Ink on Cheap Paper Tests

[Taur]

I've only been in the hobby since 2019, but on a number on forums, reddit, and videos I've seen requests for "what ink works best on cheap paper." I have a bevy of cheap paper around the office, so thought I'd do some tests with my ink. The full blog can be found here, but I'll link each individual test here as I complete them. I generally test for bleedthrough, ghosting, and dry time. I don't worry about feathering because it's going to happen on cheap paper. I don't review the ink so much as let the images speak for themselves and document what I see. The paper being tested is mostly of the AMPAD brand - legal pad, small legal pad, steno pad, and scratch pad. The other papers tested are Post-It-Notes, Staples Copy Paper 20 lbs 75 g/m², and pen & GEAR Notebook paper. Hope someone can find some use for these tests.

 

Introduction & Noodler's Lexington Gray

#2 Lamy Blue

#3 Noodler's Heart of Darkness

#4 Pilot Red

#5 Pilot Green

#6 Pilot Purple

#7 Pilot Pink

#8 Noodler's Operation Overlord Orange (V-Mail)

#9 Diamine Oxblood

#10 Noodler's X-Feather Black

#11 Noodler's Forest Green

#12 Diamine Oxford Blue

#13 Birmingham Pen Company Heron

#14 Noodler's Tiananmen

#15 Birmingham Pen Company Periwinkle

#16 Noodler's 54th Massachusetts

#17 Noodler's Navajo Turquoise (Turquoise of the Mesas)

#18 Noodler's Black Swan in Australian Roses

#19 Birmingham Pen Company Summersweet

#20 Noodler's Bad Belted Kingfisher

#21 Birmingham Pen Company Jade Inferno

#22 Noodler's House Divided

#23 Noodler's Standard Brown

#24 Diamine Iris

#25 Noodler's Eel Black

#26 Noodler's Marine Green

#27 Monteverde Midnight Black

#28 Noodler's Violet

#29 Birmingham Pen Company Black Olive

#30 Diamine Syrah

#31 Noodler's American Aristocracy

#32 Noodler's Sequoia Green

#33 Birmingham Pen Company Tesla Coil

#34 Noodler's Dark Matter

#35 Kaco Black Cartridge

#36 Noodler's Polar Black

#37 Noodler's Burgundy

#38 Iroshizuku Ina-ho

#39 Muji Black Cartridge

#40 Montblanc Black

#41 Birmingham Pen Company Electron

#42 Diamine Majestic Blue

#43 Kaweco Royal Blue

#44 Pilot Turquoise

#45 Pilot Blue

#46 Hongdian Black Cartridge

#47 Sailor Black Cartridge

#48 Wearingeul 13 Children

#49 Waterman Serenity Blue

#50 Wearingeul Mature

#51 Monarca Cardona

#52 Diamine Jack Frost

#53 Diamine Green/Black

#54 Pilot Namiki Black Cartridge

#55 Diamine Indigo

 

Upcoming

#56 Diamine Matador

#57 Birmingham Pen Company Iron Girder

#58 Lamy Black

#59 Birmingham Pen Company Ice Rink

#60 Diamine Marine

#61 Pilot Blue Black

#62 Diamine 1864 Blue Black

#63 Platinum Black Cartridge

#64 Diamine Chocolate Brown

#65 Diamine Earl Gray

#66 Generic Blue Cartridge

#67 Diamine Twilight

#68 Diamine Eau De Nil

#69 Noodler's Hunter Green

#70 Diamine Asa Blue

 

[TSherbs]

Taur, this is a fantastic resource. Thank you for doing it and sharing it.

[AndyYNWA]

Really nice resource! 👍 Thanks!

 

However, to me, feathering is the most important aspect when it comes to any ink on any paper. Feathering is the number one reason to not use that ink-paper combination, then you bring out your ballpoint instead.  

[AceNinja]

What a great resources!  May I request for future ink?

1. Pelikan 4001 Blue Black

2. Pelikan 4001 Brilliant Black

3. Diamine Onyx

4. Diamine Jetblack

 

On 9/8/2023 at 2:13 AM, Taur said:

#4 Pilot Red

#45 Pilot Blue

in your blog you wrote that the Pilot Blue comes in bottled form and Pilot Varsity, and the sample is written by a Varsity.  I believe that the standard pilot blue ink in the 30ml bottle, 350ml, namiki's 70ml bottle, is different from Pilot Varsity's blue, which i believe it's could be the Pilot Mixable Blue.  Ie Pilot Mixable Blue (available in cartridge only marketed for Pilot Parallel, and I believe the blue in Pilot Petit) are not the same as Pilot Blue in 30ml bottle.  Same applies to Blue Black, Black, Red.

 

I used a lot of 'I believe, I think', because I myself never really did a conclusive test to found out, only based on what I've read.

 

[bluerroses]

Thanks for this terrific, incredibly useful list!

[Taur]

On 9/11/2023 at 12:30 AM, AceNinja said:

What a great resources!  May I request for future ink?

1. Pelikan 4001 Blue Black

2. Pelikan 4001 Brilliant Black

3. Diamine Onyx

4. Diamine Jetblack

 

in your blog you wrote that the Pilot Blue comes in bottled form and Pilot Varsity, and the sample is written by a Varsity.  I believe that the standard pilot blue ink in the 30ml bottle, 350ml, namiki's 70ml bottle, is different from Pilot Varsity's blue, which i believe it's could be the Pilot Mixable Blue.  Ie Pilot Mixable Blue (available in cartridge only marketed for Pilot Parallel, and I believe the blue in Pilot Petit) are not the same as Pilot Blue in 30ml bottle.  Same applies to Blue Black, Black, Red.

 

I used a lot of 'I believe, I think', because I myself never really did a conclusive test to found out, only based on what I've read.

 

 

I'll definitely keep these in mind for future tests. I don't have any of these inks, unfortunately, but I'll grab some more samples in 2024 for a fresh batch of testing.

 

That's useful to know for the Pilot Mixable ink differences. I did order a Pilot Blue sample, but by the time I went to test it I realized they had sent Pilot Black. I've done tests for the Namiki Black cartridge and Pilot Black bottled ink, so I have those bases covered. My Pilot Varsity for Black had already run dry by the time I was testing and has been converted to use another black ink. I've since refilled my Red Varsity with Pilot Red from the bottle, so I'll do an additional test to cover that base. I'll keep an eye out for the other colors and do some follow-up tests just in case.

 

The following tests have been uploaded, apologies for the large gap in-between but I try to only use my scanners during downtime (a Buserdi Curator in this case).

 

#56 Diamine Matador

#57 Birmingham Pen Company Iron Girder

#58 Lamy Black

#59 Birmingham Pen Company Ice Rink

#60 Diamine Marine

#61 Pilot Blue Black

#62 Diamine 1864 Blue Black

#63 Platinum Black Cartridge

#64 Diamine Chocolate Brown

#65 Diamine Earl Gray

#66 Generic Blue Cartridge

#67 Diamine Twilight

#68 Diamine Eau De Nil

#69 Noodler's Hunter Green

[Taur]

#70 Diamine Asa Blue

#71 Jinhao Deep Blue

#72 Jinhao Florescent Green

#73 Private Reserve Electric DC Blue

#74 Diamine Wine Divine

#75 Jinhao Sky Blue

[Lithium466]

Thank you for these reviews!

[Taur]

#76 Diamine Grape

#77 Jinhao Brown

#78 Jinhao Black

#79 Iroshizuku Kon-Peki

[inkstainedruth]

Somehow I've missed this thread before now.  Thanks for doing this!  Not everyone has access to (or can afford) really good quality paper (and some of us are cheapskates).

I suspect I'm going to be spending a lot of time over the next week going through and seeing how inks I have do, and also inks that I've considered trying.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Taur]

#80 Iroshizuku Asa-Gao

#81 Kaweco Ruby Red

#82 Diamine Salamander

#83 Diamine Raspberry Rose (Red Edition)

#84 Diamine Night Sky

#85 Diamine Shimmering Seas

#86 Kaweco Smokey Grey

#87 Jinhao Red
#88 Visconti Starry Night

#89 Visconti Black

#90 TWSBI Blue Black

[Mechanical]

Thanks, @Taur, this gives me a brand new angle on some familiar inks.  Great idea!

[TSherbs]

Thank you for the updated tests

[Taur]

16 hours ago, TSherbs said:

Thank you for the updated tests

 

I'm slowly making my way through my tests. I've got another 100 done, but scanning time in my lab is limited due to current projects.

[TSherbs]

43 minutes ago, Taur said:

 

I'm slowly making my way through my tests. I've got another 100 done, but scanning time in my lab is limited due to current projects.

another 100???  Wow