I figured the best way to see how the Wearingeul products performed was to test them on a series of inks and compare to my Col-o-ring/Col-o-dex cards. I tried both kinds of the Wearingeul cards – the horizontal Ink Color Chart Cards (shown on the right) and the Vertical cards (shown on the left).

My observations:

• I had a bit of trouble deciding how to use the Horizontal Ink Color Chart Cards. Clearly the ink is meant to cover the bottle itself, but I like having both a light and dark representation of the ink and the bottle was a bit too small for that. If I used the blank part of the card for my ink swatch, then there wasn’t a lot of room to write. These cards also come in Smiling Cat, with an almost Cheshire like cat grinning in place of an ink bottle.

• The vertical cards were slightly different in that they had border section that didn’t accept ink around a rectangle that did. You can see on the KWZ Raspberry swatch where the ink ran off the edge of the paper and into that border which almost feels waxy. In general I preferred the format of these.

• Both cards accepted the ink well, with no bleeding or show through. The cards lay a little less flat after applying the ink to them, but they didn’t distort. My only real complaint is that none of the gorgeous sheen came through on the Robert Oster Fire & Ice card. More about that below.

Now let’s compare the colors I swatched on both Wearingeul and Col-o-ring/Col-o-Dex:

KWZ Raspberry:

Pilot Iroshizuku Tsukushi:

Mont Blanc Irish Green:

Robert Oster Fire & Ice:

In general, I saw a bit less variation in how the inks appeared on the Wearingeul cards, meaning I saw slightly more shading on the Col-o-ring products. The paper between the two is quite different. Wearingeul uses 200 gsm paper which is quite smooth, in addition to that different finish on the two vertical cards. Col-o-ring paper is toothier, with more texture. But the place where I have to say the Wearingeul cards fell down completely was in the sheen. In these two photos you can see the red sheen on the Col-o-dex card. While the ink shows shading on the Wearingeul card there’s just no sheen.

Wearingeul cards are less expensive than Col-o-ring products, which can add up over time. If budget is your key concern then they may be a good option for you. But in my limited sampling, you also get what you pay for, which is a bit less depth to your ink swatches.

DISCLAIMER: Some of the items included in this review were provided to us free of charge for the purpose of review. The Wearingeul projects were purchased with our own funds. Please see the About page for more details.

The post Paper Review – Wearingeul Ink Color Chart Cards, appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.

The Good News

First, in our Big Cartel shop, we have just relisted the Col-o-ring FOLIO ($40 each + $10 oversized shipping). We only make a small quantity of these pads at a time so place your order early to guarantee you get one from the new batch.

The Col-o-ring FOLIO is our biggest Col-o-ring product ever! It can double as a desk pad or drawing pad with 40 sheets of 12″ x 16″ original Col-o-ring paper (same 160gsm weight) and now with sturdier covers thanks to the fine work of Skylab Letterpress.

We ship the FOLIO out in large cardboard mailers and they weigh in at almost 4lbs so that’s why the shipping is high. We will be trying to bring these behemoths to some of the pen shows this year, so be sure to let me know what shows you’ll be attending and I’ll try to stuff a few extras in my suitcase.

We’ve also relisted our Ink Bottle Stamp Set ($40) on both Big Cartel and Etsy. These are miniature versions of the Ink Bottle (Short)  and Sample Vial plus the rare, discontinued Pedestal Bottle (if you know, you know) and the Classique Bottle ($10 on it’s own, if that’s how you roll).

We have also restock stickers, our Daily Grind and Compendium of Unfamiliars Nib Rubber Stamps and some of our postal-themed rubber stamps.

The Bad News

It’s a tale familiar to most of you that, in the current manufacturing climate, we have to announce that starting in March 2023, we will be raising the price on our Original Col-o-ring Ink Testing Books to $12. All other products are still the same price.

We have needed to do this for some time but we didn’t want to put undue pressure on our devoted customers. But we’ve hit a point where we feel the small bump will be acceptable to most everyone. Our paper distributor relocated to the other side of the country in 2020 and, on top of material costs, we have to pay shipping just to get our paper.

When we started the Col-o-ring project, our distributor was about two miles from the print shop and we could pick it up. During COVID, we figured that trying to keep people happy with our product was more important that trying to stay ahead of the curve.  What can we say? We both have art degrees, and not business degrees!

When we launched the Col-o-ring in 2017 (SIX YEARS AGO!!!), we had no idea it would be the success that it has become.

Thank you for being such a large part of this success.

The post Housekeeping: Shop Updates! appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.

I just wanted to provide a little update on the current Col-o-ring Ink Testing Book chipboard covers. Chipboard, by its nature, is a recycled material often used for backing boards, filler, dividers in shipping, etc. In that regard it’s a lot like corrugated cardboard. As a result of being a recycled material, the color can shift from batch to batch and from manufacturer to manufacturer. Our most recent stock of chipboard arrived and was a much warmer shade of brown. I think the color is pretty and actually matches the paper stock used on our new Col-o-ring FOLIO tablet (more details below).

Bob spent weeks trying to find a different manufacturer who had a similar color chipboard to our previous batch but it became a bit absurd the more we researched it. Chipboard is not like other papers. It’s not dyed to be a specific color. It is the color it is because of the materials that go into making it. I finally had to tell Bob to stop killing himself trying to find a “perfect match”. I just wanted to make sure that you were aware that the color of the chipboard covers may not be the same from time to time due to the nature of the material.

We want the interior paper to be perfect and beautiful and consistent. The covers are just there to protect the inner pages. Right?

Also…

The Col-o-ring FOLIO is now available in our shop.

This is the largest product we’ve made containing our signature Col-o-ring paper. The Col-o-ring FOLIO ($40 per tablet plus $10 shipping because this is HEAVY!) is exactly the same paper that is available in our original Col-o-ring Ink Testing Book, Col-o-dex, Dippers and OVERSIZE. The FOLIO is 12 x 16″ and has a lightweight kraft paper cover wrap to protect your creations without crating too much bulk. The cover will easily fold over and tuck behind the sturdy, chipboard backing.  It’s just now available in a 40-page, glue bound tablet perfect for drawing, doodling, ink testing or turning into your own creations.

At the moment, the Col-o-ring FOLIO will exclusively be available on Big Cartel and, as a result, only available for US and territories shipping.  My apologies to our international customers but the shipping is prohibitively expensive.

The post Col-o-ring Update: Cover Colors & FOLIO! appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.

We never get tired of seeing gorgeous rainbows:

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Gorgeous things happen when you add a little gold to your swatches:

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And how amazing are these little drawings? Ink swatching cards aren’t only for ink swatching!

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And these beautiful watercolors!

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How do you use your Col-o-ring? We’d love to see! Share your swatches (or doodles) with us on Instagram using the hashtag #coloringinktestingbook!

P.S. A Col-o-ring makes a FABULOUS stocking stuffer for an artist or fountain pen ink love…. just saying!

The post Ways to Swatch with the Original Col-o-ring appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.

I personally use my Col-o-Ring for lots of little ink swatches. Since I have my Col-o-ring and Col-o-dex cards at home (they’ve become too numerous to travel) I like using my OVERSIZE as a handy “pocket” guide. That way when I want to reference what I already have in my collection, and want to add, it’s right at my fingertips!

@inkantadora uses hers to test different saturations of ink:

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@kmkubo used the OVERSIZE for his 2019 Inktober effort!

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How do you use your OVERSIZE? Drop us a comment below and let us know or tag us on Instagram with the hashtag #coloringoversize and show us. We’d love to see!

The post Ways to use a Col-o-ring OVERSIZE appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.

The mini collection is sold in sets of three inks, and one of the most interesting aspects of the line is that you are able to individually self-select any of the inks from the collection as the three inks you would like included in your set. This type of set-up is a welcome addition in a world of ink where most sets allow little choice and often leave you with some inks you prefer more than others.

Colorverse already produced one of the smallest glass ink bottles on the market with their 15mL line. It’s important to note that these mini sets do not include the 15mL bottles, but instead include even smaller 5mL bottles. One the the more precarious parts of using tiny ink bottles is the size of the opening of the bottle. The Colorverse 15mL bottles were already tiny openings, and these mini bottles are every smaller. The good news is that I checked several different converters, and they all fit fine into the bottle for filling. You would not be able to fit a nib or a pen into the bottle to do a piston-fill. Amazingly, with a bit of rolling and finagling, I was still able to successfully dip the Col-o-ring Dipper into the bottles. Hooray! The bottles come with a plastic pipette for filling. The pipette works, but I found a syringe easier to use.

Price is definitely something to consider with these inks. At $19.50 for a set of three, the price per mL nearly triples compared to the original Colorverse sets. It’s also about double the cost of purchasing three ink samples, and the size is only 1mL greater than a traditional sample. On the other hand, you get the benefit of adorable tiny glass ink bottles and miniaturized packaging. It is also worth noting that other than samples, this is the only way I know to try three different ink colors of your choosing for under $20. If you are trying to fills holes in your Colorverse collection without breaking the bank, or just want a chance to try a variety of inks at a lower cost entry point than other Colorverse sets, these inks are perfect for that scenario.

All of seasons 1-5 are available in the collection as well as six colors from the Earth Edition, four Special Edition colors, and three colors from a brand new limited set. Thanks to Ana gifting me many of her Colorverse duplicate 15mL bottles, and purchasing a few new mini sets and some additional samples from Vanness, I was able to swatch all of seasons 1-4 along with one of the special edition inks and the three new limited colors.

Along with the launch of the mini collection, Colorverse also released a new limited set of three colors: the Johannes Kepler Set. The namesake of the set was a scientist and astronomer who is known for everything from describing the orbit of planets to writing what many consider to be one of the first pieces of science fiction.

The inks are packaged in the exact same manner as the other mini collection sets, but are sold as a pre-selected set. The set includes a red, green, and blue. None of the inks have significant sheen, but all are decently saturated inks that show some shading properties. I compared the colors to some of the other reds, greens, and blues from the Mini Collection.

Overall, I don’t feel the colors in the limited set are the most interesting in the Colorverse line overall, but I do enjoy all three of the included colors enough to merit having them in my collection. The small 5mL bottles give me the perfect opportunity to swatch all three, and still have plenty of ink left over to fill a few cartridge/ converter pens.

Swatching all of seasons 1-4 reminded me how many great colors Colorverse has released over time. The Mini Collection makes me hope to see more ink manufacturers innovate their methods of releasing ink- especially in terms of allowing more individual selections in the purchasing of sets. I would also like to see Colorverse release similar sets in the 15mL bottle size. One can dream right?

Tools:

• Swatches: Col-o-ring “Oversize” ($15), Col-o-Ring Dippers ($5)
• Stamps: Sample Vial Rubber Stamp ($12)
• Ink:  Colorverse The Mini Collection ($19.50 for 3- 5ml bottles)

DISCLAIMER: The items in this review were purchased with my own finds or handed down to me from the Colorverse queen. Some of the inks that were passed on to me were originally provided to us free of charge for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.

The post Ink Review: Colorverse the Mini Collection & the Johannes Kepler Set appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.

We created two different ink bottle rubber stamp designs. The first stamp is based on a classic bottle design ($14) used by many companies. The stamp measures 1.5″ x 1.5″ and fits easily on a Col-o-ring card, Col-o-dex Card, or Col-o-ring Oversize page.

The stamp is available mounted on wood as an “art block” (no handle) or with a blonde wood handle.

The stamp is thick red rubber, mounted on cushion foam and the design is laser etched on the top to make it easy to identify.

The second design is a tall faceted bottle stamp ($14) based on a vintage bottle design. It is 1.25″ x 2″.

It is also available as the “art block” (no handle) or with a blonde wood handle and laser etched on the top with the design.

The stamp features the same high quality as the short ink bottle stamp.

We recommend using a waterproof, archival stamp pad if you want to swab your ink samples over the stamp. Below we have demonstrated tests using the Avery Carter’s Stamp Pad, Office Depot Stamp Pad and Ranger Archival Stamp Pad. The Avery Carter’s and Office Depot came from Office Depot. Similar big box office supply store stamp pads should work as well. Look for a pad that says “dye-based” not “pigment-based”. The Ranger Archival pad came from JoAnn’s hobby store. Again, any stamp pad listed as archival, waterproof or dye-based should work.

The sample above shows the three black stamp pads used in a Nanami Cafe Tomoe River Notebook. The Ranger pad seems darkest but all three pads have been in my possession for sometime and the quality may be a  result of age.

Above, the same three stamp pads are used in a Col-o-ring Oversize. Again, the darkness of the ink from the pads may be a result of how old the pads are though my inclination is to guess that the Ranger pad may be of slightly higher quality as it’s designed for craft purposes.

Don’t think you have to limit yourself just to black stamp pads. There are lots of different color options in the Archival stamp pads and it could make for some really fun looks in your Col-o-ring Ink Testing Book or other notebook. Here, I used a Ranger Archival green stamp pad with Vinta Sirena green ink. I think it looks pretty cool.

I tried a similar technique with an Avery Carter’s red stamp pad and Ferris Wheel Press Lady Rose ink and I got a little bleeding of the red ink. It could be a reaction between the ink from the stamp pad and the fountain pen ink or that the stamp pad ink is not as waterproof as the black ink. I’ll have to test it further to find out. I still think it looks pretty.

Finally, back to using a black stamp pad and Colorverse Crystal Planet. I left the label open to maybe write the color name in once the ink is dry. So many options!

I hope you are as excited about these new stamps as we are. If these stamps are well-received, we may introduce more ink bottle shapes. What do you think? Do you like them?

The post Product Preview: Ink Bottle Rubber Stamps (Shameless Plug) appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.

After seeing a friend’s ink swatch book and discussing it with our fearless leader, I found a purpose for mine!

Pro tip: Don’t spill your cup of water on your workspace!

Happy swatching!

The post Eye Candy: Col-o-ring OVERSIZE appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.

We couldn’t resist doing another special edition Col-o-ring for the San Francisco Pen Show. This year Bob and I went all out. First, we punned like we did with the Chicag-o-ring. This is the Cal-o-ring! It features a bright orange California orange in the background and Bob hit it out of the park by adding a blind emboss, wood grain texture to the covers to really give this Col-o-ring books, I mean Cal-o-ring books the feeling of vintage fruit crates. The lettering was inspired by vintage travel postcards to continue the feeling of pen show adventures.

Pick-up your Cal-o-ring at the San Francisco Pen Show for $10 starting Friday, August 23 at The Well-Appointed Desk/Skylab Letterpress table or have a friend mule one back for you. These will only be available in San Francisco. Very limited supply available! Get them before they are all sold out.

There are more new products coming from Skylab and the Well-Appointed Desk but the ink isn’t dry yet so keep an eye on our Instagram feeds for updates. We are so excited to share all our new products. And these will be available in our shop after the show so if you can’t make it to SF, don’t worry, you will be able to purchase these soon!

We will also have our new Col-o-ring “Oversize” available for purchase in San Francisco. It’s the perfect companion to your Col-o-ring or Col-o-dex. Test multiple inks, draw, letter, sketch or write to your heart’s content on 40-sheets of our of 100lb/160gsm sheen-showing, no-bleed, no-show through paper. On sale only at our table for $15 each, or available on our online shop. Supplies of this size are limited as we want to hear from you — do you like this size and format? Do you want bigger or smaller options for your sketch and doodle needs? Let us know so we can add an official OVERSIZE to our regular stock. Thanks!

The post Not to Miss: Cal-o-ring at the SF Pen Show appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.

“OVERSIZE it!” And, of course, endless thanks to Stephen (our favorite Montblanc collector and auction caller) for the name.

We made the notebook 4”x 5.5” (A6-ish) with die cut rounded corners. It’s filled with 40 pages of the same great paper that you love from the Col-o-ring and Col-o-dex products (100lb/160gsm European paper from a 400-year-old mill), spiral bound with a durable, plastic spiral. The covers are made with the same thick chipboard and letterpress printed with our logo in black on the over and printing details on the back.

We have been testing the books with watercolor, brush pens, all sorts of inks (not just fountain pens!), pencils (colored and graphite) and so much more. The paper is thick enough to handle light washes of watercolor and show great color definition. Inks and brush pens look fantastic and, of course, no feathering or bleeding.

The two photos above are the front and back of the paper using a brush pen for lettering. The ink is Robert Oster Deep Purple and the pen is a Platinum Maki-E brush pen.

Colored pencils show lots of texture as a result of the tooth in the paper which I really like.

For the moment, the Oversize will be a limited edition. These books were especially made to test the waters with a new format. We hope folks like them and we are curious to get feedback about them.

DISCLAIMER: Some items included in this post were provided free of charge for the purpose of review (except for the ones we made). Please see the About page for more details.

The post News: (and Shameless Plug) Col-o-ring Oversize appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.