Inktend / Ink library / Bordeaux
Bordeaux
Karkos is one of the 713 brands in Inktend's built-in ink catalog.
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 Karkos
Karkos is a budget ink brand reported to be from Hong Kong, sold widely through AliExpress, Taobao and other Chinese e-commerce channels. It offers around ten colours of ink for fountain and dip pens in inexpensive 30 ml plastic bottles.
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.