The INKling Binge!

What’s in the ink, man?’ asked a perplexed Rahul. ‘You wouldn’t understand’, said Sanjay shaking his head disapprovingly. ‘I’ve explained to you so many times. You still don’t get it do you?’ ‘Yeah well, I wasn’t listening the last time maybe, how ‘bout you tell me once more why you’d spend 1000 bucks on a fancy Krishna Fountain Pen Ink?’

‘Here’s why…. Firstly, remember the time you ruined your prized red shirt due to that leaking pen in your breast pocket? That’s because it used a cheap Drafting ink. It contains shellac, which corrodes the lining of the pen.’ ‘Yeah, that was a bloody good shirt…..carry on.’ ‘Well my Waterman Expert uses Krishna Ink which is of excellent quality. It gives you intense shading and hardly corrodes the pen. However, there’s a price to pay for it too. The pigments are strong and the color is priceless.’ ‘It depends on how much time, effort and money you’re willing to spend on maintaining your pen. How my writing looks is a reflection of me and I absolutely care about how I look on paper, Rahul.’ ‘I don’t get it!’ ‘Think of it as looking in a mirror. You care about your looks don’t you? So you’d work on keeping yourself groomed and neat by visiting the barber, shaving, using creams and hair gel. Same here. I care about my handwriting and I am willing to invest in long-lasting inks to preserve it the way I’m used to seeing it.’ ‘Do you think a pen ink is noticed by people?’ ‘Well, when I have to sign contracts my Waterman’s Iroshizuku ink does create an impression. I was asked the other day by Mr. Gupta, VP Cognizant about which ink I used. He couldn’t help noticing the strong pigment.’ ‘Another reason for investing in good ink is to ensure longevity of the nib. The nib of a fountain pen is delicate and needs to be taken care of with good inks. Sailor inks generally don’t jam the nib or leave a residue, but they cost 1200 bucks. The price explains why the nib doesn’t move sluggishly and gives a thin line which dries up quicker than Parker’s Quink.’ ‘What do you do if you want solid dark ink?’ ‘Oh yeah, Private Reserve’s Ultra Black is the most distinctive black ink in the world. It’s preferred by people who like writing alternate pages, due to its heavy dark color making it difficult to write on pages!’, said Sanjay snickering. ‘What about lesser range inks and their uses?’ ‘Diamine inks are still in vogue if you’d prefer cheaper inks. They’ll cost you about 600. Their important feature being strong pigments in nearly hundred different colors. However they stain the nib slightly and might clog your pen in the future.’ ‘I guess investing in an ink is difficult business, eh Sanjay? I had no clue about the types and their uses, let alone the cost. This has been enlightening!’ ‘Wow, so you finally understand!’, chuckled Sanjay. Regardless of whether you use an ink that’s heavily saturated or not, you should take care to maintain your pen well — even low-maintenance ink will dry up and clog a pen if you let it remain in the pen for too long and your pen could turn into exotic scrap metal. Hence one should splurge on good quality inks.

Tune in to www.ThePenWorld.com to check out different types of pens, inks and more. Have a Pentastic Day!