Inktend / Ink library / Bordeaux
Bordeaux
Soft, mixable French artisan inks in muted, watercolour-like tones at a friendly price.
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 Callifolio
Callifolio is the fountain pen ink line of L'Artisan Pastellier, a small artisan colour workshop in Albi, southern France, better known for its handmade pastels. The inks are mixable, gentle, well-behaved dye inks sold in bottles and economical foil pouches, with names evoking rivers, seas and places around the world.
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.