Finger Smudge Proof Inks

[ewbiggers]

Hi all,

 

Being a student, I have to put my hands on parts of my pages I've written before quite a bit, just to keep the paper down, guard against flying monkeys, etc. The ink I'm currently using (Whose brand I, sadly, do not know: by the time I got it from my dad the label was removed and he does not know the brand), likes to smudge on certain papers when I have to hold down the paper, giving my notes a messy, devil-may-care look which I really do not like. So, here's my question:

 

Which inks do you find the most resistant to finger smudging?

 

A fast dry time would be ideal, and maybe even waterproof, but my notes stay pretty dry normally so the finger-smudge issue is the biggest thing I'm looking to fix. Any suggestions are much appreciated!

 

Oh, and one last question:

 

I like to use the Mead Five-Star composition books, just because they've proven sturdy enough to survive the heavy use I tend to put them through, and it is in these note-books that I've found the problem to be the worst. I don't have any information about the paper, but it feels smoother than most notebook paper. Is a no-smudge ink just a lost cause there?

 

Thanks!

[UDog]

Noodler's Bernanke Blue or Black.

[Sandy1]

 

Hi,

 

+1 for Noodler's Bernanke Blue.

 

Also consider Noodler's Q'Ternity Blue-Black, which has enough water resistance so that what was written should be salvageable after brief exposure to potable liquids.

 

Smear/Dry times and smudge resistance are greatly influenced by the paper. As your paper feels smooth it may have a slight coating or be highly calendered; both of which typically increase S/DTs and risk exposure to smudging. However, the inks mentioned above dry primarily by the mechanism of absorption, so don't linger on the surface of the paper long enough to smear or smudge. The trade-off is that they are more prone to bleed- show-through if the pen is too wet or one writes with a heavy hand, and they might give a slightly wider line than expected.

 

Good luck fending off the flying monkeys.

 

Bye,

S1

Edited November 30, 2013 by Sandy1

[Sasha Royale]

Noodler's Bernanke Blue or Black seem to be the popular fast-drying inks.

 

The ink smears because it is still liquid on the surface of the paper. Once dry, it will not smear, unless you liquefy the ink again. Moisture from your fingers might be enough. The Meade paper is coated, so the wet ink remains on the surface longer However, giving the ink time to dry on the surface will reduce the penetration "bleed-through".

 

In college, this frugal student took class notes on the blank side of used paper. I simply dropped the full sheet, face up, into my open brief case, at my feet, and continued on the next sheet of the desk pile. I never though about it, but the ink got much more time to dry. Reorganization and recopy were part of my study process.

 

Reminder: Wet ink is not permanent/waterproof, etc. Even the permanent inks, that bond with the cellulose fibers of the paper, will come off, if you rub the colored fibers loose from the page.

 

Good luck.

[wij]

Consider going to an art supply store such as Blick's to get a large piece of blotter paper. Cut it to just under the size of your notebook page and tuck it into the back of your notebook. Whenever you find a need to make a page smear-proof, just whip it out and press it against the page. If you're finding that you need to avoid smearing while in the middle of working on the page, consider a blotter sheet about half the size of your page.

 

This may allow you to use a wider range of inks and still preserve a neat look. Since you're already committed to the Mead notebooks, the paper quality is not something you can change, and you may prefer inks that simply don't have a very fast dry time. You may also get into the habit of slipping the blotter sheet into your notebook just before closing it, allowing it to become a kind of bookmark. As the blotter paper gets used, you'll find a rich array of ink marks on it, but, perhaps surprisingly, these will not transfer to later pages.

[amberleadavis]

After many years of school and paper handling, I can say that I agree with Sandy - the paper really matters. My suggestion is to change from the Mead Paper to either Black and Red's (also made by Mead) or Miquel Rius notebooks which were both great to use at graduate school. The paper is thick enough and fountain pen friendly. If you have a Fry's electronics near you, they just started carrying MR notebooks and I was able to pick them up for $5 each. I love the paper, the quality and resilience.

[Bokks]

I was actually going to recommend the same thing that wij already did.

 

Blotter paper is really probably your best bet. I've used Bernanke black and personally found it to be surprisingly fickle, and looking through Nathan Tardif's own website I noticed he himself spoke of issues with spreading and feathering if not bleeding through the paper.

 

One issue I always had too is that ink--at that time I typically used cartridge Parker Quink ink--seemed to feather out in the spots of paper that I had laid my hand on while writing. I don't know if that was oils in my hand reacting to the paper or heat effecting the paper, but one technique I developed was keeping an index card under my hand, which I grew to like because it also allowed me to smoothly write by just sliding all over and around. I also took to jotting down specific dates, names and page numbers on the index card as well, giving it a multi-purpose.

It seems to me that you could also use either just an index card or go all the way and use blotter paper, considering what smudging issues you have. If you're a leftie you'd probably go best with blotter paper under your hand since it'd sop up the ink without spreading it around as you drew your hand across your notes.

[SeeksAdvice]

I don't like Bernanke Blue, Black, or Q'ternity.

I find that at least Q'ternity feathers badly and/or bleeds through on almsot anything including Apica and Clairefontaine papers. Ditto for Bernanke Blue. You pay for "fast dry" with other behaviors.

If you want a fairly quick drying black that is waterproof and well behaved, I suggest Sailor Kiwa-Guro. It can be smudged when dry, just like a pencil can, but it takes some work. Has some silvery sheen to it, but really pretty decent black ink.

[Runnin_Ute]

If you decide to change notebooks, Black n' Red is really nice and FP friendly. Comes in both ring bound and casebound versions - at least in the A4 size although it may in A5 as well. (I like the ring bound in A5 and the casebound in A4.) I do have a ringbound A4 though, as it's pages are micro perfed so you can easily remove pages and have it look nice.