Dominant Industry Inks

The range of expressive effects packed into one South Korean brand, from the shimmer and shading of the Pearl series to an unusual line of scented inks, makes it special. The ink comes in four series: Standard for everyday color, Pearl for shimmer, Scented for fragrance, and Keyno as a pen and ink pairing. Artist-inspired colorways run through the range as well, with Van Gogh and Monet themes woven into the Standard and Pearl lines.

Standard is the non-shimmery line with the widest color range and notable sheen. Pearl suspends ultra-fine metallic powder to produce a glittery shimmer, often with shading over the top. Because of its small particles, Pearl ink should be shaken before filling and requires the nib to be cleaned more often. The scented ink writes much like the Standard line, but carries a perfume-style fragrance, and Keyno ink is specially designed to complement a Dominant Industry Keyno fountain pen.

For everyday writing, the Dominant Industry Standard series is the one to reach for. As the non-shimmery line, it flows without the metallic powder that asks for broader nibs and extra cleaning, and it carries the widest color range. Save the Pearl shimmer colors for when you want sparkle, and the Scented line for a whisper of fragrance on the page.

No. They are dye-based and pH neutral, so writing that gets wet will smear or fade rather than hold a clean line. A few colors leave a faded imprint behind, but none is built to survive water. If you need writing that holds up when it gets wet, look through our water-resistant ink collection.

To keep the Pearl shimmer inks from clogging your pen, shake the bottle before filling, use the pen regularly so the metallic powder doesn't settle in the feed, and clean it more often than you would a standard ink. The ultra-fine particles can restrict flow in finer nibs and collect in the feed if a pen sits inked and idle. Many writers keep shimmer inks in a broader-nibbed pen and roll it while writing to keep the particles moving. Flush your pen thoroughly between fills for the best shot at trouble-free writing.

Medium and broad nibs are best for these shimmer inks. Wider feed channels let the suspended metallic powder flow through without choking, and they lay down enough ink to really show off the shimmer. Fine and extra-fine nibs still write, but clog more easily and reveal less of the sparkle.

You can use these inks in most fountain pens. The pH-neutral Standard line is listed as safe for resin and celluloid pens, which covers the vast majority of modern and vintage models. The Pearl line's shimmer is a poor match for very fine nibs and for a pen you tend to leave inked and idle for long stretches, so for a vintage or valued pen, the non-shimmer lines are the safer choice. As a rule of thumb, regular cleaning will keep any pen happy.

Yes, and it's a major reason collectors reach for the brand. The effects come through best on smooth, fountain-pen-friendly paper and with a nib that lays down a wet enough line, with Pearl colors adding shading on top of their shimmer. If you're shopping by shade rather than by series, you can browse inks by color across the store.

The Archiving Books are part swatch log, part coloring book. Inside, full-page illustrations wait for you to fill them with color, and index pages give you room to write the ink's name and lay down a swatch. Shimmer inks are especially rewarding on these books, since the full-page artwork gives the Pearl particles room to catch the light. The wood stamps are themed to each volume, so you can stamp a motif onto a page and fill it with a swatch. Of course, you can use the stamps to add a little whimsy to your own journal, too.

As Dominant Industry's glass dip pen, the Muddler is the easiest way to try a color before committing a fountain pen to it. With the round end, you can stir a bottle of Pearl ink so the shimmer wakes up before you fill, then flip the pen around to the spiral tip end and jot down the color's name beside your swatch. Dip, write, rinse under the tap, and move to the next bottle, with no fountain pen to clean and no clogging worries. It comes in the standard finish plus Goldspot-exclusive Amber and Lavender colorways and is the natural partner to an Archiving Book.