black at the moment. I typically write with a medium nib or a 1.1 italic, something with a little thickness to it.

[MadAmos]

I suggest looking at Diamine Damson or Grape. Both are well mannered and subtitle enough for business use, at least no one has complained where I work yet.

[papabear16]

Ooh, I like the prospect of that Dansom!

[Laura N]

If you like Diamine Damson, how about Rohrer & Klingner Scabiosa? It is a modern iron gall ink in a dusky purple tone that's gloriously well-behaved and reasonably priced. Here is a randomly selected review.

[Christi0469]

I use Docket Gold legal pads (in white) and they behave very well with my pen/ink combos. They may not work well with very wet inks or broad nibs. A very dark green may show up against the yellow paper. You might want to check out Private Reserve's ebony blue, green and purple.

[Elizabeth in NJ]

I found a small yellow legal pad and tested it with every pen I had on hand.

 

#1 - I liked this one but I see now you said that blue ink on yellow paper doesn't work well for you, so this may be a no-go.

 

#2 - This looks better in the scan than in real life. It's workable, but blah.

 

#3 & 4 - It's not too exciting, but it does look very nice.

 

http://i.imgur.com/ODFKsPul.jpg

 

#5 - Does Baystate Blue fade into the yellow for you? It doesn't play well with some pens.

 

#6 - A darker green could work if it works for you.

 

#7- The less said about this the better.

 

http://i.imgur.com/Do5EecPl.jpg

 

 

Why do some lawyers use yellow pads anyway?

 

 

I suggest looking at Diamine Damson or Grape. Both are well mannered and subtitle enough for business use, at least no one has complained where I work yet.

I'd consider bright purple ink quite unprofessional. (Admittedly I work in a conservative industry.) Whether someone heard complaints or not wouldn't change the fact that they'd be taken less seriously by many people, including me. Perhaps it's a matter of what industry you're in. A deep wine color like Diamine Syrah might work. I sometimes even use a black/plum shade, but not on any work product that will be seen by people outside my immediate department. Regardless, I don't think somebody who can't judge it for themselves should take the risk.

Edited April 12, 2013 by Elizabeth in NJ

[johntdavis]

As far as the appropriateness of ink color in legal work ...

 

I'm a lawyer, and aside from actually signing court filings or transactional documents (which I do in some shade of blue so I can recognize an original over copies), my superiors and clients don't normally ever have reason to see anything I've written by hand. Maybe, every once in a while, someone might see a document I've marked up in the margins, but you've got some leeway on what color you use for markup, anyway--if people will accept red, they'll accept just about anything but neon.

 

So I wouldn't worry about using a vivid purple. In fact, I've used vivid purple before. My handwritten notes are my notes, and unlikely to be seen by anyone else. Certainly not by anyone outside my office, as they're privileged work product. If it's something I need to share I'll type it up before sending it out, anyway--I likely will need to expand on whatever it is and clarify it beyond my initial scribblings, and make sure it's perfectly legible and unambiguous. I do all my filing electronically using scanned/typed documents, so if I'm really worried about the color, I'll scan it greyscale or black and white.

 

For the record, my last supervisor didn't care what color I used--including purple. They were my notes and he never needed to see them anyway.

 

So, yeah. Keep one pen inked up with blue black for filings and contracts and letters and anything else you have to share, and have fun with the rest.

[The Good Captain]

Why would you use a 'legal pad' with yellow paper? Or any pad for that matter?

Sorry, but to a Brit that just seems plain daft.

What have you against white paper?

[johntdavis]

Why would you use a 'legal pad' with yellow paper? Or any pad for that matter?

Sorry, but to a Brit that just seems plain daft.

What have you against white paper?

 

... No idea, actually. They make white legal pads, but the vast majority tend to be yellow. It's got to be some sort of tradition, but I can't imagine where it started. I use white pads, myself, and they're not always "legal."

 

(Legal being 8" x 14", compared to 8" x 11" for Letter-size. I believe the designations for these paper sizes are different in the UK.)

 

The only practical reason I can think to use a yellow pad in a law office is, again, to identify an original document. Yellow paper automatically tells you it's the original thing, not a photocopy. Now that I think about it, I also imagine the yellow paper glares less in less-than-great office lighting.

[MadAmos]

I suggest looking at Diamine Damson or Grape. Both are well mannered and subtitle enough for business use, at least no one has complained where I work yet.

 

 

I'd consider bright purple ink quite unprofessional. (Admittedly I work in a conservative industry.) Whether someone heard complaints or not wouldn't change the fact that they'd be taken less seriously by many people, including me. Perhaps it's a matter of what industry you're in. A deep wine color like Diamine Syrah might work. I sometimes even use a black/plum shade, but not on any work product that will be seen by people outside my immediate department. Regardless, I don't think somebody who can't judge it for themselves should take the risk.

 

I work in the Nuclear power industry and talk about conservative even our regulations have regulations. Virtually every document is archived for close to forever. The Damson is for me a very dark almost black when used with a fairly wet nib and the purple shading has not been enough to raise an eyebrow yet.

[dcaesq]

I think with yellow legal pads, the quality of the paper is so bad these days that your real issue is going to be finding an ink that doesn't feather. Waterman Florida Blue is good about that, as is Pelikan Royal Blue, and so are iron gall inks like Montblanc Midnight Blue.

 

As for color, I guess I can't help. I'd just stick with a blue, since its stands out on the yellow. Maybe a darker blue or a blue-black would be different enough for your purposes? Waterman Blue Black is still out there, though it is now named Mysterious Blue, for reasons that are, to me, a mystery.

 

Yellow legal pads are ghastly. Your first move is to move up to better paper. One of my favorite legal pads is made of baggasse paper and sold by Staples. It's inexpensive but definitely not cheap. A second favorite is an Ampad evidence pastel. The A4 Rhodia, also, of course. And with these wonderful papers you can use any of your favorite pen and ink combos. I understand all too well the conservative nature of our business, but I don't know many lawyers who still use them.

Edited April 13, 2013 by dcaesq

[dcaesq]

As far as the appropriateness of ink color in legal work ...

 

I'm a lawyer, and aside from actually signing court filings or transactional documents (which I do in some shade of blue so I can recognize an original over copies), my superiors and clients don't normally ever have reason to see anything I've written by hand. Maybe, every once in a while, someone might see a document I've marked up in the margins, but you've got some leeway on what color you use for markup, anyway--if people will accept red, they'll accept just about anything but neon.

 

So I wouldn't worry about using a vivid purple. In fact, I've used vivid purple before. My handwritten notes are my notes, and unlikely to be seen by anyone else. Certainly not by anyone outside my office, as they're privileged work product. If it's something I need to share I'll type it up before sending it out, anyway--I likely will need to expand on whatever it is and clarify it beyond my initial scribblings, and make sure it's perfectly legible and unambiguous. I do all my filing electronically using scanned/typed documents, so if I'm really worried about the color, I'll scan it greyscale or black and white.

 

For the record, my last supervisor didn't care what color I used--including purple. They were my notes and he never needed to see them anyway.

 

So, yeah. Keep one pen inked up with blue black for filings and contracts and letters and anything else you have to share, and have fun with the rest.

 

 

You're so lucky. In DC Superior Court, everything has to be signed in black ink. I've come close to running myself crazy looking for a black pen. That color of ink has just never done it for me. I finally found some relief by sneaking a Pilot Petit1 blue-black into my pen case.

[johntdavis]

As far as the appropriateness of ink color in legal work ...

 

I'm a lawyer, and aside from actually signing court filings or transactional documents (which I do in some shade of blue so I can recognize an original over copies), my superiors and clients don't normally ever have reason to see anything I've written by hand. Maybe, every once in a while, someone might see a document I've marked up in the margins, but you've got some leeway on what color you use for markup, anyway--if people will accept red, they'll accept just about anything but neon.

 

So I wouldn't worry about using a vivid purple. In fact, I've used vivid purple before. My handwritten notes are my notes, and unlikely to be seen by anyone else. Certainly not by anyone outside my office, as they're privileged work product. If it's something I need to share I'll type it up before sending it out, anyway--I likely will need to expand on whatever it is and clarify it beyond my initial scribblings, and make sure it's perfectly legible and unambiguous. I do all my filing electronically using scanned/typed documents, so if I'm really worried about the color, I'll scan it greyscale or black and white.

 

For the record, my last supervisor didn't care what color I used--including purple. They were my notes and he never needed to see them anyway.

 

So, yeah. Keep one pen inked up with blue black for filings and contracts and letters and anything else you have to share, and have fun with the rest.

 

 

You're so lucky. In DC Superior Court, everything has to be signed in black ink. I've come close to running myself crazy looking for a black pen. That color of ink has just never done it for me. I finally found some relief by sneaking a Pilot Petit1 blue-black into my pen case.

 

 

Wow. I've been in various Texas state and federal courts so far. Some of the federal appeals courts are pretty picky about brief formatting (and the federal courts in general are more picky than the Texas state courts about structure--which is in some ways a good thing, I think), but I've yet to run across any court rules that specify the color of ink for signatures.

 

I don't really get the point of that, especially since if you file electronically you can just scan in the signed document black and white. The ink could be bright orange and it will look solid black anyway.

 

Personally, I never sign any documents in black ink if I can avoid it because you can't easily distinguish it from a non-original copy. I don't use straight up blue because it can be too bright, but blue-black strikes a good balance.

 

...Now I'm going to be paranoid about looking at the local rules for signatures...

[WendyNC]

My two suggestions would be PR Ebony Purple and Noodler's Zhivago (a dark green). The Zhivago does surprisingly well on iffy paper.

 

If anyone other than you (such as your staff) might ever need to read your notes, please stay away from the reds, including the deeper ones. Any shade of red on yellow legal pad is tough on the rest of us (says she who has worked with attorneys for almost 35 years).

[cellmatrix]

Montblanc midnite blue? Probably would feather the least. It seems to look good on ivory paper so i suppose yellow would be good too.

[Ghost Plane]

Florida just rolled over to e-filing, so mandatory colors will soon be a thing of the past. My last real property transaction required blue ink for originals, even tho' the color scanners could reproduce it. Tradition lags behind tech

[MC_in_Houston]

Why would you use a 'legal pad' with yellow paper? Or any pad for that matter?

Sorry, but to a Brit that just seems plain daft.

What have you against white paper?

Daft? Don't your judges still run around in medieval robes and powdered wigs?

 

If you droop a bundle of plain white papers with all your notes on the way to court you have a sorting problem assuming the wind does not carry your notes off. A pad keeps them in order. The yellow is traditional for the carbon copy of the white original. Everything yellow is yours, anything white is the courts, customer's, etc. The "legal" size was cooked up by cheap colonials like Ben Franklin because lawyers charged by the page for legal documents. Adding three inches to a will or contract was intended to reduce the price.