Good ink for "slick" labels?

[millerb7]

So I write on these "sort of laminated" labels all day. They are "slick" and from a label printer with barcodes on them.

 

Currently using monaco red from diamine (sp) in my cheap Parker vector. It seems to do well with the labels but wasn't sure if there was a better ink that would dry much quicker and/or has better waterproof abilities? Or would it just be the fact of needing a smaller nib?

 

Color has to be red or blue, cannot use black.

 

THANKS!

[psfred]

I doubt anything will work well. Those are thermal printer coated labels, and nothing that uses liquid ink (including gel or felt tip) will write on them. Noodler's waterproof inks will wash off, which annoys me no end (we have the same ones here at this job) and I'm reduced to using a ball point if I do have to write on them. The ink never penetrates the thick coating down to the actual paper base, if there is one (the high grade labels are often "synthetic paper").

 

We are using laser labels here at this location for that reason (plus I think they are cheaper) and because the slick labels are too small.

 

There are a couple of other papers that do not do well with fountain pens. Some greeting cards (the shiny slick ones), some super-calendared papers, and some "waterproof" papers with a plastic coating, and RC photopaper will all reject fountain pen and often gel pen or felt tip pen ink. Sharpies usually write well on them (organic solvent base ink).

 

Peter

[wallylynn]

I encounter two types of labels at work.

a. Fully coated labels. These have a film of polyester I believe. Only sharpies and other markers write on these.

b. Shipping labels: UPS, FedEx, DHL. These are kinda shiny, but aren't coated. They seem to take FP ink ok, if a bit slow to dry. I don't need to write on them, but I did test Baystate Blue on it, and it works well. Normally (my bottle of) BSB feathers and bleeds through everything, but the density of the labels counters that and seems to be a good pairing. BSB is also very water resistant.

[millerb7]

Thanks for replies!

 

Slightly annoying issue haha

[Goodwhiskers]

Pilot/Namiki Blue does well on slick paper.

[Augustine]

I've pretty much given up trying to find a fountain pen ink for the slick (plastic) labels I have to use at work. I find an ultra fine sharpie works best for some jobs.

 

Most fountain pen inks, or any liquid ink, won't dry at all on them. I had some success with Lamy blue-black, but the Sharpie ended up being the best tool for the job.

[inkcoffee]

I encounter two types of labels at work.

a. Fully coated labels. These have a film of polyester I believe. Only sharpies and other markers write on these.

b. Shipping labels: UPS, FedEx, DHL. These are kinda shiny, but aren't coated. They seem to take FP ink ok, if a bit slow to dry. I don't need to write on them, but I did test Baystate Blue on it, and it works well. Normally (my bottle of) BSB feathers and bleeds through everything, but the density of the labels counters that and seems to be a good pairing. BSB is also very water resistant.

 

 

I've used BSB on the labels at work (they normally only take BP ink but I try fountain pen ink on it just to see) and noticed this too. I've seen those same labels a couple days later when orders get returned and it seems to darken to an almost blueblack color like it is seeping in and oxidizing (don't really know how to explain), one of these days if I can remember I'll post a picture of the effect.

[Garageboy]

USPS labels SUCK. Not even uniballs can write on them. It's ball points or nothing