Scribo (a portmanteau of “Scrittura Bolognese”) launched following the closure of Italian pen company OMAS, helmed by former employees who sought to recreate the same writing experience loved by generations of devoted OMAS fans. While Scribo is not a direct descendant of OMAS (the assets of the company itself were acquired out of liquidation and revived in 2018 under the label “Armando Simoni Club”), many in the pen community have found that Scribo’s nibs are the closest you can get to the feel of OMAS in a modern pen. Scribo, however, makes no attempt to duplicate the look of OMAS, with their pens and inkwells taking on a unique new aesthetic that makes the brand a lot of fun to use. I’m working on a more in-depth review of the Scribo “Feel” fountain pen, which will follow in the near future, but today enjoy this look at the company’s excellent line of inks.

Scribo inks arrive in what I can only describe as an absolutely gigantic, 90ml glass bottle. While the ink is priced at $39 per bottle, the quantity of ink you receive, presentation, and practicality of the bottle put a lot of other ink companies to shame. I love the look of the square bottle, and the wide opening and deep inkwell allow you to fill even the largest pens with ease. Another feature many have commented on is the ability to “stack” these bottles for easier storage. While you can certainly stack the bottles - the underside is hollowed out to fit over the cap of another - given the weight of these things I wouldn’t recommend stacking them more than 2-3 bottles high. Otherwise things get a little “wobbly.”

The ink itself performs nicely. The insert that Scribo includes with each bottle indicates that the company designed the ink to flow well in their extra flexible nibs, and the ink does writes fairly wet. That said, I’ve found Scribo ink to dry quickly, not smear, and not feather or bleed on fountain pen friendly paper. (It’s a bit of a mess on less expensive office copy paper, as are most wet inks.) Currently, the colors I have tested are: “Blue Cosmico” (Blue-Black), “Rosso Chianti” (a wine red), and “Classico Sepia” (a rich brown).

Scribo Rosso Chianti. The color is slightly more muted and purple IRL than in the photo, which leans towards magenta. That tone is definitely there, but it’s not as pronounced..

Takeaways and Where to Buy

Scribo offers another good example of how the heritage of beloved former brand can live on in a new company, while still continuing to grow and bring new ideas to the table. I loved the old Omas octagonal ink bottles, but I may enjoy Scribo’s even more, and the ink itself is so good that I’m already looking to add additional colors to my collection.

I acquired these Scribo inks from Appelboom, located in the Netherlands, and international shipping is free on orders over 200 Euros. You can also purchase Scribo inks from Vanness Pens in the U.S. Bottles are priced around $39 U.S, for 90ml of excellent ink.

Disclaimer: I acquired the ink in question from Appelboom, using credit generated through the Appelboom affiliate program. The links in this post are NOT affiliate links, as I am moving away from an affiliate revenue model going forward.