Please Suggest A Brown Ink That Could Be Used On Official/formal Documents

[Patrick L]

Hi everybody,

I'm a bit tired of black/blue and would like to start the new year by trying a brown ink that might be used on official/formal documents , business letters , etc.

Thanks for sharing your suggestions and thoughts.

Best wishes

Patrick

[dylim1]

I've tried De Atramentis Black Edition Brown. It's a pretty dark brown.

 

Or you can find a brown ink and mix some black ink in it to make it darker.

[SirVival]

Have a look at Diamine Chocolate, looks like dark chocolate, so may be suitable for official documents.

[AndyYNWA]

Sailor Doyou, a rich dark brown. Also Iroshizuku Yama-guri is a nice well behaved brown.

[lapis]

R&K's dokumentus brown.

Better yet: FPN's Galileo Manuscript (I forget if it has been re-issued or not).

 

Mike

Edited January 1, 2016 by lapis

[thoppen]

I suggest Montblanc Toffee Brown.

[perfaddict]

I suggest Montblanc Toffee Brown.

 

+1!

[jmccarty3]

Sailor Doyou, a rich dark brown. Also Iroshizuku Yama-guri is a nice well behaved brown.

 

+1 to both of these. Sailor Ishida Bungu IAI 135 School Brown is also very fine, but it is practically unobtainable.

[Highbinder]

Cult Pens Deep Dark Brown is exactly what it says it is. If you want darker than that I'd suggest Sailor Doyou, as well.

[Icywolfe]

That one Noodler's ink... Whaleman Sepia I think it's called.

 

An added bonus is when somebody tries to erase the ink the ink turns orange/red and just stays there.

[haruka337]

Sailor Doyou, a rich dark brown. Also Iroshizuku Yama-guri is a nice well behaved brown.

+1

 

To this I'd like to add Maruzen Athena Sepia.

 

I find stoney browns--mentioned above--are acceptable to use at work (cuz mah boss sez so ). Browns with red, mauve, orange undertones seem to be a no-no, even earthy conventional browns are frowned upon, but this has been my experience.

 

As an aside, be mindful that some documents will only be accepted in blue or black ink. However, there are many interesting versions of those two colors out there.

[Runnin_Ute]

What about one of Noodler's bulletproof brown's? I think both #41 brown and Walnut fit this description.

[Icywolfe]

What about one of Noodler's bulletproof brown's? I think both #41 brown and Walnut fit this description.

Whaleman sepia might be a better than a bulletproof ink as its a security ink. So if u use bleach or alcohol it will change to red/orange signifying a tampering.

[MKB]

Once Noodler's #41 Brown dries on paper, you can rinse the paper under the tap without loosing the color.

 

Also, mixed with various amounts of Noodler's Black and optionally distilled water, you can get some really nice additions to the straight brown. I find the component inks vary in strength, so test a small amount first if you settle in on a mix ratio you really like. I would suggest a 1 to 1 ratio as a starting point. I add 5-6 parts water to those 2 parts for dip pen use, so for a fountain pen it would be much less water.

 

Both of these inks are listed as Bullet Proof and Eternal on the Noodler's website.

[lgsoltek]

Doyou +1. The best behaviour out there.

[Abner C. Kemp]

This question depends more on what type of brown is suitable for your official documents. I know some people are fine using more of a traditional brown where others prefer something that leans much more towards black. For a "regular" brown I'd point to two inks. Noodler's #41 Brown which is bulletproof and was quite nice in my testing and KWZI IG Orange which is goes down on the page orange and then oxidizes to a rich brown color that is reminiscent of J. Herbin Lie de Thè but perhaps a bit darker. I'm quite fond of the KWZI ink and have a feeling people are going to get tired of hearing me talk about it but I have been uber impressed with my bottle. It works extremely well on all paper types, has nice flow, is water resistant, and offers some really spectacular shading without being difficult to read. If it is more of a black-brown that you are after it seems Sailor Do-You is a highly regarded ink. I don't have any personal experience with it but I can say that every Sailor ink I've tried has been absolutely excellent. There is also Diamine Deep Dark Brown from Cult Pens which has received excellent reviews and is quite reasonably priced.

Edited January 2, 2016 by Abner C. Kemp

[OCArt]

I am veering a little bit off topic but I have really been enjoying Binder Burgundy. It is a very well-behaved ink and shades well. A 1:1 mix of Sheaffer's Red and Waterman Violet.

[sidthecat]

Octopus Pinie is a very nice, complex brown that shades well and will give your memos the look of ancient authority.

[Bill]

I suspect I have 40+ different brown inks, but ones I have used frequently in recent years for formal documents include (in general order of frequency):

 

Noodler's #41 Brown;

Diamine Chocolate Brown

Montblanc Toffee Brown

Noodler's Walnut.

 

Of course, I do not use these when a governmental form says to use Blue or Black ink. Otherwise, I have have yet to get a complaint about any dark brown ink.

 

Bill

[sakayume]

Another vote for Sailor Doyou. It's lovely to write with and looks almost black.