Category: Ink

About this ink: Taccia Sora Sky Blue

Posted on by Lee S

Taccia are currently owned by Nakabayashi in Japan. They were founded in California, though. Taccia have several lines of ink, including the Ukiyo-e collection (complex colors with shading), the Roughna collection (supposedly for sketching), the Lipstick collection, and the Jeans collection. But I’m really in love with their standard inks, which are $14/40ml in the US and cheaper in Asia. I haven’t seen prices in other countries. I bought a sample from Anderson Pens (now closed) a year and a half ago.

Sora Sky Blue (or just Sora, which is Japanese for sky) is a vibrant and saturated turquoise. Similar colors I’ve tried include

  • Diamine Havasu Turquoise
  • Waterman Inspired Blue

It doesn’t shade, but also doesn’t change color or vibrancy after a long writing session. It keeps up well with my fast writing in a TWSBI Diamond 580. I have only three writing samples for now.

Taccia Sora Sky Blue - TWSBI Diamond 580 M nib on Clairefontaine Triomphe writing sample
Clairefontaine Triomphe

Lines are crisp.

Taccia Sora Sky Blue - TWSBI Diamond 580 M nib on Kokuyo Campus paper writing sample
Kokuyo Campus loose leaf

I am aware I need to photograph samples on flatter surfaces in the future (you can see the bending at the edges of the photographs distorting the letters). I took these photos on a music stand in a binder So I wouldn’t get my shadows all over them. Not ideal, but better than nothing.

Taccia Sora Sky Blue - TWSBI Diamond 580 M nib on Cosmo Air Light writing sample
Cosmo Air Light

The ink’s strength for me is its consistency. Sometimes I want an ink that remains one saturated color, and Sora is well-behaved. I’ll buy a bottle for my sky blue needs once I’ve finished this sample and my bottle of Havasu Turquoise.

About this ink: J. Herbin Vert Métropolitain

Posted on by Lee S

J. Herbin is a French company with rich history and a great set of core inks (since 1700 with all-natural dyes, they boast). I’m sure the formulation has changed a bit over time, but they’re very well-behaved. In 2024 J. Herbin debuted their Les couleurs de Paris collection, which are priced the same as the La Perle des Ecres (standard) collection and come in the same bottles. These inks are very competitively priced in the EU: 4.5 Euros for 10ml or 9.5 Euros for 30ml including VAT. In East Asia they are about $12/30ml plus tax. In the US they are more: $7/10ml or $15/30ml plus sales tax. I bought a 10ml bottle from Stilo e Stile in late 2024.

Similar inks I’ve tried include

  • Diamine Delamere Green
  • Monteverde California Teal
  • Yoseka Origin No. 1 by Ink Institute

Herbin inks can sometimes feel a little dry to me, so I used Vert Metropolitain in a Pelikan M200 Medium. It was a wet noodle, in a good way! Took a while to dry, which is unusual for a Herbin ink in my experience.

J. Herbin Vert Metropolitain with Pelikan M200M on Clairefontaine Triomphe
Clairefontaine Triomphe

I misattributed the color in several of these writing samples.

J. Herbin Vert Metropolitain with Pelikan M200M on Maruman Loose Leaf
Maruman Loose Leaf
J. Herbin Vert Metropolitain with Pelikan M200M on Kokuyo Campus Loose Leaf
Kokuyo Campus

It took more than 20s to dry on Iroful.

J. Herbin Vert Metropolitain with Pelikan M200M on Iroful
Iroful

J. Herbin Vert Metropolitain with Pelikan M200M on Cosmo Air Light
Cosmo Air Light

Vert Métropolitain is a blue-green that shades to dark green, one of my new favorite greens. The feeling of writing with it in a Pelikan was smooth and luscious. Dry time was on the slow side, but I was laying down a lot of the ink with the Pelikan nib. I’ll try this color in drier pen for more data.

I look forward to trying Vert Métropolitain in other pens: perhaps it will dry in a more timely fashion. I anticipate finishing this small bottle myself (not giving away any samples) and then ordering a 30ml one someday.

About this ink: Yoseka Ceramics x Ink Institute Qing Purple

Posted on by Lee S

This ink is exclusive to Yoseka Stationery in Brooklyn and made by a Taiwanese company, Ink Institute. They were originally best known for their custom-order inks, and you can still order those by providing an RGB value if you’re willing to pay for shipping from Taiwan. The price for Qing Purple is $20 USD for 30ml. Yoseka will also sell you samples if they’re in stock. I bought a sample when I visited in-store.

I noted when I tried the ink at Yoseka that it seemed muted and dusky, not usually my thing but worth trying. I didn’t get the green sheen displayed on their site in writing. It’s a very dark purple, and I don’t think I’ve tried anything quite like it. The undertones are grayer on some paper, and warmer on others. The closest inks I’ve tried are shimmer inks:

  • Diamine Deck the Halls
  • Diamine Mystique

Here are writing samples with a Leonardo Momento Zero M nib.

Writing sample of Yoseka Ceramics x Ink Institute Qing Purple with a Leonardo Momento Zero M on Clairefontaine Triomphe
Clairefontaine Triomphe
Writing sample of Yoseka Ceramics x Ink Institute Qing Purple with a Leonardo Momento Zero M on Maruman Loose Leaf
Maruman Loose Leaf

If you zoom in, you’ll notice the lines aren’t crisp/filled.

Writing sample of Yoseka Ceramics x Ink Institute Qing Purple with a Leonardo Momento Zero M on Kokuyo Loose Leaf
Kokuyo Loose Leaf

Iroful paper really brings out the richness of the color.

Writing sample of Yoseka Ceramics x Ink Institute Qing Purple with a Leonardo Momento Zero M on Iroful
Sakae TP Iroful
Writing sample of Yoseka Ceramics x Ink Institute Qing Purple with a Leonardo Momento Zero M on Cosmo Air Light
Cosmo Air Light

The ink is definitely eggplant-colored but less saturated than I prefer. The smear comes from disturbing the paper about five seconds after I wrote the sample. Otherwise, it’s average flow and doesn’t feather or bleed. Dry time is faster than I expected. I don’t think I need a full bottle, but it was fun to play with!

About this ink: Kala Sweet Potato Balls

Posted on by Lee S

Kala are a Taiwanese ink brand, best known for their water-resistant pigmented Nostalgia. Sweet Potato Balls is a standard dye-based fountain pen ink from their Island No. 38 line. In Taiwan it’s about $8USD/30ml, in the US it’s $21. I assume it’s more expensive in Europe/South America. I bought this ink almost four years ago from JetPens, when a bottle was $13.

Sweet Potato Balls is a shading orange, slightly muted and unsaturated. Similar inks I’ve tried include

  • Lamy Bronze

Here are samples with a Benu Euphoria B on these papers:

Writing sample of Kala Ink Sweet Potato Balls with a Benu Euphoria B on Clairefontaine Triomphe
Clairefontaine Triomphe
Writing sample of Kala Ink Sweet Potato Balls with a Benu Euphoria B on Maruman loose leaf
Maruman loose leaf
Writing sample of Kala Ink Sweet Potato Balls with a Benu Euphoria B on Kokuyo Campus loose leaf
Kokuyo Campus loose leaf
Writing sample of Kala Ink Sweet Potato Balls with a Benu Euphoria B on Iroful paper
Sakae TP Iroful
Writing sample of Kala Ink Sweet Potato Balls with a Benu Euphoria B on Cosmo Air Light
Cosmo Air Light

This ink is on the dryer side and shades very well. It does feather a bit on some paper, and the cost has gone up significantly, so I don’t think I’ll be re-purchasing it.

About this ink: Tom’s Studio Juniper

Posted on by Lee S

Tom’s Studio is a relatively new British stationery brand. I am almost certain their inks are made by Diamine, as the ink bottles for Tom’s Studio are the same as for Diamine Shimmertastics. Tom’s Studio inks currently retail for $20/50ml bottle in the US. I assume they are cheaper in the UK/Europe, but I can’t currently find that price. I bought my bottle in person from Tiny Turns Paperie.

Juniper is a dark purple-black. Business purple, if you will. Comparable inks I’ve tried include:

  • Sailor Shikiori Shigure (more expensive in the US, cheaper in Asia)
  • Diamine Scribble Purple (cheaper, more sheen)
  • Dominant Industry Tanzanite (more blue undertones)

I tried Juniper in my TWSBI Diamond 580 M on Maruman loose leaf paper first, and the results were almost black. It got a little dry, I think because the feed can have a tough time keeping up with how fast I write and Maruman loose leaf isn’t very slick. You can also tell that the lines aren’t very crisp.

Writing Sample of Tom's Studio Juniper in a TWSBI Diamond 580 on Maruman Loose Leaf

I prefer to see the color better, so I tried it in a Platinum Preppy M. Results were more to my liking on Maruman loose leaf, it’s a little lighter.

Writing Sample of Tom's Studio Juniper in a Platinum Preppy Medium on Maruman loose leaf paper

Kokuyo Campus is a little less toothy of a paper, so results continued to be brighter.

Writing Sample of Tom's Studio Juniper in a Platinum Preppy Medium on Kokyuo Campus paper

On Iroful you can see some gold sheen and it really brings out the purple. Additionally, the lines are much bigger. It dries a little slower on Iroful, so I smudged it a bit.

Writing Sample of Tom's Studio Juniper in a Platinum Preppy Medium on Sakae Technical Iroful paper
On Sakae TP Iroful
Writing Sample of Tom's Studio Juniper in a Platinum Preppy Medium on Clairefontaine Triomphe paper
On Clairefontaine Triomphe

I bought a bottle without knowing how dark the ink would look for my use cases. The ink doesn’t smear or feather and is well-behaved, if not crisp. Dry time was less than I expected on most paper. I think I’ll try Juniper in an AL-Star next. I don’t think I’d buy another bottle, but I’ll use this ink once in a while, especially if I’m writing on Iroful.