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Tono & Lims

Don't know why

Purples#A38FBA

Small-batch Japanese-Korean collaborative inks released in playful, story-driven limited series.

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Specs

Color familyPurples
Approx. hex#A38FBA
SheenNot typically noted

Paper & pairing

Purples sit at the boundary of professional and playful, one of the more personality-forward choices that still reads clearly on the page. 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.

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About Tono & Lims

Tono & Lims is a Japanese ink brand founded by fountain pen enthusiast Takashi Ono in partnership with Lim's Lab, an ink producer based in South Korea. It is known for a huge, fast-moving catalog of small-batch inks organized into story-driven series such as Friendship, Legend, Baby Color, Earth Contact and Shaved Ice, plus countless retailer and pen-show collaborations. The playful naming and constant limited releases have made it a cult favorite in the fountain pen community.

Japan Founded 2018
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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 Don't know why?
Don't know why falls into Inktend's purples family based on its typical swatch color.
Does Don't know why have sheen?
Don't know why 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 Don't know why?
Years, easily, as long as it stays capped and out of direct sunlight. The thing that actually shortens an ink's usable life is sitting unused inside a pen, not sitting on a shelf.
What paper works best with Don't know why?
It behaves predictably on most fountain-pen-friendly paper. Stick to something reasonably absorbent-resistant, since cheap copier paper dulls saturation and can feather.

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Color shown is a close digital approximation of a typical swatch, not a calibrated color match.