The Col-o-ring Ink Testing Book is a ring of high-end paper that helps fountain pen lovers keep track of their ink catalog. It’s something you could do on your own, with all sorts of different paper, but Col-o-ring has done such a nice job with this book that it’s become quite a popular product.
The Col-o-ring consists of 100 sheets of heavy, but not absurdly heavy paper. At 160 grams per square meter this is very nice paper, but don’t be expected to be bowled over by some 425 gsm watercolor paper or something like that. The product seems to have least been inspired by the Maruman Mnemosyne Word Book, which was also a 100-sheet, single-ring bound set of index cards made of heavy paper. This product, also known as Mnemosyne Word Cards, is no longer made.
The more important thing is that this paper does its job quite well — it gives ink fanatics a place to catalog their ink and it really shows off the color, while making ink color comparisons quite easy. The paper that was chosen does a very good job of preventing ink feathering and bleeding.
The Col-o-ring is not a chromatography paper, but so while it’s good at showing off the color of an ink, it will not show all the component colors of that ink. That is to say that the Col-o-ring is for comparison, but examination or deconstruction.
The testing book consists of two chipboard covers, 100 sheets of 160 gsm white paper with rounded edges, and a sturdy metal binder-type ring keeping everything together. The paper is typically heavy enough that ink samples can be put on both sides of each sheet.
The book is produced by Skylab Letterpress Kansas City, Missouri.
The type of paper used in the Col-o-ring has not been disclosed but it’s been noted that it’s from a 400-year-old paper mill in Europe. It can be very difficult to determine paper type, but it’s a good chance that the Col-o-ring uses Canaletto Grana Grossa paper.
Col-o-ring Ink Testing Book Information
| Street Price | Check Price |
| Manufacturer | Col-o-ring |
| Cover Type | Hardcover |
| Cover Material | Chipboard |
| Cover Color | Light Brown |
| Paper Color | White |
| Paper Decoration | Blank |
| Number of Pages | 100 |
| Weight (g/sq/m) | 160 |
| Perforated Edge? | No |
| Refillable? | No |
| Paper Size | Custom |
| Paper Size | 10.1 cm x 5.1 cm, 4.0 inches x 2.0 inches |
| Paper Depth | 2.5 cm |
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