Is there a way to tell how saturated an ink will be when purchasing online?

[gfrank]

Hello there! I'm a FP newbie and had a question about buying ink online. It's happened a couple of times where I'll purchase an ink online and the color looks really dark or saturated in the swatches, but in reality the color is so light in my pen (I have two Kaweco Sports with fine nibs). Most recently, I purchased Sailor Shikiori Yozakura ink. It looks like a deep purple color in the swatch photos but is a pale pink in my pen. From what I understand this can be an issue with finer nib pens, but I'm wondering if there's a way to tell from the swatches or product details how saturated the color will appear? Or is it just a matter of trial and error?

[LizEF]

You need to view many reviews looking at the nib sizes they use and learn about wet vs dry pens (your nibs are probably dry,so the ink will look different than from a wet fine nib).

 

Also, if available, get samples before buying bottles.

[I-am-not-really-here]

Swatches are often put on Col-o-ring card stock, and who uses that paper in their notebooks and journals?  Straightaway the color is misleading.  
 

 

[inkstainedruth]

I don't like swatches in general, simply because the ink is going to look different coming out of a pen. 

@gfrank I recommend that you look at the reviews of inks on here -- especially the ones where the reviewers are using different papers/nib widths to get a more comprehensive look at the ink.  But understand that for some brands, there may be variations between batches as well (especially for the smaller "boutique" ink manufacturers, like Noodlers; or if a company has had trouble getting some of the dyes).  

I'm with LizEF on trying samples first.  If you don't like an ink, it means you're not out a lot of money.  And if you DO like an ink enough to spring for a full bottle?  The sample vials are great for travel -- just refill them with a syringe or pipette from the bottle, close them up, and stick them in a small ziplock bag (I've even taken sample vials in my purse on flights and the TSA people never batted an eye -- but confiscated some of my facial cleansers when they were in carry-on luggage on a flight from Seattle back to Pittsburgh (I was flying home early from a trip in order to be able to bring some of the laundry home and then repack down to one suitcase to drive to DC for my first pen show a number of years ago...).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[gfrank]

@inkstainedruth Thank you for the suggestions. Do you have an online shop you recommend for samples? I don't have any good stationers nearby so I usually order from JetPens or Gold Spot but it seems like they only do random samples, not specific inks. I'm in the US. 

 

@LizEF Thanks for your suggestions. I have so much to learn! I didn't even know about the wet/dry nibs. It's a little overwhelming, but I'll get there 😄. 

[LizEF]

@gfrank - yes, it's very overwhelming in the start.  Good sources of samples:

• Goulet Pens
• Pen Chalet
• Vanness Pen Shop
• Truphae

Those are the US sources I know.

[LizEF]

PS: My reviews might help you - all my reviews are done with a Japanese EF nib - narrower than your Kaweco.  It may not be completely accurate, but something to include in your comparisons.  My reviews are linked from my profile (filter for Topics) and the index here:

 

[Mercian]

@gfrank

Hello, and

 

5 hours ago, inkstainedruth said:

I recommend that you look at the reviews of inks on here -- especially the ones where the reviewers are using different papers/nib widths to get a more comprehensive look at the ink.

 

Yes, this ↑, very much this!

I would actually advise you to read several reviews on here (or watch on YouTube, etc) of any ink that piques your interest.
This is because:
different reviewers use different pens and different widths of nib AND different types of paper;

different cameras/scanners display colours differently;

different reviewers will notice different properties of the same ink!

 

Examples of ink properties:
does an ink give a 'solid' line on the page, or does it give 'shading'?

does an ink give 'sheen'?

does the ink spread/'feather' on, or 'bleed-through' some/many papers?

does the ink feel 'dry' when writing, or does it feel 'wet'/lubricated?

does the ink give rise to 'nib-creep'?

does it dry-out on the nib rapidly?
does it dry on the page quickly, or does it stay wet for a long time and is thus likely to smear?

is the ink easy to clean out of one's pen, or difficult?

does the ink stain one's fingers/furniture/clothes/carpets/pens/pets?

 

↑ that list might seem like a daunting array of variables to you at first (I know it did to me), but you'll pick-up all the terms very quickly.

 

You may find out that ink 'X' does something that you've never previously heard of, and which puts you off it. It is far better to find out about these 'deal-breakers' BEFORE buying any ink
You'll also find that what you consider to be a 'deal-breaker' in an ink may well be what somebody else actually seeks out, and vice-versa.
You also may find that your preferences change over time. When I first started here I was interested only in inks that always gave a sold line on the page, but now I prefer inks that give 'shading'.

I will add that you'll also benefit from reading reviews of your pens on here - they will let you know that your pens will work with some inks better than with others, and also which inks people who use the same pens as you have found to be troublesome in those pens.

 

Learning from others' problems is far quicker - and cheaper - than learning from mistakes that one makes on one's own

 

Anyway, I wish you many years of fun on your Futile Quest for the 'Perfect' Ink journey through the world of different inks, pens, and papers

 

Slàinte,
M.

 

Edit to add:

The Index on the 'Ink Reviews' is not necessarily completely up-to-date (trying to keep it up to date is a Sisyphean task).
Also, sorting all the review threads by name, while effective, is not the easiest way to find all the reviews of any ink (some people start the titles of their reviews with the name of the ink, some with the name of the brand of ink, or e.g. with 'review of...').
 

The easiest way to find reviews of any ink is to use the custom Google-search that was created by one of our Moderators:

If you click on https://cse.google.com/cse?cx=016372583718073050395:1rsitsemrpo you can then enter the term 'review' and the name of whatever ink you are interested ink - e.g. "review Diamine Oxblood".

 

Or, if you would like to have a look at a lot of inks of a particular colour, you can click on the relevant link in @amberleadavis' signature, e.g. in the first post in this thread: https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/282789-start-here-inky-t-o-d-topics-oday/

 

Enjoy!

[IThinkIHaveAProblem]

as stated above: read reviews. or watch them on YouTube.  

[gfrank]

@Mercian Sorry, I'm just catching up and read your comment. Thanks so much! I appreciate the questions you gave above. I've slowly been doing more research on pens and inks and it's been really fascinating and helping me understand the properties of the inks I already own.

[antares1966]

Another resource that might be helpful is the blog/website “Mountain of Ink”.  There are reviews of literally thousands 

of inks there, with small handwriting samples in nibs from EF to broad, on several different types of paper, as well as the obligatory swatches.

[senzen]

It's a great question, basically you need to establish how wet the pen it will be used in is; then how quickly the pen dries out and how much sediment the ink leaves. Since there is usually precious little info: yes by trial and error.

 

Here's my by now typical example: same ink, Kon Peki, in three pens.

 

 

In all truth the Carène needs a refresh every couple of months to keep up that hue, and the Metropilitan needs to be in an air tight container or it will produce an even darker hue.

 

Another parameter: phone cameras tend to oversaturate colours.

 

 

[IThinkIHaveAProblem]

6 minutes ago, senzen said:

It's a great question, basically you need to establish how wet the pen it will be used in is; then how quickly the pen dries out and how much sediment the ink leaves. Since there is usually precious little info: yes by trial and error.

 

Here's my by now typical example: same ink, Kon Peki, in three pens.

 

 

In all truth the Carène needs a refresh every couple of months to keep up that hue, and the Metropilitan needs to be in an air tight container or it will produce an even darker hue.

 

Another parameter: phone cameras tend to oversaturate colours.

 

 

That’s nuts. 

[senzen]

17 minutes ago, IThinkIHaveAProblem said:

That’s nuts. 

 

Wanna see real nuts?

 

[LizEF]

1 hour ago, senzen said:

 

Wanna see real nuts?

 

🤯

[IThinkIHaveAProblem]

44 minutes ago, LizEF said:

🤯

Dang it Liz. You beat me to it!

[LizEF]

1 hour ago, IThinkIHaveAProblem said:

Dang it Liz. You beat me to it!

  I'll try to react more slowly next time!

[A Smug Dill]

9 minutes ago, LizEF said:

  I'll try to react more slowly next time!

 

[LizEF]

Must. Not. React.  ::missing gritted teeth emoji::

[Mercian]

6 minutes ago, LizEF said:

::missing gritted teeth emoji::

 

😬 ← For all thy future 'copy & paste' needs

 

(Or, if thy 'puter lets thee use this, Unicode U+1f62c)