The Pen Addict Podcast: Episode 716 - Good Times

Midori Carton Opener — *The most important product discussed this episode.*

I’m joined this week by April Wu from Designphil to discuss all things TRAVELER’S COMPANY USA, PLOTTER USA, MD PRODUCT USA, and of course her own writing over at The Penguin Post. We cover a lot of ground in this episode, so get comfy, grab a beverage, and take notes!

Show Notes & Download Links

This episode of The Pen Addict is sponsored by:

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Posted on May 14, 2026 by Brad Dowdy and filed under Podcast.

Platinum Classic Lavender Black Ink Review

(Sarah Read is an author, editor, yarn artist, and pen/paper/ink addict. You can find more about her at her website and on Bluesky. And her latest book, The Atropine Tree, is now available!)

Platinum Classic Lavender Black Ink is like writing with black cherry juice. It goes down bright magenta, dries to a rich purple, and it has some permanence to it. It's a gorgeous ink and it's a pleasure to write with.

The black base of this ink is a water-resistant modern form of iron gall ink, so it remains when the magenta-lavender dye washes away. You can see the base color stay put in chromatography, and where I dropped water on the grid and wiped it away. While the pigment washes off, the ink's base stays visible. I love that quality in an ink, as I'm always a little worried about my notebook surviving a sweating water bottle, sudden rain, or tippy cup of tea. Often, permanent inks are dull colors, so I was very excited to try this bright one. It does not disappoint.

Platinum Classic Lavender Black Ink Swatch

It's common for inks to only have one rad feature: sheen or shimmer or shading or permanence, etc. But this ink has two--permanence and shading. The pale earthy pink to deep cherry color is gorgeous, and watching the ink dry into its ombre shades is hypnotic. Sometimes I forget to keep writing because I'm watching the ink dry. It's also a good color for readability and would pass the professional test, I think. It has some whimsy and character, but looks serious enough.

This ink does have a longer dry time, which surprised me, because it's a fairly dry-feeling ink. It isn't scratchy, but it doesn't feel slick. It does take between 20 and thirty seconds to dry, depending on how much ink is laid down.

Platinum Classic Lavender Black Ink Bottle

The ink comes in a sturdy blown glass bottle with a black plastic lid. The bottle is a rounded, smooshed cube shape, so there's no danger of tipping. And though the squat shape isn't ideal for filling, it comes with an inkwell insert that provides the perfect nib-shaped well to fill from. The bottle is 60 ml, and it sells for $32 at Vanness Pen Shop, which is a good deal. That much ink will last a long time, which is great, because I can see myself using this one often.

(Vanness Pens provided this product at a discount to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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