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Explorers - Dame Freya Stark
Tasmanian small-batch inks that bottle the island's seasons, wilderness and night skies.
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Paper & pairing
Browns tend to photograph and scan a little darker than they look in person, worth testing before using one for anything that will be digitized. 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 Van Dieman's
Van Dieman's Ink is a small-batch artisan ink maker based in Tasmania, Australia, named after Van Diemen's Land, the island's colonial-era name. The family-run company hand-blends fountain pen inks inspired by Tasmanian landscapes, wildlife and weather, organised into themed series such as Tassie Seasons, Wilderness and Night. It has become one of Australia's best-known boutique ink houses, with a large catalogue spanning standard, shimmering and sheening formulas.
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.