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Sailor
Souten
Blues & navies
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A Japanese ink house whose bottled inks are formulated for their own fine, precise nibs, with several well-known sheening colors in the lineup.
Specs
Color familyBlues & navies
Approx. hex#2E86C8
SheenNot typically noted
BrandSailor
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About Sailor
Founded in Hiroshima in 1911, Sailor is Japan's oldest fountain pen maker, known for precisely ground gold nibs and its own line of bottled inks.
Japan
Founded 1911
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Paper & pairing notes
Blues and navies are the most broadly "safe" fountain pen colors — legible, professional, and unlikely to raise eyebrows in an office. 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.
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
What color family is Souten?
Souten falls into Inktend's blues & navies family based on its typical swatch color.
Does Souten have sheen?
Souten is not typically noted for sheen. If you want that effect, browse similarly colored inks tagged with sheen in the ink library.
How should I store a bottle of Souten?
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.
What paper works best with Souten?
Blues and navies are the most broadly "safe" fountain pen colors — legible, professional, and unlikely to raise eyebrows in an office. 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.
Similar shades
Color shown is a close digital approximation of a typical swatch, not a calibrated color match.