Have you heard about the tiniest new additions to the fountain pen ink world? Colorverse recently released their new Colorverse Mini Series of inks, and many fountain pen enthusiasts are head over heels for these little guys. Who said small couldn’t be fantastic? Today’s ink review will focus on one of the inks included in the new “tiny” line, Colorverse Mini Series’ Mariner 4 fountain pen ink. Remember to look for your chance to enter to win the bottle of ink used for this week’s review at the end.

All About the Ink Maker: Colorverse

Colorverse manufactures all their inks (80+) in Korea, and they’re well known for creating high-performance inks in strong, well-loved colors. You may remember Colorverse inks as paired inks – they have several ink series that offer inks in complementary pairs (one 65 ml. ink bottle paired with a complimentary 15 ml. ink bottle). But they also offer their Office Series, Joy in the Ordinary, and Glistening ink series full of great stand-alone ink options in 30 ml. bottles.
If you’ve read our past fountain pen ink reviews, you’ve seen reviews from a number of their different ink series. This week, we’ll share a review from their newest ink series: the Colorverse Mini Ink Series.

All About the Ink Series: Colorverse Mini Ink Series

Colorverse’s Mini ink series is just that – it’s MINI! We love it, and we aren’t the only ones. These tiny little guys have been a big it amongst a significant number of pen and ink enthusiasts. The Colorverse Mini Series includes 64 different previously released ink colors (from various Colorverse ink series). There are only 3 NEW ink colors released as Colorverse Minis, and they’re available in the Johannes Kepler 3-pack:

• Planetary Motion
• Conjecture
• Somnium

With Colorverse’s new Mini ink series, you can now purchase a small, more “sample-size” bottle of ink – many of which were previously only available in 65 ml. bottles or as the smaller 15 ml. bottle in a two-bottle set. Pen Chalet carries a full range of Colorverse inks. To see the different Colorverse ink series or to see what ink colors are currently available, check the inventory at PenChalet.com.

All About This Week’s Chosen Ink: Colorverse Mini Series Mariner-4

Colorverse’s Mini Series Mariner-4 fountain pen ink (Colorverse Ink #65) was originally released in the Colorverse Red Planet Ink Series. Before being released in the Colorverse Mini ink series, Mariner-4 was only available in a pair as the 65 ml. bottle alongside a 15 ml. bottle of Allan Hills ink. Mariner-4 fountain pen ink is a beautiful deep royal blue color that shows up well on paper with medium saturation.

*** Don’t stop now. Keep reading for a chance to win the bottle of Colorverse MiniSeries Mariner-4 fountain pen ink used for this week’s ink review. (Or if patience isn’t your thing, skip the reading and scroll down to the bottom. We’ll forgive you).

It’s Time: Colorverse Mini Series Mariner-4 Ink Review

For this week’s ink review, we had some fun with Colorverse Mini Series Mariner-4 fountain pen ink. We ran it through all the tests to find different traits and characteristics you want to hear about before adding a new ink to your collection.

Read the full review of Mariner 4 fountain pen ink – now available in the Colorverse Mini Series.Color

Ink Review Testing Factors (to keep things scientific):

While reviewing Colorverse Mini Series Mariner-4 fountain pen ink, we used a J Herbin spiral glass dip pen (with a tip similar to a fine-medium fountain pen nib) on Rhodia dot pad paper. (Different papers and nib sizes may produce different results).

What Sort of Ink Bottle Does Colorverse Use?

Colorverse Mini Series Mariner-4 ink comes in the original Colorverse 65 ml. bottle, with the complimentary 15 ml. bottle of Allan Hills ink. However, the new mini bottle arrives in the new 5 ml. ink bottle. The Colorverse 5 ml. bottle is identical in shape to the beloved Colorverse 65 ml. and 15 ml. bottles, they’re just a tiny version of the bottle we all know and love – protruding nub and all. The 5 ml. size means a very small mouth opening, so each bottle of Colorverse Mini inks comes with a little, plastic squeeze ink filler. You’ll also enjoy the “miniature” version of Colorverse’s standard Colorverse box, label, and presentation.

How Much Does Colorverse Mini Series Ink Cost?

Colorverse Mini Series Mariner-4 ink is a reasonably priced fountain pen ink for the 5 ml. sample size. Check out current pricing at PenChalet.com.

How Did Mini Series Mariner-4 Ink Fair in the 1-Dip Test?

We applied a 1-dip test to see how far one dip could write on paper (dipping the pen into the Colorverse Mini Series Mariner-4 ink only once). This week’s ink very easily wrote across the paper on all three writing samples with ink to spare (one dip per writing sample: S, X, and scribble lines). See the photograph of the samples above.

How Fast Does the Mini Series Mariner-4 Ink Dry?

During our review, Colorverse Mini Series Mariner-4 fountain pen ink had a dry time of approximately 4-5 seconds with medium saturation, which is a very fast dry time, especially for a medium saturation fountain pen ink.

Does Colorverse Mini Series Mariner-4 Ink Bleed Through?

We saw no bleeding during normal use of Colorverse Mini Series Mariner-4 fountain pen ink. There was very slight bleeding during the heavy saturated cotton swab test, but only once at the most heavily ink saturated point.

Was There Any Feathering While Using Mini Series Mariner-4 Ink?

We saw no feathering during normal use on Rhodia paper, although we did see some slight additional feathering during the water test.

How Does the Mini Series Mariner-4 Ink Stand Up to Water?

This week’s ink is not a waterproof fountain pen ink. However, we always include a water test in the review. (For the water test, we let an ink sample dry for about 3 minutes before running a wet cotton swab over the sample). After putting Colorverse Mini Series Mariner-4 ink to the water test, we saw medium color smearing, which is reasonable for blue ink. The lines were still very clear and legible, with some slight distortion.

Does Colorverse Mini Mariner-4 Ink Have Good Shading Traits?

Colorverse Mini Mariner-4 ink has some slight possible shading traits if you have a nib that allows ink flow variation. (Consider trying a stub or italic nib if you are seeking ink flow variation).

Final Conclusion on Colorverse Mariner-4 Ink:

This week’s ink, Colorverse Mariner-4 ink, is reasonably priced. The nice dark royal blue color is appropriate for everyday use in the home or office based on its very fast dry time (approx.. 4-5 seconds). The ink comes from Colorverse, a very well-regarded ink company, and arrives in their new, standard, mini 5 ml. ink bottle used in their recently introduced Mini ink series full of tiny (you might even say “cute”) bottles of some of their most coveted ink colors. Happy writing from Korea!

Enter to Win Colorverse Mariner-4 Ink from the Mini Ink Series:

Enter to win the actual bottle of Colorverse Mini Series Mariner-4 Ink that Pen Chalet used in this week’s ink review:

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