Taccia Ukiyo-e Hokusai Box Artwork — As always, the Taccia box artwork is superb.

New Arrivals: New Taccia Ukiyo-e Hokusai Inks (and more Kuniyoshi!)

April 21, 2026

Taccia is on a roll, having recently doubled the size of their much-loved Ukiyo-e series of fountain pen inks from 16 to 32 colors. Earlier this month, we received an initial shipment of the Kuniyoshi series, which sold quickly but has since been restocked. Just this past week (with our restock) we also received eight (8) new Hokusai inks. I’ve swatched all of the new colors and from this most recent release, Nakahanada and Rikan-Cha are probably my two favorites!

Taccia Hokusai Nakahanada Fountain Pen Ink — Hokusai Nakahanada is best described as a dark teal black, with some sheen. Note that these new releases also have artwork on the bottles.

Most of the Taccia Ukiyo-e inks are currently available, including all of the Kuniyoshi and the 8 most recent Hokusai inks. They can be purchased both in our online shop and in the Nashville store, and as always you can compare color swatches using our shop swatch books.

We will be open normal hours this week in our Nashville shop, from 1-6pm Thursday and Friday, and from 10am-6pm Saturday. Stop by to see these and more in-person!

Swatches of the eight new Hokusai Inks from Taccia

Weekly Drops: Tono & Lims Inks, Kakimori Restock, and More!

January 2, 2026

We’re happy to announce that we’ve received three new lines of ink from Tono & Lims, which is now available for purchase both in shop and online! Those familiar with Tono & Lims know that the brand is the result of a Japanese-South Korean collaboration between Japanese fountain pen enthusiasts and the South Korean ink producer Lim’s Lab. Tono & Lims loves to experiment with color, sheen, shimmer, and inside jokes, so the inks end up being a lot of fun (especially the names). We’ve swatched these inks on multiple papers to showcase how they can look different depending on which specific paper you use!

Tono & Lims My Bank Account is Sick — My personal favorite. A shimmer red with black sheen and a great name.

As noted in Tuesday’s post, we have also restocked products from Kakimori and Object Index, including the Kakimori dip nibs and a new line of miniature nib holders that are slightly smaller than the traditional calligraphy nib holder.

Our Nashville shop will be open from 1-6pm on Friday January 2, and from 10-6pm on Saturday January 3 (normal hours). We’re looking forward to getting back into the swing of things after a busy holiday season!

Tono & Lims Standard Line Inks. The standard line of Tono & Lims inks, with the numbered colors. To start I’ve picked a handful and we will be bringing in more as we get a sense of what people like.
Tono & Lims “Friendship” Line Inks. Ok, so I added some shimmer inks to the T.G.S. curation! This particular ink series is inspired by friends of the Tono & Lims brand, whether that’s collaborators or partner shops or others. There are some particularly interesting color combinations, and shimmer and other special properties are not overwhelming.
Tono & Lims “Adult Night” Inks. No, there’s nothing inappropriate going on here. This line of inks - mostly lightly scented - is themed around coffee, tea, and chocolate, with a touch of insomnia thrown in. (And Dynamite?)
Kakimori Dip Nibs. We’ve received a restock of the Kakimori conical metal nibs, as well as the standard writing nib which functions much like a fountain pen only there is no feed and is intended more for writing.
Kakimori Nib Holders. The standard Kakimori nib holders are available again in the Sakura wood finish. This is the longer nib holder in the classic shape.
Kakimori Mini Nib Holders. These “mini” nib holders are slightly smaller and more compact than a traditional nib holder, making it perfect for travel, portability, and those with smaller hands. It’s also a fun range of colors!
Object Index Modular Marker. We’ve brought back a selection of Kakimori’s popular “Object Index” line of high-end office supplies, including these “Modular Markers” that allow you to build a set of customizable fineliners and highlighters that stack in a way that lets you easily cycle through different tip sizes.
Kakimori Colour Liners Fineliner Markers. Kakimori first popularized fineliners that you can fill with your own inks to create a truly custom set. Several different tip sizes are available, ranging from standard writing points to chisel-tip markers for highlighting or drawing.
Pilot Prera Fountain Pens. The popular solid-color Pilot Prera fountain pens are back in stock, including the coveted Honey Yellow in both nib sizes.
The Roterfaden Shop at T.G.S. We are restocked on most versions of the Roterfaden Taschenbegleiter, including many different A5 designs and a handful of remaining TGS_25 in Grey. While we want to keep this special release in stock, there is no scheduled restock date at the moment on either the grey or green A5-Slim, and we are unable to take pre-orders or deposits.

Allex Desk Scissors from Japan are now available in four different formats. Black Fluorine version is restocked, and we also have Jagged Blade (for cutting vinyl, etc.) and Thin Blade (for fine detail work) versions available.

Fountain Pen Day Prep, Part II: An Overview of Fountain Pen Inks

November 5, 2025

Many new users find fountain pen inks just as, if not more, confusing than the pens themselves, and with the rapidly expanding ink market things haven’t really gotten much easier to navigate. Following up on Saturday’s initial post on How to Get Started with Fountain Pens, I thought it might be helpful to offer a general discussion/overview of fountain pen inks, as well as my brief thoughts on the different types of inks, refill styles, and what I personally enjoy most and recommend to those just starting out in the hobby.

An assortment of fountain pen ink cartridges — Most pen brands make their own cartridges, but some (Pilot, Platinum, Lamy) use a proprietary format. Always be sure the cartridges you use are compatible with your pen brand.

Cartridges vs. Bottled Ink

You can fill fountain pens from a traditional ink bottle or use cartridges, and with a few limited exceptions, I almost always recommend that new users start out with cartridges. It’s an easy recommendation, not least because most beginner and budget-friendly fountain pens use cartridges and include one with the purchase of the pen. You refill the fountain pen simply by popping out the old/empty cartridge and inserting a new one. When you’re just starting out, this lets you learn how the pen works and focus on the writing itself, and to be honest I still like to use cartridges when I travel because it’s a lower-friction solution to refilling fountain pens. Most basic cartridge inks (blues, blacks, and blue-blacks) perform quite well on most paper types, and when in doubt I will select the blue-black option as it’s usually, but not always, the best-performing “cheap paper ink”.

Colorverse Ink Shading and Sheen - Special Properties — An example of inks that shimmer (the grey ink) and shade (the yellow ink at the bottom). All shown here are from last year’s Colorverse Colorvent advent calendar. Colorverse is an example of a boutique ink brand that focuses on special properties like shimmer, sheen, and shading, as well as saturated standard colors like the dark red shown above.

Standard Inks vs. Inks with “Special Properties”

I’m regularly confronted with readers and customers confused and overwhelmed by (1) the sheer number of inks on the market; and (2) all of the different types of inks available, mainly those with special properties. Between standard inks (solid color), shimmer inks (contains sparkle/glitter), super-sheeners (dries with a multicolor shine/sheen on top), super-shaders (shows varying depths of color), multi-shaders (shows different color tones), pigmented inks (permanent), and more, the universe of fountain pen ink can quickly confound those new to the hobby. My standard advice is that “simple is better” at first, and to slowly add additional inks to your collection once you feel comfortable with how fountain pens generally work - especially cleaning them - because usually the worst that an ink can do to a pen is clog the nib and feed, which a thorough cleaning will fix. Personally, while I have some shading inks that I really love and use often, I tend to stick with standard fountain pen inks that dry quickly and work on a wide range of papers. I typically refer to these as my “workhorse inks”, sort of similar to my “workhorse pens” category.

Taccia Ink in Solid Colors — Taccia inks are an example of a brand that makes excellent low-maintenance ink that doesn’t over-invest in “special properties” like shimmer and sheen. These inks work great in most pens and are a staple of my own rotation.

How Many Ink Colors Does one Need?

Trust me, even if you’re deliberate in selecting inks and only purchase a few bottles per year, if you are in this hobby long enough you will end up with more ink than you can ever use in a lifetime. I spent my first year in the hobby with five or six inks, and probably only three or four that I used regularly. To start out, and to get a sense of what colors you enjoy writing with, pick up a standard blue, a black or blue-black, and one or two brighter colors like red, green, orange, or purple. I found that I really enjoyed writing with different shades of red and green, and those colors are now heavily represented in my personal collection.

Remember that a good writing experience is about the combination of pen, ink, and paper

At the end of the day, you can use any ink you want as long as you have the right pen and paper to pair with it. You’ll learn that some inks are dry, and require a wetter nib, and that some inks are wet, which may require a narrower, drier nib and/or more absorbent or heavily coated paper. An important aspect of enjoying fountain pens - especially if you get deep into the hobby, is learning how these three factors (pen, ink, and paper) interact with each other and how to adjust one to accommodate the others. The customization is the fun part!

2025 Colorverse Colorvent Calendars are here!

October 7, 2025

Yes, it’s that time of year already! The 2025 Colorverse Colorvent Calendars have arrived, with 24 new inks ready for you to open starting December 1 (or immediately). Note that the colors pictured below are last year’s colors, and are solely to give you a sample look at what you can expect from this year’s calendar, which is a mystery…. No spoilers!

We also have the “Top 3” Inks from the 2024 Colorvent calendar that Colorverse chose to add to the permanent lineup. Two of them are “Glistening” (shimmer) inks while another is a sheener. All are available in full-sized bottles.

Don’t sleep on the Colorvent Calendars because retailers are given a limited allocation and once they’re gone, they’re gone. Colorvent Calendars are currently available for purchase online and any that remain will be made available in the brick-and-mortar store this week, Thursday and Friday 1-6pm and Saturday from 10-6pm.

Colorverse Colorvent 15ml Bottles — The Colorvent Calendars contain 24 individual 15ml bottles of new Colorverse inks. It’s almost like an instant ink collection!

Ask TGS: Do I Have to Use Fountain Pen Ink from the Same Manufacturer as My Pen?

October 4, 2025

I’ve always wanted to directly address this question because it’s one I get a lot (including multiple times today in-shop). Many pen companies - especially luxury purveyors such as Montblanc - make a point of emphasizing in their warranty materials that you should only use their in-house brands of ink. For example, only use Montblanc ink in a Montblanc pen, Pelikan ink in a Pelikan pen, etc. The reason for these disclaimers are straightforward: If you damage your pen by using another brand’s ink, they shouldn’t be held responsible for you using a product over which they have no control. But how likely is it that you will actually harm your pen by mixing pens and inks of different brands, or from using any given ink in general? In my experience, not very likely, and I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve seen someone do truly irreparable harm to a fountain pen by using the “wrong” ink.

Boutique Inks with Glass Pen — I have no issue using boutique inks (like the Wet Pen inks shown here) in any of my pens. With any fountain pen ink, typically the worst thing that can happen is that the pen clogs, which a flush with water will fix. If you have any doubts, test with a glass pen or steel dip pen first.

Most Standard Fountain Pen Inks Are Perfectly Safe to Use in Any Pen

Fountain pen inks are generally water-based, so unless you are using calligraphy ink or ink with some sort of special chemical property (discussed further below), you are unlikely to cause permanent harm to your pen. Note that when I say that an ink is “safe,” I mean that it will not destroy the nib, feed, or filling system to the point where you will need to send it in for any sort of warranty repair. The pen will continue to write. HOWEVER, if you are using any color other than black or standard blue - and especially brighter colors like red or purple - you do run the risk of staining clear acrylics or lighter-color materials. My personal recommendation is that if you have a pen you are extremely concerned about staining, use only standard blacks and blues made by companies like Pelikan, Waterman, Herbin, etc. These inks tend to be on the less saturated side, and I have found them less likely to stain.

Exercise Caution When Using Inks with Special Properties

By “Special Properties,” I mean things like permanence, heavy shimmer, no-freeze, super-sheen, and other attributes that you increasingly see advertised in today’s market. While most of these inks will not cause issues in modern fountain pens, if an ink clogs or otherwise causes an issue with your very expensive piston filler, the original manufacturer may decline to cover the pen under the warranty if they didn’t make the ink themselves. Again, while issues with these inks aren’t common, and the worst that usually happens is a clog that can be flushed out with water at home, you do proceed at your own somewhat low, but not zero, risk.

Dip Pens Calligraphy Pens in Holder — Don’t get me wrong, I also have a selection of calligraphy inks and other non-fountain pen safe supplies. I just keep a selection of dip pens close at hand.

The MOST IMPORTANT RULE IS TO Only Use Fountain Pen Inks in Fountain Pens

By far, most of the stories I hear about inks damaging pens involve people attempting to use calligraphy and India ink in a fountain pen, which is a big no-no. Not only do these inks stain, but some contain glue-like substances such as shellac. For obvious reasons, introducing these inks into a fountain pen is a bad idea because you will literally never get them out, and any integrated filling system will likely be ruined. (It’s basically the equivalent of using paint.)

So, the short-form, TLDR version of this answer is “Don’t worry too much and enjoy your pens, as long as you are using inks by a reputable company advertised for use in fountain pens.” Clean your pens semi-regularly and don’t allow the ink to evaporate. If you have a very expensive or sentimental pen that you are concerned about damaging (especially staining), consider only using standard blues or blacks, and never, ever, use India ink in any fountain pen!

I periodically take a day to answer reader questions, some of which you can find archived in the FAQ section of the site. If you’re in the Nashville area, we’re always happy to answer your questions in person at our Nashville shop.