Matching Inks To Paper

[mikeschu]

Recently I ordered a sample set of Tomoe River paper, which arrived with a few sheets of white color and a few sheets of cream color.

 

Inks for white paper are wide open: almost anything will work, but don't use an eye-searing color for correspondence (unless they're into ink and fountain pens). I'm gathering that if the paper has brighteners, a less-saturated ink is desirable. However, I'm at a loss for when I want to use the cream color paper.

 

What colors of ink do you use for different colored papers? My immediate concern is cream color, but I have some light grey paper right now and I imagine I'll be buying more paper as I write letters. Rules of thumb would be great for those of us new to the game.

 

Let's keep the focus to general correspondence, but any specific inky tips with a focus to correspondence are always welcome.

[torstar]

you'll have to figure out your own little world from trial and error, which is the best fun this hobby provides

 

i could give you my dozen prefs, but i'm only one of billions on here and we all would have our own dozen

 

happy hunting!!!

[Pickwick]

I have been writing letters using Wausau 100% cotton tinted gray paper, and find Diamine grey ink works well for example. One member I correspond with said he liked it.

 

Wausau Ivory, I use Diamine Chocolate Brown, or Waterman Absolute Brown complements the paper.

[Bookman]

I lean toward darker inks with ivory and cream papers. Noodlers La Reine Mauve comes to mind.

[TheModernGent]

I like using browns or Merlot on ivory paper

[rudyhou]

my rule of thumb is to avoid overly dark inks on white paper. a white background makes any ink color darker, hence all look close to black when using a very dark ink, regardless of the color. grey inks look very friendly on a white background.

yellowish paper goes great with brownish colored ink and gives blue inks a green shade, and red inks an orange shade. i enjoy looking at grey ink on yellowish background. somehow dark grey inks look awesome on yellowish paper.

grey paper would go well with blue or green inks. it would make red inks less vibrant and black inks look boring.

Edited July 1, 2014 by rudyhou

[Zilknitha]

The main colours I use to write on are purple, yellow, green and blue...very rarely white. Black is always a good all-round ink colour, but I try to work with the system of complimentary colours. However, yellow ink on purple paper just doesn't work. Browns are also good all round ink, and I am yet to find a pastel shade that it doesn't work on.

[Baggins]

Yamamoto paper came out with a grey tasting set. Anyone tried to write on grey paper? What inks?

Z.

[Penguincollector]

@Baggins, I like turquoise and teal inks on grey paper, I haven’t tried that particular tasting set, just the FP friendly ones, but I like the look of it.

[Baggins]

Same as me. If I was in the US it is much easier to get these papers , at decent prices in Vaness for example. But here in Europe it’s a problem. I had to get my number 7 tasting paper from Vaness and what I paid in shipping and taxes, almost tripled the total cost, turning this into unobtanium.

Z.

[Penguincollector]

@Baggins, have you checked if the cost is any better ordering from Yamamoto directly? I know the trouble is customs fees and high shipping costs, but maybe there’s some sort of savings for you. 

[Baggins]

Yamamoto has a shop on Etsy. Etsy takes care of taxes and customs, he informed. However shipping paper from Japan is always expensive. Some items however, like Hobonichi, is so overpriced here that it’s cheaper to buy there with shipping and all, from Amazon.co.jp.

[Bo Bo Olson]

I never got that far...and I've had, ivory, cream, marbled green and a few other slightly different shades for years from a few of the various brands.

 

There are 1,000 inks....with luck some 40-45 good to better papers, in a few tones.

I suggest a very small spiral or click open notebook, to mark what on what paper any particular ink dances on what paper.................

I should have done that years ago....if I had done so, half my papers would be long gone.