I say any of the color/black combos should go under that color, not under black.

Ed Gordon – Thanks for the feedback, that probably is the most logical and useful way to do it. That is the direction I am leaning in for now.

I agree with Ed about the color/black combos

Your ink comparison log is a great idea! I know I’ve wanted to know a few times, how colors compare between brands etc. (or the difference between camellia, pink, pure pink, baby pink, elegance pink… Hi-Tec-C, I’m looking at you!)
I buy all my pens online, so can’t try them myself to see.

So, uh, when will you do purple? :p Just kidding, I have a gazillion purple pens already – could probably write a purple ink color lexicon by now!

Well, if your goal is to compare the shades of different inks, what will happen when you get an orange-red or a bluish green? I would recommend doing the comparison log in a color wheel diagram. Do a swab stroke of the color and then write the name of the color next to it like a spoke in a wheel. And instead of doing it on one piece of paper, I might also suggest that you scan the color sample from another piece of paper and organize the shades on a master photoshop file or something similar. That way, if you stumble across a shade that is between two hues you already put down on your chart, you have the flexibility of moving them around.

It sounds useful–I’ve tried maintaining such lists myself.

However, it would be a tricky thing to accurately produce. My experience has been that the same ink can look different depending on the paper, the pen (how “wet” or “dry” the nib is), etc. Obviously, for this purpose, it can be controlled. I would make a point of documenting the type of paper and, for fountain pen ink, the type of pen used.

However, the difficulty comes when putting it on the internet. Presumably, you’ll write on the sample page, scan it, some post-processing, likely compress the image to a JPG or PNG, then put it on the internet. There, it will be displayed on my computer monitor. Each one of these steps can impact the fidelity of how the color comes out.

For pictures of family, it may not be a huge deal. However, for this purpose–making subtle comparisons between different shades–it can have a huge impact.

I’m not saying it shouldn’t be done, but I would disclaim that the process I describe (and the risks involved) should be taken into account prior to any purchasing decisions. Another thing that can be done would be, on each scan, include a common object to use for color comparison (for instance, a dollar bill, a Post-It brand note (use Post-It to ensure consistent color), etc.).

Marte, Tom, and Charles – All such fantastic feedback, some of which I considered and plenty that I had not thought of. I really appreciate the thoughts and comments, and you taking the time to be so detailed. This will all be given heavy consideration as I move forward and try to make this as useful as possible. Thanks again, your feedback is really helpful and important to me.

This is a great idea! I agree with Charles on maintaining consistency as far as what paper you use, and in using a common object in each scan. And just about everyone includes a “color may vary based on monitor” statement. If I am looking at two shades of brown, for comparison, I may not be able to view their *exact* shades… but I can quickly see which is lighter or darker, which leans more to red, etc.

And on that note, what about a single category for black+color combos? Saying a brown is “reddish brown” is a subjective call. But in the case of many inks, they are specifically names blue-black, lavender-black, etc.

rewolf – thank you! Some more very valid points, you guys are very helpful!

I personally tend to buy based on what the pen feels like rather than how it writes – this is helped by horrid exchange rates and shipping fees combined with a student salary forcing me away from extravagant stationery-buying binges from (generally) US websites. However, as a left-hander, I’d probably be interested in looking at how fine a pen is before buying (to hopefully prevent smudging). Perhaps you could have a column on the right of the ink page where you draw a line and madly scrub over it with your hand .

With regards to where in-between colours go, I’d go with putting them on both sheets. That way you find it no matter what colour you’re looking for.

Akchizar – I totally understand what you are saying. Does the “dry time” using the #s in the orange writing sample work for you?

I would like to see the fountain pen ink colors separated out from other ink comparisons and put into a separate category.

It’ll be interesting however you choose to do it. Thanks.

@OSG – Damn, missed that! Not sure if you need one every second – maybe even just a sample after 5 and 10 seconds would be enough.