Good Ink For Legal Writing (On Legal Pads)

[The Good Captain]

I understand the point of the yellow paper. If th epaper is of poor quality then something like R&K Salix or Pelikan 4001 Blue-Black would look reasonable - both have an appealing colour when on 'yellow' Rhodia.

[Stompie]

Why not Pharmacists inks?

 

His Turkish Nights is a beautiful blue as you write and changes colour before your eyes, and of course, being iron gall it will outlast you!

 

Then he also has his black ink and a great brown as well.

 

I enjoy the iron gall inks as they enable fine hairlines.

 

Diamine Registrars and ESS Registrars inks, although blue also dry and turn more black over time.

[Duro]

For anyone wondering about yellow legal pads, another reason for using them that I've encountered recently is that it's been (allegedly) scientifically proven that the yellow paper help you memorize better than white paper. That, in addition to the other reasons a lawyer might use it (organization, etc...). I don't know if it's true or not, but the owner of a stationary store I go to told me this when I purchased my Rhodia A4 pad on Yellow paper.

 

Speaking of Rhodia, I can DEFINITELY recommend it for anyone that needs yellow legal pads and quality paper for use with a fountain pen. It is rather expensive though (it cost me ~10$ for one pad).

 

If anyone knows of any other quality yellow pads, I'd be interested in hearing about it as I'm also in the legal profession and am generally always looking for a solid yellow pad.

 

As for the inks I've used:

 

Aurora Black is the best black, though that would be boring for you

Diamine Midnight looks great on my yellow pad

Diamine OxBlood looks ok, but not as nice on a yellow pad than on white paper IMHO

Kaweco Blue-Black is not saturated enough to look goof on any paper, let alone a legal pad.

I had a Diamine green ink, but didn't like it on the pad either.

 

So far, those are the only inks I've tried, though I have plenty of samples and have two bottles in the mail as well.

[Christi0469]

Ampad Gold Fiber and Topps Docket Gold. I have only tried the Docket Gold since it is stocked at my local office supply store. The paper is higher quality and the pad has a sturdy double-thick cardboard back. It works well for me with all of my current pen/ink combinations. Ampad Gold Fiber was highly recommended for the same reason.

[Elizabeth in NJ]

With regard to signature colors:

 

Today my boss asked me to get some original documents. We usually just work from the scans in the system, but he wanted the original-originals. I asked the Keeper of Such Documents for them, and given that it was an unusual request, she called him to confirm that the original-originals were really what he wanted.

 

She said "Okay, so you want the blue-ink originals?"

 

I asked her about it, and she confirmed that it no longer actually matters what color the signatures actually were, but that she found that calling them blue-ink originals was good for clarity as everybody understood what it was referring to.

[recluse]

With regard to signature colors:

 

Today my boss asked me to get some original documents. We usually just work from the scans in the system, but he wanted the original-originals. I asked the Keeper of Such Documents for them, and given that it was an unusual request, she called him to confirm that the original-originals were really what he wanted.

 

She said "Okay, so you want the blue-ink originals?"

 

I asked her about it, and she confirmed that it no longer actually matters what color the signatures actually were, but that she found that calling them blue-ink originals was good for clarity as everybody understood what it was referring to.

 

This is interesting. Quite recently I had a conversation about exactly these matters and I was confidently told that in the US it is required to sign forms in black. I was surprised by that because some twenty years ago, back in my European days, I was taught to sign in anything but black (and maybe green, I forgot) in order to be able to tell copies from originals. This made sense and this is what I did since then. It's good to know that this practice was also (somewhat?) common in the US.

Edited April 20, 2013 by recluse

[edorsky]

There was a time when blue ink would not show up on the copies. Copier technology has since progressed nicely.

[recluse]

There was a time when blue ink would not show up on the copies. Copier technology has since progressed nicely.

 

Thanks, didn't think about that. I've had deal with couple prehistoric copiers and I think the problematic color was green (don't remember). Or maybe that was intentional. In any case I've used to think about blue as a safe color. It's turned out it wasn't that simple.

[Harlequin]

As I've only scanned through the second half of this topic, I can't be sure that someone didn't already mention this, but I think Diamine Ancient Copper looks great on yellow legal pads. To wit, here are some pics (couldn't do scans, so sorry about the slight shadow, in person the paper is obviously much brighter):

 

 

 

And a close up, just for a slightly better look:

 

 

I like the very slight hint of red that comes through (especially on the yellow paper) as opposed to a straight brown.

[dcaesq]

Wow, thank you all for the responses above—especially the demo! This will give me a lot to think about. The discussion about the practice of law and papers and signatures was also interesting.

 

For me, I'm a Michigan civil litigator. Other than letters—the majority of which we now scan and email—I haven't applied a written signature to anything in quite awhile. Our briefs are almost exclusively efiled, which means we apply an electronic signature (literally, "_/s/ John Doe_"). So it's not important for that reason. And my clients almost never see my handwritten work product.

 

As to the yellow pads, I've never known the reason before. For me, I still use them because glare really bothers my eyes, and white paper glares much more than yellow (to me). So, if I have to make notes during a hearing or something, it's much easier for me to read them at the podium if they're on a yellow pad. That's my only reason for doing it. And I actually called it a "legal pad" inaccurately, because I think of all yellow pads as legal. It's actually normal 8.5 x 11 size. I never use the full "legal" size, although again, it's fascinating to learn the background.

 

Again, thanks all, and keep 'em coming. I'm really thrilled to have joined such a helpful and interesting community.

 

Oh, one final note to the person who posted about formatting of court documents. Check out typographyforlawyers.com. Actually, any professional who cares about typography ought to take a look. Great site. We've dramatically changed the appearance of our court filings in the last year as a result.

 

One way in which I've gotten really quite radical is to supply documents to the clients and prosecutors via email. And I use the /s/ symbol to do so. Then, I have to remember to get rid of the /s/ before printing off the copies that I need to file with the Court. I've gotten the book Typography for Lawyers. I just love it. Before I went to law school I spent a year and a half in J school, where I got a view on typography that was just a pleasure.

[jcable]

The courts I work in require blue signatures. Staples yellow legal pads are very nice. I tend to like Diamine green black on yellow legal pads. They are yellow for a reason, nothing worse then having a jury stare as you sift through a stack of papers looking for your notes.

[jcable]

The courts I work in require blue signatures. Staples yellow legal pads are very nice. I tend to like Diamine green black on yellow legal pads. They are yellow for a reason, nothing worse then having a jury stare as you sift through a stack of papers looking for your notes.

[Harlequin]

What happens if you have a stack of notes on yellow paper and you have to sift through that stack for the right page? ^_~

[papabear16]

Wow, thank you all for the responses above—especially the demo! This will give me a lot to think about. The discussion about the practice of law and papers and signatures was also interesting.

 

For me, I'm a Michigan civil litigator. Other than letters—the majority of which we now scan and email—I haven't applied a written signature to anything in quite awhile. Our briefs are almost exclusively efiled, which means we apply an electronic signature (literally, "_/s/ John Doe_"). So it's not important for that reason. And my clients almost never see my handwritten work product.

 

As to the yellow pads, I've never known the reason before. For me, I still use them because glare really bothers my eyes, and white paper glares much more than yellow (to me). So, if I have to make notes during a hearing or something, it's much easier for me to read them at the podium if they're on a yellow pad. That's my only reason for doing it. And I actually called it a "legal pad" inaccurately, because I think of all yellow pads as legal. It's actually normal 8.5 x 11 size. I never use the full "legal" size, although again, it's fascinating to learn the background.

 

Again, thanks all, and keep 'em coming. I'm really thrilled to have joined such a helpful and interesting community.

 

Oh, one final note to the person who posted about formatting of court documents. Check out typographyforlawyers.com. Actually, any professional who cares about typography ought to take a look. Great site. We've dramatically changed the appearance of our court filings in the last year as a result.

 

One way in which I've gotten really quite radical is to supply documents to the clients and prosecutors via email. And I use the /s/ symbol to do so. Then, I have to remember to get rid of the /s/ before printing off the copies that I need to file with the Court. I've gotten the book Typography for Lawyers. I just love it. Before I went to law school I spent a year and a half in J school, where I got a view on typography that was just a pleasure.

 

Our courts actually require the "/s/" or "s/" symbols as part of our esignatures. It sounds as if there are still many systems, but some slow convergence.

 

That's very cool you went to J school. I've sort of become both a journalism and typography junkie of late. In fact, I think that is what has drawn me back to caring more about writing, and pens and inks—it's hand typography, really.

 

I love the Ancient Copper! I've gotten a sample, and have almost used it up. Ordering a bottle today. I'm going to keep looking to see if there's something I like a little better on the legal pads—cheap samples are great!—but I know it's a keeper for my journal writing, at least. Thanks!

[Cypocryphy]

I just want to add to this post, as I have found a wonderful ink for writing on cheap yellow legal pad paper. It's a Noodler's ink labeled "Kung Te-Cheng," allegedly the first royal ink from China. I thought that it would feather terribly and have substantial bleed through but it has neither. And the purple-blue is dark enough to create a remarkable contrast between ink and paper, yet different enough to make it appealing and novel. I highly recommend.

[KellyMcJ]

A few scribblings on my cheap scribbling pad. The last one, Sailor Jentle Do-you, is surprisingly well behaved with NO feathering whatsoever on this particular paper. It's a dark brown, almost black.

 

http://i1374.photobucket.com/albums/ag402/klmcjilton/Mobile%20Uploads/20170620_132112_zpsb8mfi755.jpg

[taxlord]

I have been using Waterman Blue Serenity on yellow and white legal pads (I think Tops) in my office and it is doing much better than other inks I have tried. I bought a few Rhodia pads and they are really great! BUT! I can't really use the Rhodia pads regularly because I will likely go through a pad every other week because I am very liberal with my paper usage.

[Bookman]

I've gotten acceptable results from most inks, perhaps because most of my pens sport F nibs. Even so …

… Nevertheless: When in doubt, stick with Waterman Bleu Sérénité.