Inktend / Ink library / #21 China Town Red
#21 China Town Red
Numbered Hague-themed inks in the iconic marble-valve bingo bottle from the world's oldest fountain pen shop.
Paper & pairing
Reds and pinks show the most dramatic shading of any color family: expect real variation between the edges and center of each letter. This ink will behave predictably on most fountain-pen-friendly paper. Cheap, highly absorbent paper (standard copier paper) will dull any ink's saturation and can cause feathering or bleed-through with wetter nibs.
About Akkerman
P.W. Akkerman is a legendary fountain pen specialty shop in The Hague, in business since 1910. For its centenary the shop introduced its own line of numbered inks, sold in the iconic tall-necked Dutch 'bingo bottle' with a glass marble that acts as a shut-off valve for easy filling. Every color is named after a street, landmark or tradition of The Hague.
Storing and using the bottle
Bottled fountain pen ink has an effectively long shelf life when kept capped and out of direct sunlight: most inks remain usable for years. The main risk isn't the ink spoiling, it's a pen sitting inked and unused for weeks: that's what causes clogs, not the ink's age.
Frequently asked questions
Similar shades By colour distance
Color shown is a close digital approximation of a typical swatch, not a calibrated color match.