Here are the steps I have set up to help you find your perfect fountain pen ink:
- Swab Shop– compare color-adjusted swabs of all the inks I have. I have groups set up for basic guidelines, and you can swap out individual swabs across brands to see what colors interest you.
- Ink Samples– once you narrow down the general colors you like, you can get samples of all of them for a small investment to try a whole variety of inks. This way you can see how the ink performs in your favorite pen(s), on your favorite paper. If you hate it, no biggie, it’s just a sample. You can also join Ink Drop, my monthly sample club to get 5 colors sent to you automatically every month.
- Full Bottle– Once you’ve done (1) and (2), you can be confident you’re purchasing a full bottle of an ink you’re going to love.
There’s no worse feeling (in terms of writing, anyway) than purchasing a full bottle of ink on speculation, only to find it looks different than you thought or that you just flat out don’t like it. I have several ‘ghost bottles’ of inks I know I’ll never use, but I feel too guilty to get rid of them. I have a whole ink ‘graveyard’, and it’s sad to see (and it’s expensive too). I hope to help eliminate this problem for you and make it so you only get the inks you’re really going to love.
