Stipula Fading Grey Ink is one of the 6 new colors of Stipula Calamo ink. Stipula Fading Grey Ink or Grigio Fumo, is one of the new imported ink colors from this well respected Italian pen company. Stipula Fading Grey is known for its clean filling and ease of use within your fountain pens. Fading Grey is a light Grey lightens as it dries. Using a wider nibs, like a medium, broad or stub, and as more ink is applied on the paper, nice darker lines are created.

Stipula has produced a simple ink bottle design, which has been developed and treated to protect the ink from light exposure deterioration. The simple round bottle comes in a basic box with styrofoam inserts that is designed to protect the ink bottle during shipping. Another nice feature of Stipula fountain pen Ink is a dab of the actual ink that is applied on the outside of both the bottle and the box, allowing the user to see the color of the ink.

Stipula Fading Grey Ink

Please note the following characteristics when we sampled Stipula Calamo Fading Grey Ink:

Testing Factors

We used a J. Herbin glass spiral dip pen with Rhodia paper for this review.

Bottle Sizes

Stipula inks come in a simple round 70 ml. (2.3 oz.) bottle. The bottle itself is a dark opaque brown color designed to protect the ink from light exposure. The glass bottle has a large plastic lid, that allows for easy ink access.

Cost

Stipula ink is a mid-priced ink, not the cheapest ink on the market but not the most expensive. It is a reasonably good value for a quality imported ink. The generous sized 70 ml. glass bottle retails for $19.00, but is available at Pen Chalet for less.

Dry Time

Using the J. Herbin glass spiral dip pen, we experienced a super fast 1-2 second dry time. Our actual dry time was quicker than placing the ink on paper then trying to smear it, but we used a conservative 1-2 second dry time. Using a larger sized nib may produce a longer (but still quick) dry time.

Bleed Through

Absolutely no bleeding was experienced using Stipula Fading Grey ink on Rhodia paper.

Feathering

We experienced no feathering during regular use. Additionally, we didn’t notice any feathering even during the water test.

Water Test

After running a wet cotton swab over a Stipula Fading Grey ink sample after the ink dried for approximately 3 minutes, we experienced no color bleeding, feathering or smearing. Stipula Fading Grey ink a is waterproof/water resistant fountain pen ink.

Shading

Stipula Fading Grey ink will produce some shading depending on the amount of ink used, darker to lighter depending on ink flow.

Conclusion about the Stipula Fading Grey Ink

Stipula Fading Grey is a unique color ink that has some tremendous characteristic, from its super fast drying to being waterproof. There are some other fantastic new Stipula ink colors that are now produced by this respected Italian pen company such as bright green, dark blue added to loved original colors such as Musk Green. The good-sized bottle, mid level price and fabulous ink characteristics make Stipula Fading Grey a sure hit with pen lovers.