Inktend / Ink library / Ares
Ares
Laban 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 Laban
Laban was founded in 1981 in Houtong, Taiwan, by brothers John and Charles Hu, starting with silver- and rhodium-plated pens before moving into more decorative designs. The brand is known for glossy pearlescent and marbled acrylic barrels with heavy metal trim, in lines such as the 325, Mento, Skeleton and Formosa, and it added its own inks in 2020. Most pens are cartridge/converter fillers with gold-plated steel nibs, with 14k gold and flex options on some models, generally priced from around $60 to $200.
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.