Leonardo Officina Italiana Red Passion Ink is produced by new Italian Pen Company, Leonardo Officina Italiana. Although a new company on paper, Leonardo Officina Italiana Pen Company has historic style and a vintage feel. The art of handmade pen manufacturing was handed down from father to son with superior craftsmanship and experience guiding the treasured family tradition. We have embraced this new Italian brand with enthusiasm. We’ve even created three exclusive pen color designs with five more on the way!
If you are a pen enthusiast, you should consider yourself lucky that Leonardo Officina Italiana also created a small line of high-quality fountain pen inks. Leonardo Officina Italiana Red Passion ink (“Rosso Passione” in Italian), one of 6 original colors released, is exactly what you would expect from an Italian ink called “Red Passion.” It’s a deep, dark blood red color that is bold but inviting. Other colors available in the Leonardo Officina Italiana line of fountain pen inks include the expected black, blue and green as well as turquoise and sepia. Visit our website for high-quality Leonardo Officina Italiana pens and inks.
Continue reading for a chance to win the bottle of Leonardo Officina Italiana Red Passion ink we used for this review.
During our review of Leonardo Officina Italiana Red Passion ink, we found the following traits that you may find useful when choosing your next ink:
Testing Factors
For our review of Leonardo Officina Italiana Red Passion ink, we used a J. Herbin spiral glass dip pen on French made Rhodia dot pad paper. The glass dip pen has a tip that is similar to a fine-medium fountain pen nib. Please note that different pens, nibs, and paper may produce different results.
Bottle Size
The Leonardo Officina Italiana Red Passion ink comes in a reasonably sized 40 ml. bottle. The 8-sided octagonal shaped, glass bottle is heavyweight and has a nice feel. We appreciated the overall presentation. Standard labels on the ink bottles clearly show the ink color name, and each bottle comes with an intermittently ribbed medium open lid. We found the packaging unique and interesting with the bottle placed in a cardboard box with a folded origami design closure. The box was placed inside open-sleeved packaging that left us with an impression of professionalism with the company’s brand carrying through from packing to product cohesively.
Cost
Leonardo Officina Italiana Red Passion ink retails for $19.99 in the USA, which makes Leonardo Officina Italiana ink a mid-ranged priced ink option in the market today.
Dry Time
During our review of Leonardo Officina Italiana Red Passion ink, we found a reasonable dry time of approximately 8-9 seconds. Anything under 10 seconds is typically considered an everyday ink option for use in the home or office.
Bleed Through
Even though Leonardo Officina Italiana Red Passion ink is a very dark color, we found absolutely no bleeding during our review of the ink, even during our cotton swab test.
Feathering
During regular use, we found no feathering at all while testing Leonardo Officina Italiana Red Passion ink. Even during our water test, we found only slight feathering when using Rhodia dot pad paper.
Water Test
During our review of Leonardo Officina Italiana Red Passion ink, we conducted a standard water test. During this test, we let an ink sample dry for about 3 minutes. Our results were significant color smearing (which is typical for a dark non-waterproof ink), some slight feathering, and minor line distortion.
Shading
Being a very dark color, we did not notice much shading during normal use with a glass dip pen. However, during the cotton swab test, we did see some nice color variation and shading, from a deep dark blood red to a slightly lighter dusty red color. Under the right conditions (nib, paper, and penmanship), you may experience some color variation and shading.
Conclusions about Leonardo Officina Italiana Red Passion Ink
Leonardo Officina Italiana is a new kid on the block, but this company feels like it’s been around for a while. Leonardo Red Passion ink exudes a luxurious, professional sophistication, as do other Leonardo Officina Italiana inks. Red Passion ink is a lovely, dark, blood red color that shows up well on paper. It has a reasonable dry time and professional packaging and presentation. The price is reasonable for imported ink. Happy Writing from Italy!
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As always- a thorough review of ink. This looks like a true “delicious red apple” red more than a blood red, but then again it can be my monitor. Thanks for the review
What a gorgeous color! And I’m looking forward to exploring this new brand.
Looks like a beautiful shade of red!
That’s a nice looking Red ink!
I love dark reds with little shading!
That’s a great looking red ink
I don’t think I’ve seen this brand before.
I like this shade of red
What a beautiful shade of red!
What a beautiful shade of red!
As always, I’d like to see you review some of the old standby inks such as offerings from Waterman and Sheaffer.
I would read a review of any ink that is English Racing Green!
Wow. What a beautiful red ink.
What a nice deep red!
I would love to try this ink – such a beautiful color!
A nice dark red!
So glad Leonardo has not only entered the market, but that they are offering quality Italian pens at multiple price points!
I have no red ink. My current fave ink is KWZ Baltic Memories.
This is a nice color 😉
Interesting new company!
Bona fortuna to the new company! Nice looking red which should go together nicely with a cream color paper. I only have experiece with Sailor inks, but willing to give Leonardo Officina inks a try
Bona fortuna to the new company! Nice looking red which should go together nicely with a cream color paper. I only have experiece with Sailor inks, but willing to give Leonardo Officina inks a try
What a bold shade of red. It had so many possibilities. I love it.
Awesome detailed review 🙂
Looking forward to seeing more reviews of this brand.