thINKthursday
Graf von Faber-Castell India Red

School children fear the correcting power of Graf von Faber-Castell India Red.

Faber-Castell is out with 5 new ink colors! The new colors fill in gaps in their already well-rounded assortment of colors. India Red is a rich red that’ll have teachers wanting to get back to grading papers. Faber-Castell ink comes in a luxurious 75ml glass bottle. The large metal cap really makes an impression, and the wide opening can accommodate any pen. This review was done with a Pilot Prera F, Lamy Safari B and on Rhodia blank No. 18 paper.

India red is a fairly true red. There is a decent amount of shading in both a fine and broad nib. At its lightest, the ink takes on some orange tones, but those quickly shade to red. Because of its moderate saturation, the ink doesn’t delve into the rich blood reds of some inks, but it stays away from any brown hues that are also associated with those colors.

All of Graf von Faber-Castell inks perform really well. Faber-Castell claims their inks are “smudge-resistant, reproducible, light-fast and waterproof, cannot be erased and [are] resistant to many chemicals and solvents.” The only qualm I have with these claims is that this ink’s ability to resist water is low at best. Otherwise the flow is good with no feathering or bleedthrough. Dry times are good at 20-30 seconds, and clean up is always easy.

India Red is definitely a counts itself among my favorite true red inks. Above you can see it compared to my top two favorites – Montblanc Corn Poppy Red and Sheaffer Red. If F-C India Red were a little more saturated, it would be in contention for a best true red. As is, it’s still a great color and a joy to write with.

As with any ink review, the pen, paper, and person doing the writing will influence the way the ink looks. If you’re not sure about a color, try a sample to see if it’s the one for you.

Ink it Up!
Chris

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