EFNIR: De Atramentis Document Blue (Lots of Images!)

[LizEF]

Extra Fine Nib Ink Review: De Atramentis Document Blue

This is review #96 in my series.  Here's the YouTube video:

Post-recording notes: There's quite a bit of show-through on the review paper - almost bleed in a few places, but not quite.  The scan is way off.  Cleaning was easier than expected.  Pen flush was needed to get some ink out, but nothing was stained.

And here is a screen of the final result, for those not interested in the video:

Scan of Completed Review:

Zoomed in photo:

Absorbent Paper Closeup (top is puzzle paper like thick newsprint, bottom is old 20lb copy paper):

Extra Images:

Image showing extent of spread (compared to previously reviewed inks):

Fuzz and spread on FP-friendly paper:

Image taken of page after 2 years in south-facing window:

Water-test paper, post-test:

Images also available on Instagram: @zilxodarap

Previous Review: 3 Oysters Delicious Cool Gray.

Want to influence the inky sequence?  Take the "next ink" poll.

Hope you enjoy.  Comments appreciated!

[yazeh]

Wow.. The two scans are so different. I would have thought Kung Te-Cheng vs nondescript blue...

So which is the true colour?

I like both version... the dark blue is rich and the flat ink is calming.... 

 

But most of all I enjoyed bacon cheesepizza burgers!

[LizEF]

13 minutes ago, yazeh said:

The two scans are so different.

Only one of those images is actually a scan done by a scanner.  Below are the image-capture devices involved, for anyone curious.

 

As to which color is accurate... On my computer, the lightfastness test is pretty accurate to what that page looks like to my eyes.  And I remember the original being pretty much the same (here's a pre-photo, but neither was under controlled conditions, so lighting and likely the camera were different, and the pre-photo may have the inks a little too saturated and bright).  Still on my computer, the rest are all a little too dark.  If you merged the lightfastness color into any of the others, it would be closer to reality.

 

On my non-phone smartphone (different from the one mentioned below), the swipe in the lightfastness test is really close (and the others are still too dark).  So it clearly depends on your device.  Either the lightfastness or a merge between that and the other images...

 

Samsung Note 3 (the ancient smartphone version):

• Video
• First image (which is actually a screen capture taken by VLC media player while playing back said video on my computer)
• Presumably the "Image taken of page after 2 years in south-facing window" picture (old picture, but can't imagine what else would have taken this)

Old HP Scanner

• The hideous scan image

USB Microscope (everything else):

• Zoom
• Absorbent Paper
• Spread compared to other inks
• Fuzz on FP-friendly paper
• Water test

[LizEF]

35 minutes ago, yazeh said:

But most of all I enjoyed bacon cheesepizza burgers!

Sometimes, the back of my brain produces strange things.

[LizEF]

5 minutes ago, LizEF said:

On my non-phone smartphone (different from the one mentioned below), the swipe in the lightfastness test is really close

I mean it's close to the color on the review page, and a little darker than the lightfastness page.  So I'd say this is the color of the ink out of the pen.

[mizgeorge]

Thank you Liz, for another really interesting review. 

I have a couple of De Atramentis document inks, but not this one. Neither spread nearly as badly - and it's this attribute that leaves me rather unconvinced that I'd use it. I use a lot of mid-grade paper, particularly Oxford Optik, and I suspect that it would be pretty unreadable given that most of my nibs are on the broader side to start with, despite the fact that I rather like both variants of the colour.
 

I think I'll remain on the fence for a bit longer

[LizEF]

1 minute ago, mizgeorge said:

Thank you Liz

You're very welcome!

 

2 minutes ago, mizgeorge said:

I have a couple of De Atramentis document inks, but not this one. Neither spread nearly as badly

Yeah, DAD Black didn't do this.  (Of course, it really didn't flow in the review pen either...)

 

4 minutes ago, mizgeorge said:

I use a lot of mid-grade paper, particularly Oxford Optik, and I suspect that it would be pretty unreadable given that most of my nibs are on the broader side to start with

Hmm.  You're probably right.  I didn't test it in my Black n' Red, but I find it's pretty much the same as Rhodia dot pads in performance.  (And it's long out of the pen, so I can't test it there.)

 

6 minutes ago, mizgeorge said:

I think I'll remain on the fence for a bit longer

Long ago I got DAD CMYK colors to play with mixing.  My conclusion was that Fuchsia was fabulous and the rest were ick.  Later, I got this ink because I was looking for a permanent FP ink in a blue close to ballpoint blues (so I could use it at work).  In the end, I decided "close to ballpoint blues" was pointless (since the principle behind the rules was that it be distinguishable from black in copies, so as long as it was blue and would photocopy, the rest didn't matter), and went with Seiboku.  And therefore this and all other permanent blues I have / had lost their purpose in life.  (Until I started doing these reviews. )

 

So, I say go with Fuchsia and bag the blues.

[yazeh]

13 minutes ago, LizEF said:

Sometimes, the back of my brain produces strange things.

Must have been  very hungry!  

Thanks for the pre-scan. I like it. I like unruly inks... I'm not a fan of well behaved inks... 

Though if I were to get another blue, I'll stick with Noodler'sPolar blue (which is flat) or one of the bad series  

 

[LizEF]

1 minute ago, yazeh said:

one of the bad series  

Bad Blue Heron was almost my permanent blue, but then I found Seiboku.

[sakib]

Thanks Liz. Great review as always. I find De Atramentis inks to be particularly bleed and feather prone in cheaper papers, compared to other ink brands

[LizEF]

1 hour ago, sakib said:

Thanks Liz. Great review as always. I find De Atramentis inks to be particularly bleed and feather prone in cheaper papers, compared to other ink brands

You're very welcome!  Thank you.  I haven't had very good luck with the DAD inks so far, but then I've only really used 4 or 5.  Anywho, Fuchsia is great (in my memory).  And like you, I prefer other options for permanent inks.

[Sailor Kenshin]

I have many inks under this general color heading but thanks as always for the review!

[LizEF]

11 minutes ago, Sailor Kenshin said:

I have many inks under this general color heading but thanks as always for the review!

You're very welcome!

[LizEF]

Here's the line width measurement. The line is one of those used for dry time.  Magnification is 100x.  The grid is 100x100µm.  The scale is 350µm, with ten divisions of 35µm each.  The line width for this ink is roughly 360µm.