Inktend / Ink library / Tamatebako

Sailor

Tamatebako

Blues & navies#383251

A Japanese ink house whose bottled inks are formulated for their own fine, precise nibs, with several well-known sheening colors in the lineup.

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Specs

Color familyBlues & navies
Approx. hex#383251
SheenNot typically noted
BrandSailor

Paper & pairing

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.

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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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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 Tamatebako?
Tamatebako falls into Inktend's blues & navies family based on its typical swatch color.
Does Tamatebako have sheen?
Tamatebako 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 Tamatebako?
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 Tamatebako?
It behaves predictably on most fountain-pen-friendly paper. Stick to something reasonably absorbent-resistant, since cheap copier paper dulls saturation and can feather.

Similar shades By colour distance

Aoguro
Taccia
Witch by Starlight
Colorverse
The Standard Model - Bottom
Colorverse
Registrar's Ink Blue Black
Diamine
Starwalker - Spaceblue
Montblanc
Document Black-Blue
De Atramentis

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