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At left: Spectralite Private Collection. At right: Gold Spectralite 18 Carat Gold. Spectralite 18 Carat Gold vs. Spectralite Private Collection Gold Several years ago Dr. Ph. Martin’s discontinued all colors of Spectralite Liquid Acrylic – even the 18 Carat Gold (54K), which had been the best-selling metallic gold at John Neal Books. Spectralite Private Collection Liquid Acrylic had been put forward by the company as a replacement, so I decided then to see how the newer ink compares to th …

Envelopes addressed by Joi Hunt using ink made with Pearl Ex Powdered Pigments: top, Sunset Gold; middle, Aztec Gold; bottom, Rose Gold. By Joi Hunt. Pearl Ex Metallic Powdered Pigments have been around for a long time, and the product has been used in various ways by many different types of crafters. They like it because of its versatility and its colorfastness. Calligraphers have found it makes a wonderful metallic ink. I’m not sure who first thought of making an ink for pen calligraphy wi …

Fox & Quills is a small company that brews small-batch inks of two kinds. Some are pure gall inks with some added pigment – their Beetle Juice, Iron Throne. Others are a mix of iron gall (15-20%) and pigmented inks (85-80%) – their Peacock, Balsamic Red. I sent samples of four inks to two scribes, Suzanne Cunningham and Rebecca Orr. Suzanne tested them with a pointed nib, and Rebecca used a broad-edged nib. Their comments and tests are below. –John Neal Suzanne Cunningham: All four of …

A Brief History Since they first appeared in the late 1990s, Ziller inks have been a favorite of scribes, especially for those using a pointed pen. The color selection remained the same for a long time, but in the last couple years, there has been stream of new and delicious colors. I corresponded with Richard Mungall to learn how these inks for broad edge calligraphers and pointed pen people came about.– John Neal JOHN: First, where does the name Ziller come from? RICHARD: It is fro …