Ink For Correcting Papers

[ArjanD78]

So, as a teacher I spend a lot of time grading papers and exams. Exams at our school are mostly written on multiple sided paper which is folded. When I correct, jot answers and set marks, I unfold and fold the papers a lot, and I don't want to spend a lot of time waiting for the ink to dry, before I can move on to the next student. This task is lengthy and boring enough.

 

Recently I ordered some diamine ink. Now I'm correcting with Diamine Poppy Red. Is it me or does it take quite a long time to dry? I get stains when I fold the papers back together...

 

I'm definitely a newbe!

 

Maybe some thoughts on red inks for correcting papers?

 

Thanks!

Arjan

[evyxmsj]

What kind of paper is it? I use Waterman Audacious Red in an eyedropper preppy for a similar purpose. I get bleedthrough more than smearing. But it's stuff people give me on cheap photocopy paper.

[BradGad]

My favorite professor used green ink for grading essays; it was kind of his trademark. When I become a college English teacher, I used it too; it became kind of my trademark.

 

I think green is a great color for grading... stands out wonderfully, but none of the negative connotations and emotional triggers of red.

 

I am not grading papers anymore, but I am using Noodler's Hunter Green diluted to about 70% in a number of roles, including annotating documents and meeting handouts, which is not that different from marking essays. It's working very well for me. Good color, behaves well on cheap paper, and doesn't smear on good paper. The fact that it's bulletproof and fluorescent as well is just a nice bonus.

 

(I have used Diamine Poppy Red and Red Dragon, and have relegated them to the "pretty but not useful for me" category, since they didn't pass the same real-world tests that Hunter Green did. A shame, since Red Dragon is one of my favorite colors and so very smooth to write with.)

Edited March 23, 2017 by BradGad

[ArjanD78]

What kind of paper is it? I use Waterman Audacious Red in an eyedropper preppy for a similar purpose. I get bleedthrough more than smearing. But it's stuff people give me on cheap photocopy paper.

It's paper that the school orders for all our tests. I'm not an expert at paper, but it's definitely better than copier paper. However, exams don't get filed very long, so I can imagine it's not to expensive either.

[ArjanD78]

Does this picture help to determine paper quality)? It's my version of the answers in diamine ancient copper (love this color) with scoring points in diamine poppy red on the side.

[Erik Dalton]

My main issue with grading papers is the inconsistency of paper quality I get from my students. I've tried a wide variety of inks to find the ones that work well on the largest variety of papers. Sailor Jentle inks Seem to be the quickest drying, and are less likely to feather or bleed through. This is especially true with an extra fine nib.

You may not find an exact color match, but you can get some interesting colors especially in the four seasons inks.

[ac12]

Dry Fine nib.

If the pen/nib is putting down a lot of ink, that extra ink takes time to absorb into the paper.

 

Some inks indeed take a while to dry, especially on hard surface paper.

 

Sheaffer red or turquoise are nice bright colors. But turquoise has an unusual property. It will not copy on some black and white copiers. The copier is color blind to that shade of blue. To copy the turquoise ink, I have to copy in color.

[inkandseeds]

I grade a lot of essays and research papers, both "typed" and handwritten. The handwritten essays are often on a lower quality paper. Bleed-through is my biggest problem.

 

I currently am using Noodlers Red-Black, Noodlers Baystate Blue and Noodlers Heart of Darkness. Drying time is quick for me on all of them (note i live in a semi-desert where there is very little humidity most days). The BSB is normally used on the drafts of their research papers as it stands out so much they cannot miss my comments.

 

In the past i have used Diamine Poppy Red, Noodlers Nikita and Noodlers Berning Red. I have had some smearing problems with the first two. I also like the vividness of the first two for grading.

 

I normally grade using either a fine point (Bock on KK, Sheaffer Imperial III, Esterbrook, Parker 25 or TWSBI Vac Mini) or a medium point (Sheaffer Prelude, Esterbrook). If i use a Noodlers Ahab, it doesn't matter what ink i use as the pen puts a lot down and it needs a lot more time to dry.)

[JefferyS]

I use green for grading. There is a fast-drying green. I also like Diamine Pumpkin.

[ParkerDuofold]

Hello Arjan,

 

I'm not a teacher, but I do some editing, special attention notes, etc., and I like to use Sheaffer Red in a Platinum Preppy eyedropper conversion.

 

Although there are times I've wondered if they haven't changed the formula; sometimes I think the color looks more orangy than before.

 

At any rate, it's a nice, deep red, (usually), that dries fast.

 

- Anthony

[ArjanD78]

Okay, so after all your kind replied, I think the pen I was using last night was a bit wet.

I also have a bottle of waterman red at school. I'll try that one in the same pen. Maybe the ink is dryer that the diamine?

I'll also try another pen with the same ink and the waterman ink.

A scientific approach as would be expected of a chem teach 😇

[AD43]

One of my teachers used Pelikan purple, which is quite good on crappy paper!

[senzen]

It depends on the paper, I have Diamine Poppy and it doesn't seem to take longer than other inks. On the other hand a searing red ink is probably very dramatic for your students, if allowed something like Orange Indien or even a turquoise ink like Ama Iro would tell them "learn from your mistakes"as opposed to "you are doomed".

[ArjanD78]

I think I'm more a "you're doomed" kind of teacher

However, I like experimenting with inks, so maybe something else.

 

I saw Iroshizuku Yama Budo the other day. I think that's a nice color too, but maybe it's just the cool name. Quite expensive too... Wonder weather it's worth it...

I think it's a nice color for correcting too

[chromantic]

Can't go wrong with Sheaffer Skrip, dries fast and barely any show/bleed, even on cheaper paper. Red is a classic used by generations of teachers. Turquoise is brighter, stands out well.

[heathydraws]

Jetpens has a guide for pens and inks used for grading. At the bottom they chose Noodler's Nikita and Noodler's Fox Red. Haven't tried either of them myself, but I like (and end up trusting) Jetpens fountain pen ink guides. https://www.jetpens.com/blog/essential-teaching-supplies-a-guide-to-pens-and-inks-for-grading/pt/894

Here's also one they did just on all their red inks: https://www.jetpens.com/blog/red-fountain-pen-ink-comparison/pt/848

 

Hope this is helpful to you.

[ArjanD78]

Very useful, thank you. There's a topic about fast seeing inks categorised in color. Very helpful, thanks

[athenian]

Diamine Oxblood just because it looks like dried blood.

[tinta]

More than 25 years ago, Sheaffer Skrip in Red was widely available as a "marking fluid". Though I had a OB nib on my Pelikan, I never experienced any bleeding problems on the workbooks or the foolscap that was used.

Edited March 25, 2017 by tinta

[BradGad]

Can't go wrong with Sheaffer Skrip, dries fast and barely any show/bleed, even on cheaper paper. Red is a classic used by generations of teachers. Turquoise is brighter, stands out well.

 

 

I stick by my earlier comment about the value of green, but if you want red, then yes, I think chromatic is right. Modern Sheaffer Skrip Red is about as good as you can get for what you're talking about. Good value, good behavior, good in the rough. It's a very monochromatic red, but sometimes that's what you want.