If you are looking for an excellent family of inks, you can’t go wrong with Akkerman. This is an extensive set of inks and its size and language can make it a bit difficult to navigate… but don’t let that stop you! Akkerman inks are too good not to try. Here is our Akkerman ink review after trying a number of samples and buying a few large bottles of this fountain pen ink.
Akkerman ink comes from the Akkerman Pen Store in The Hague, in the Netherlands. You can buy directly from the company or from US retailers like Vanness. These inks have been made since 2010, which was the 100th anniversary of the store’s opening.
Akkerman inks are sold in the Standard Collection and the Dutch Masters Collection. One isn’t better than the other, but the Dutch Masters are said to be limited edition inks. Akkerman currently makes 31 standard (non-limited edition) ink colors. Regular bottles are 60 ml in size where the Dutch Masters sell in 120 ml long-neck bottles which are quite cool in appearance.
Akkerman’s full list of 31 standard colors is below, as is their list of 12 Dutch Masters.
Akkerman Ink Reviewed
Akkerman ink clearly comes in a large number of handsome colors. Generally speaking the tones are more muted than some other companies, but more versatile and more acceptable for office environments and other kinds of professional writing scenarios. There are brighter colors of course, like the 19 Rood Haags Pluche, but even these aren’t crazily bright and they lack metallics, smells, shimmer, and anything too “fun” or “cute.”
Some Akkerman inks will offer sheen on the right paper, but this isn’t something the brand is really known for. Akkerman’s top ink for sheen is their 05 Shocking Blue, though others offer similar qualities. Our favorite of their sheen inks is the 27 Bezuidenwoud Groen.
Akkerman inks tend to be very susceptible to water (the opposite of water-resistant) and are generally slow to dry.
The color that we’ve tested the most is Stormy Blue — Dutch Masters 08 Ruisdael’s Stormachtig Blauw — which is a really nice blue black, with a hint of grey, which is a great everyday ink. This one has had a near-permanent home in a Twsbi Eco medium that has seen a lot of use as a day-to-day writer. The ink feels smooth with a nice flow in all of our pens. It doesn’t blob and is more resistant to feathering than most of inks, even on cheaper types of paper.
Akkerman ink is on the expensive side if you are looking at cash outlet, at $30+ a bottle. One a per/milliliter basis the ink is very reasonably prices, at about $0.50 per milliliter for the 60 ml bottle.
Side note: Many people online have compared Akkerman inks to Diamine, even to the point of conjecturing that Diamine makes Akkerman’s ink. This relationship is unclear and we have nothing to add to the conversation except to point out that both are excellent!
Akkerman Ink List
- 00 Royal Akkermanblauw
- 01 Passage Blauw
- 02 Residentie Blauw
- 03 Akkerman Blauw
- 04 Nassaus Blauw
- 05 Shocking Blue
- 06 Binnenhof Blues
- 07 Konninginne Nach-Blauw
- 08 DiepDuinwaterblauw
- 09 Laan van Niew Oost-Indigo
- 10 Akkerman Ijzer-galnoten Blauw-Zwart
- 11 Treves Turquois
- 12 Mauritshuis Magenta
- 13 Simplisties Violet
- 14 Parkpop Purpur
- 15 Voorhout Violet
- 16 Oranje Boven
- 17 Staten-Generaal Rood
- 18 Garuda Rood
- 19 Rood Haags Pluche
- 20 Pulchri Pink
- 21 ChinaTown Red
- 22 Hopjesbruin
- 23 Bekakt Haags
- 24 Zuiderpark Blue-Green
- 25 Denneweg Groen
- 26 Groenmarkt Smaragd
- 27 Bezuidenwoud Groen
- 28 Hofkwartier Groen
- 29 Hofvijer Grijs
- 30 Het Zwarte Pad
Akkerman Dutch Masters
- Dutch Masters 01 Ceruleum blauw van Vermeer (Cerulean)
- Dutch Masters 02 Dou’s (Emerald Green)
- Dutch Masters 03 Gele Oker van Frans (French Yellow Ochre)
- Dutch Masters 04 Hals Oud Bruin (Old Brown Neck)
- Dutch Masters 05 Israel’s Zeeblauw (Sea Blue)
- Dutch Masters 06 Lievens Kardinaal Paars (Cardinal Purple)
- Dutch Masters 07 Rembrandt’s Karmozijn (Crimson)
- Dutch Masters 08 Ruisdael’s Stormachtig Blauw (Stormy Blue)
- Dutch Masters 09 Steenrood van Vermeer (Red Stone)
- Dutch Masters 10 van Huysum’s Sapgroen (Sap Green)
- Dutch Masters 11 Vermeer’s Kobaltblauw (Cobalt Blue)
- Dutch Masters 12 Scharlaken van Jan Steen (Scarlet)
Akkerman Limited Edition Ink
- Delfts Blue (Limited Edition)