Posts filed under Ink Samples

Back on the Swatch Wagon

(Kimberly (she/her) took the express train down the fountain pen/stationery rabbit hole and doesn't want to be rescued. She can be found on Instagram @allthehobbies because there really are many, many hobbies!.)

I’ll confess that I haven’t done a whole lot of ink swatching since vacationing at my in-laws over the holidays and getting through Inkvent 2025 (and part of Colorvent 2025). As soon as January hit, it was back to school and the pen show kicks off with the Philly Pen Show, and the ensuing travel/packing/unpacking/mess/exhaustion. Sometimes I feel like swatching inks is less urgent than other topics like show recaps, reviews, reading, exercise, etc, so it often gets put on the back burner. But, as I said in my 2026 goals and intentions article, I’d like to get my swatching percentage from 66% to 75%, and there’s no time like the present, so here we go!

I picked the following inks in a somewhat random order, but there was some rhyme & reason to it. The first six were acquisitions from the Philly and CA Pen Shows and the last four were picked based on (1) being a different brand, and (2) different colors from the first six. The list is largely collaborations but that was not intentional. This isn’t going to be an ink review, but more of a quick look with a few comparisons.

Monteverde x Bucks Bespokery Fairmount
Monteverde x Bucks Bespokery Wooder
Sailor 2026 Pen Show Exclusive
Kobe x 2026 CA Pen Show California Teal Blue
Diamine x Galen Leather Anatolia
Diamine x Galen Leather Zeugma
Ink Institute x GourmetPens Ice Fog
Wearingeul A Kidnapped Santa Claus
Ferris Wheel Press Aurorealis
Esterbrook x TheCoffeeMonsterzCo Forgotten Iced Coffee

Top row: Inks 1-6, bottom row: inks 7-10

As usual, my swatching was done with a Kaweco clutch pencil holder with a Kakimori stainless steel dip nib and Col-O-Ring and Wearingeul swatch cards.

Monteverde x Bucks Bespokery Fairmount is an olive green ink with gold shimmer.

Inks similar to Fairmount include Wearingeul Path (a bit too yellow/gold), Diamine 150th Anniversary Safari (without shimmer), and Sailor Manyo Shirakashi (too brown).

Monteverde x Bucks Bespokery Wooder (aka “Water”) is a blue teal (it’s not leaning, it’s definitely blue, but not a true blue.)

Inks similar to Wooder include Iroshizuku Syo-ro (too green), J Herbin Emerald of Chivor (with shimmer, and a bit too blue), and Sailor 50 States California (very close but just a hint more blue).

Sailor 2026 Pen Show Exclusive is a dusty pink chromashader with hints of grey and green.

I don’t have a lot of inks similar to the Sailor 2026 ink but Kobe Strawberry (too pink/red/dark, Ferris Wheel Press Lady Rose (also too pink but getting there), Troublemaker Rodeo (probably the closest, but it’s too warm/brown.)

==kobe== Kobe x 2026 CA Pen Show California Teal Blue is a, uh, teal blue, lol. 🙂

Inks similar to California Teal Blue include Franklin-Christoph Ink ‘23, Ferris Wheel Press Bluegrass Velvet, and Monteverde Sweet Life Iced Cookie (a touch too blue.)

Note: I swatched the next two inks as “Diamine x Galen Leather”, but it’s possible that it was a Turkey exclusive, as opposed to a Galen exclusive. Sorry, too lazy to re-swatch them 🙂

Diamine Anatolia is a rich, deep blue with gold and green-gold shimmers and a not-too over-the-top red/magenta sheen. I had to show the bottle because I love the bottle shape and label.

Inks similar to Diamine Anatolia include Van Dieman’s x Pen Chalet Liberty Blue (no shimmer), Colorverse Stars & Stripes Glistening, Diamine Inkvent 2021 Ruby Blues.

Diamine Zeugma has, according to Galen Leather’s website, red wine tones with a green sheen. I would say that the base color is more of an orange-leaning brown as opposed to red, but that might depend on paper too.

Inks similar to Diamine Zeugma include Vinta Pamana Heritage Brown (one of my favorite browns), Diamine Inkvent 2024 Sleigh Ride (base is more similar to the Vinta than Zeugma), and I put the closest red wine-colored ink that sorta matched the base, Kobe #27 Kounan Maroon, and that doesn’t look like it because of Zeugma’s sheen.

It’s still very sheeny at an angle, but you can almost see the reddish undertones of Zeugma in the bottom left section of the swatch.

Ink Institute x GourmetPens Ice Fog is an enigmatic chromashader because it can be grey, pink, purple, or all of the above, and occasionally, with hints of blue.

An angled closeup so you can see the various shades that Ice Fog has to offer.

I don’t have a lot of inks in this range, but here are some: Tono & Lims Cinderella (too pink), Van Dieman’s Dusk and Colorverse Winter of Mudeung (both of which are too purple, and not enough chromashading).

Wearingeul A Kidnapped Santa Claus deserves dedicated pics for the best ink costume!! The ink comes in this red bag that says “Santa (kidnapped)”.

Santa is printed on the box with actual rope tying him up!

The Santa hat atop the bottle is just chef’s kiss! As one would expect, A Kidnapped Santa Claus is a red ink!

Inks similar to A Kidnapped Santa Claus include Diamine Inkvent 2023 Tinsel (a touch too pink), Robert Oster Red Candy (a touch too dark), and Colorverse 2023 Golden Gate Bridge (a very close match!).

Ferris Wheel Press Aurorealis is a dark blue purple (as opposed to a red purple) with a pink/magenta shimmer.

Inks similar to Aurorealis include Scribo Notturno Viola (no shimmer and a touch too red), DeAtramentis Black Currant (no shimmer and also too red, but more similar IRL), and Diamine Inkvent 2023 Raise a Glass (a bit too dark but similar with different shimmer and sheen).

Esterbrook x TheCoffeeMonsterzCo Forgotten Iced Coffee is a light dusty brown shading ink that is showing up a touch on the yellow side in pictures.

Inks similar to Forgotten Iced Coffee include Colorverse Chesapeake Bay (too light and grey), Sailor x Cult Pens Suiseki (too brown), and Wearingeul The Nightingale and the Rose (this has shimmer and is a bit too yellow in pics but more similar IRL.)

I wasn’t planning on inking any pens up with these inks, but after swatching them, I changed my mind - can you guess what I picked?

I just couldn’t get over the Sailor 2026 Pen Show exclusive ink! I’m not really a pink person, but the dusty pink with a hint of green and brown were just too cool to wait for an inking! The Ink Institute x GourmetPens Ice Fog was another “what the heck is this color” ink that I had to DM Azizah about because I couldn’t figure out what color it was or was supposed to be! She reassured me that my bottle was fine and my eyes aren’t going bad - it can be so many colors depending on paper and nib!

Sailor 2026 Pen Show Exclusive with the Otto Hutt 06 in Seashell Pink with a Medium steel nib, and Ink Institute x GourmetPens Ice Fog with the Montegrappa Fortuna Marshmallow with a Medium steel nib (y’all know that Medium is my fave nib size, right?)

Well, after all that, I’m still very much at 66%, but let’s be real, swatching 10 ink isn’t gonna move the needle much, but it’s a start! And after seeing all these fun colors, I’m excited to be back on this swatch wagon!

(Disclaimer: All products were purchased by me at regular price (or with the occasional store discount code.)

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Posted on April 17, 2026 by Kimberly Lau and filed under Ink Reviews, Ink Samples.

February Inks

What started out as an innocent “How many pens do you have inked” question in a group chat, ended up with me suggesting that someone ink up 14 pens with red/pink inks for Valentine’s Day since they were going to be out of town for the first 14 days of February. Of course, it took minimal encouragement for me to consider doing this myself, so here we are!

First, I had to pick the pens. Thankfully, I already had some inked up! Yes, I’ll admit it’s sorta cheating, lol.

Left to right: Kaweco Sport Carmine; Pelikan Pura P40 Bordeaux; Leonardo Momento Zero Coral; Esterbrook Estie Maraschino; Pelikan M600 Red Tortoiseshell; Platinum 3776 Carnelian; TWSBI 580 AL Pink; TWSBI Eco Pink; Franklin-Christoph 19 Pink/Silver/White proto; Kaweco Sport Blush Pitaya; Retro 51 Sprinkle Ops; Visconti Van Gogh Souvenir de Mauve; TWSBI Eco Pastel Pink.

I used my trusty steel Kakimori dip nib for the swatches and writing samples in the A5 Odyssey Tomoe River notebook.

This Galen Leather exclusive Kaweco Sport Carmine will probably never see another ink besides its namesake, made by Robert Oster.

I’ve had this Pelikan Pura Bordeaux inked up since last year’s Pelikan Hub. It’s inked up with an oldie, but goodie, Diamine Red Dragon.

Leonardo Momento Zero Coral, which is definitely red and not remotely coral, with Robert Oster Red Candy, which is a little lighter in the swatch than irl.

Esterbrook Estie Maraschino looks really good with Monteverde Viva Magenta, which is a bright red and definitely not magenta.

Another one from the Pelikan Hub, the M600 Red Tortoiseshell’s orange/black/red barrel needs a slightly orange leaning red, like Laban Ares Red.

This Platinum 3776 Carnelian looks great with Wearingeul’s Anne of Green Gables, which has a greenish gold sheen with wetter pens.

I haven’t busted this one out in a long time - the TWSBI 580 AL Pink (not to be confused with the ALR Punch Pink). It’s more red than pink, but definitely more pink than red. And that describes both the 580 and the Diamine Cashmere Rose ink.

TWSBI Eco Pink, which is a bright, almost neon, pink - perfect for a bright pink like Akkerman x GourmetPens’ GourmetPens Pink.

One of the weirder inks I own, the Tono & Lims Burma Tourmaline goes down grey, almost green, but it dries in shades of pink and grey.. It goes surprisingly well with the Franklin-Christoph 19 in a pink/white/silver prototype material.

This bubblegum pink Kaweco Sport Blush Pitaya looks great with Inkebara Fairytale Pink.

The Visconti Van Gogh Souvenir du Mauve is pink, not mauve (which has more purple/grey undertones), and its namesake ink is more of a magenta, but Sailor Jentle Peche works well with the darker pink swirls in the material.

The last time I inked up this Retro 51 Sprinkle Ops pen, I put the above Inkebara Fairytale Pink ink in it, but I think it would look good with Wearingeul The Flowers on the Way even if it’s not the best match. It’s also showing up a bit more red in the picture.

Wearingeul x Atlas Stationers Twelfth Night is a great match for the TWSBI Eco Pastel Pink.

All the inks in the lineup (and wishing I put the Burma Tourmaline at the bottom).

After going through the exercise of picking the pens and matching inks, I definitely did NOT ink up everything. I’m nuts, but not that nuts! The Pura, Leonardo, Pelikan, and Platinum were already inked, but I just couldn’t refuse inking up a few more! It’s not inking up 14 red/pink pens, but it’ll have to do!

The final list: Kaweco Sport with Robert Oster Carmine, Pelikan Pura with Diamine Red Dragon, Leonardo Momento Zero with Robert Oster Red Candy, Pelikan M600 Red Tortoishell with Laban Ares Red, Platinum 3776 Carnelian with Wearingeul Anne of Green Gables, TWSBI 580 AL Pink with Diamine Cashmere Rose, TWSBI Eco Pink with Akkerman GourmetPens Pink, and Franklin-Christoph 19 pink/silver/white with Tono & Lims Burma Tourmaline.

Whether you celebrate Valentine’s, Galentine’s, Pal-entine’s, Lunar New Year, or you just wanted to see some red and pink inks, I hope you have a great February (and beyond)!

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Posted on February 6, 2026 by Kimberly Lau and filed under Fountain Pens, Ink Samples.

Inks for the TWSBI ECO Plum with Onyx Fountain Pen

To no one’s surprise, I had to get the latest TWSBI Eco, the Plum with Onyx. It was difficult to tell what the color of the pen would be, since there were Eco photos with different tones of red, pink, purple, and magenta. So I thought it would be fun to walk you through my ink selection process so you can get a sense of the real color (no, I don’t do this for every pen, just some of them). Also spoiler: this pen really is difficult to photograph!

*TWSBI Eco Plum with Onyx on Cognac Girologio writing mat.*

The best I can describe the color of the Eco Plum is that it is a magenta-ish color with a bit of pink and purple. The solo pictures make the Eco look more red than it is in real life, regardless of background (and yes, this is with some post-processing already - definitely not my strong suit). And despite using custom white balance with a grey card, the writing mat colors aren’t truly accurate either. This is one reason why ink and pen color photography can be difficult for us amateurs. Of the four photos, I think the closest is the one on the purple mat.

Next, I pulled a bunch of Col-O-Ring swatch cards from my collection and rather than compare the pen to the swatch card, I opted to swatch the inks in a 68 gsm Tomoe River notebook by Odyssey Notebooks. This way I could make sure the ink looks like it would on paper that I use quite often. As with my ink reviews, the swatches were made with a stainless steel Kakimori dip nib in a Kaweco clutch pencil holder.

Inks from the top: TWSBI Grape, Diamine Amaranth, Vinta Vineyard La Union, KWZ Raspberry, Robert Oster Napa, Monteverde Sweet Life Blueberry Muffin, Colorverse Andromeda, Pilot Iroshizuku Yama-budo, Scribo Rosso Chianti, Diamine Raspberry Rose, De Atramentis Thomas Alva Edison (Black Red), Diamine x Cult Pens Robert, Robert Oster x EndlessPens New Year New Hue!

After I swatched all the inks and set the pen on top, it was pretty easy to see which ones were close but not close enough. Keep in mind that the closeup photos make the pen cap look darker than it does in real life.

*TWSBI Grape, Diamine Amaranth, Vinta Vineyard La Union, KWZ Raspberry, Robert Oster Napa, Monteverde Sweet Life Blueberry Muffin, Colorverse Andromeda.*

As much as I would’ve liked TWSBI Grape to be a match, it was too light and a bit too pink. KWZ Raspberry was more of a hot pink, while Robert Oster Napa and Monteverde Blueberry Muffin had some brown tones that didn’t work with the pen. The other three were possibilities.

*Iroshizuku Yama-budo, Scribo Rosso Chianti, De Atramentis Thomas Alva Edison, Diamine x Cult Pens Robert, Robert Oster x EndlessPens New Year New Hue!*

The Yama-budo was a touch too purple (thank goodness since I already have a pen inked with it), Raspberry Rose a wee bit too brown, De Atramentis was too dark and too purple (reminder that DA’s inks have a “line/theme name” like “Thomas Alva Edison” and a“base ink name” like Black Red). I liked the sheen of Robert and also the shimmer of New Year New Hue! How’s a girl to choose?! Reswatch for the next round!

Since I picked the 1.1 nib for the Eco Plum, I decided to use the Sailor Hocoro 1.0 stub dip nib to see if the ink looks better/different from a stub.

*Diamine Amaranth, Vinta Vineyard La Union, Colorverse Andromeda, Iroshizuku Yama-budo, Scribo Rosso Chianti.*

I already said Yama-budo was too purple but I must have really wanted to give it a second chance and yes, it’s still too purple for me. Diamine Amaranth was nice but it felt dry from both the Kakimori and Sailor Hocoro dip nibs. I really liked the Vinta, Colorverse, and Scribo from this batch.

*Another look at Iroshizuku Yama-budo and Scribo Rosso Chianti, as well as Diamine x Cult Pens Robert, and Robert Oster x EndlessPens New Year New Hue!*

The Diamine Robert was a really good match, but just a bit darker. The green sheen would’ve been fun though! The shimmer in the Robert Oster New Year New Hue! Was also really tempting but the base ink was a bit too light and too pink.

*It was tough but I whittled it down to these two inks - Colorverse Andromeda and Scribo Rosso Chianti.*

I could have gone either way with these two inks, but in the end, the Scribo Rosso Chianti won out because it was the right color and tone, and the Andromeda was just a teensy bit brighter. It also helps that I have a 90ml bottle of the Rosso Chianti and only a sample of the Andromeda.

*Really happy with this combo - TWSBI Eco Plum with Onyx and Scribo Rosso Chianti!*

(Disclaimer: I purchased the TWSBI at Flax Pen to Paper during Fountain Pen Day, all inks are my own, as well as the dip pens. The Odyssey Notebook was bought by the Bossman at a past pen show at regular price.)

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Posted on November 21, 2025 by Kimberly Lau and filed under TWSBI, Fountain Pens, Ink Samples.