Today’s Colorverse Cape May ink review and giveaway features one of Colorverse’s “special edition” inks. The actual name of this recently released ink is Colorverse USA Special Edition Ink: Cape May-New Jersey ink. It’s a mouthful, but then…when you’re working with the full name of most Colorverse inks, you’re going to have a mouth full. But it’s worth it, and in almost every case, you’ll agree it’s appropriate. Colorverse inks just lean towards complex and intriguing, so they require complex and intriguing names. But I’ve fun off on a tangent; let me redirect. This week’s featured ink is from a great ink maker, and it’s a recent addition to a fun new ink series released earlier in 2021. Let’s get a few more details about the maker and the ink series and the general look of the ink before we dive into the ink review results.

All About the Ink Maker: Colorverse

Colorverse is a Korean ink company that became a quick sensation in the American ink community, and it appears they are now here to stay. They use the highest quality materials (like natural pigments and plant-based dyes) to create their inks. Their combination of premium materials and know-how created a wide array of inks showcasing pure, vivid colors that writers and artists love. Colorverse inks are known for their exceptional solubility and they work well in fountain pens.

***In a rush? Experiencing a decided lack of patience? Not in the mood to read? Well, never fear, if you skip the full review to jump directly to the bottom and enter to win the bottle of ink we used for this week’s ink review…we’ll forgive you.

All About the Ink Series: Colorverse USA Special Edition Ink Series

The popular ink maker’s most recent ink series is the Colorverse USA Special Edition ink series. The initial July 2021 release included 10 new inks, each inspired by a well-known site, geographical location, slogan or general attraction associated with one of the 50 states in the USA. Inks are named after the states used as the inspiration for the color, and eventually, all 50 states in the United States of America (USA) will be represented by an ink in Colorverse’s new Special Edition ink series. The 10 inks included in the initial release were:

• Green Goddess – New York
• Red Rock – Arizona
• Chesapeake Bay – Virginia
• Tar Heel – North Carolina
• From Cali – California
• Rocky Blue – Colorado
• Chi-Town – Illinois
• Gentle Terrier – Massachusetts
• Tex Mex – Texas
• Cape May – New Jersey

This Week’s Featured Ink: Colorverse USA Special Edition Cape May Ink

This week’s ink, Colorverse Cape May ink, represents the state of New Jersey, and the iconic beachside town and idyllic summer getaway, Cape May. The medium saturation ink has a beautiful color representative of the deep, dark blue waters of the Atlantic during an east coast summer.

It’s Time: Colorverse Cape May Ink Review

This week we put Cape May ink from Colorverse’s recent USA Special Edition ink series release to the test! Read the full review results:

Ink Review Testing Factors (to keep things scientific):

For our review of Colorverse Cape May ink we used a French made J. Herbin spiral glass dip pen on French made Rhodia paper (dot pad). The dip pen has a tip similar to a medium-fine fountain pen nib.

Let’s Talk About the Colorverse USA Special Edition Ink Bottle

Colorverse inks are now available in a variety of sizes. The Colorverse regular ink series offer inks in 65 ml. and 15 ml. ink bottles. Other Colorverse ink series include inks in a 30 ml. ink bottle that has a new shape. The Colorverse USA Special Edition inks come in a 15 ml. ink bottle that retains the beloved (and unique) shape of the original Colorverse ink bottle (and the smaller ink bottle size means a lower price tag). We like the idea of the smaller bottle – particularly for this type of ink series as it makes it much more approachable to collect the full ink series (that will eventually total 50 different inks). The Cape May ink (and other inks included in the Colorverse USA Special Edition ink series) have the standard Colorverse label and packaging with some distinctive state ink swag and American flag colors inside the box. It’s a great look and we consider it a professional, collector-quality presentation.

How Much Does Colorverse USA Special Edition Fountain Pen Ink Cost?

Colorverse USA Special Edition inks are not what you might call an economy ink purchase, but they come at a fairly reasonable price for the imported ink in the 15 ml. size bottle. Check out the current pricing at PenChalet.com.

How Did This Week’s Ink Fair in the 1-Dip Test?

We applied a one dip test to see how far one dip could could write on paper (dipping the pen in the ink only one time). Cape May ink easily wrote across the paper on all three writing samples (S, X, and scribble lines) with ink to spare.

How Fast Does Colorverse Cape May ink Dry?

Colorverse Cape May ink had a nice, quick dry time for a medium saturation ink (approximately 6-7 seconds).

Does Colorverse Cape May Ink Bleed Through?

We saw no bleeding during normal use. In fact, we didn’t even see any bleeding during the heavy saturated cotton swab test.

Was There Any Feathering During the Review?

We saw no feathering during normal use on Rhodia paper, but we did see some light feathering during the water test (no more than the expected amount though).

How Does the Ink Stand Up to Water?

Colorverse Cape May ink is not a waterproof ink. We saw heavy blue color smearing during the water test, but the lines were still clear and legible (with some slight distortion and fading).

What About Shading & Sheening Traits?

We saw some nice shading traits, but shading traits would depend on penmanship, nib, and ink application. We also saw quite a bit of dark burgundy sheen as well.

Final Conclusion on this Week’s Featured Colorverse Ink:

Colorverse Cape May is reasonably priced for a 15 ml. collectible ink. The nice, dark blue color comes with a beautiful dark burgundy sheen and showed a dry time of about 6-7 seconds. Colorverse Cape May ink is an appropriate ink choice for everyday use and a variety of projects including notes, cards, letters, and special ink projects. Made by a well-regarded Korean ink company, the reasonably sized 15 ml inks mean fans will have an easier time collecting all 50 inks in the ink series (once they’re all released, that is). The Colorverse USA Special Edition inks have great packaging and presentation. Happy writing from Korea and New Jersey!

Enter to Win a Colorverse Fountain Pen Ink:

Enter to win the actual bottle of Colorverse Cape May fountain pen ink that Pen Chalet used in this week’s ink review:

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