The whole Tom’s Studio range is compatible with our fountain pen ink.

Absolutely! All our inks are alcohol-free.

Yes! Our inks are 100% free from any animal-derived ingredients, making them a vegan-friendly option.

They have a low lightfast rating – the little blighter that is UV rays will eventually change and lighten dye based inks if exposed to the sun. 

They're not waterproof – this means that you can't paint or write over them without smudging. 

However, Tom has developed one waterproof ink which is our 60 Pigment Black ink, you can find it here.

Yes! Our inks have a pH range of 2.4-8.4.

Tom uses MD Paper which is lovely and smooth and perfect for fountain pen use.

All of our notebooks have been tried, tested (and are loved!) by the team.

Fountain Pens and Calligraphy pens. Please note: you cannot use Shimmer Ink with the Wren or Lumos pens as it’ll clog the reservoir inside the pens. 

Absolutely! All our inks are alcohol-free.

Yes! Our inks are 100% free from any animal-derived ingredients, making them a vegan-friendly option.

Yes! Our inks have a pH range of 2.4-8.4.

The shimmers naturally collect at the bottom of the glass bottle. Just give it a good shake before use to unleash all that sparkly goodness onto your page!

Calligraphy or pigment-based inks are only suited to calligraphy pens which are much easier to clean. You can find our range of calligraphy pens here.

Absolutely! All our inks are alcohol-free.

Yes! Our inks are 100% free from any animal-derived ingredients, making them a vegan-friendly option.

They're often lightfast  – because they contain colour particles the sun can shine all it likes and it will have a much harder time affecting the colour.

There is an exception to the rule: Black, White, Silver and Gold have high  lightfastness as they have different ingredients.

They're waterproof! Some pigment based inks are permanent like our Indian Ink, which contains a type of shellac so it won't bleed if you want to layer other inks on top.

Yes! Our inks have a pH range of 2.4-8.4.

Here in the studio, we use Bristol Board, a heavyweight, smooth paper that is excellent for calligraphy as it handles ink well without bleeding.

We also use MD Paper, which is not as thick but can manage most calligraphy inks without significant bleed-through.

Another option for practice is our Tom’s Studio Practice Pads; they are 100gsm and do not bleed through.

In a bottle of ink with pretty big particles (normally metallics) settling can occur as gravity works its magic. The solution (without using plenty of elbow grease and shaking often) is to use a Finetec palette or a magnetic ink stirrer (Google it – it will change your life).

With calligraphy pens, you do have to dip your pen every time you run out of ink. The solution? Use my One-Dip-Wonder to make your dip last ten times longer!

Perfectly paired with the Wren and Lumos, this water-based ink glides through the tips, offering just the right balance of boldness and precision.

Unlike our fountain pen inks, Fibre Tip Ink is designed for an instant 'smooth start' – no warming up needed. 

You can also use Fibre Tip ink with calligraphy and fountain pens. 

Absolutely! All our inks are alcohol-free.

Yes! Our inks are 100% free from any animal-derived ingredients, making them a vegan-friendly option.

They are not lightfast – the little blighter that is UV rays will eventually change and lighten dye based inks if exposed to the sun.

They're not waterproof – this means that you can't paint or write over them without smudging.

1. Ensure you have a clean reservoir if you're switching ink colours (you can purchase replacement here). 
2. Dip the reservoir into your ink of choice. Let capillary action draw the ink into the reservoir and hold for 20-30 seconds.
3. Remove the reservoir from the bottle, dab any excess ink off with some paper towel and insert back into the pen.
4. Alternatively, you can use the mini pipette in your mini ink bottle to drop ink directly into the reservoir. You can find a video on how to do this here. 

1. Clean the ink converter and have a soft cloth or paper towels ready.
2. Dip the clear end of the converter into the Mini Ink bottle.
3. Twist the end clockwise to draw ink in, then twist anti-clockwise to empty. Repeat until there are no air bubbles.
4. With the converter full, attach it to the nib inside the pen.
5. Twist the converter a little to push ink into the nib and wipe off any excess.

1. Clean the ink converter and have a soft cloth or paper towels ready.
2. Take the ink syringe (thin end) and insert into the Mini Ink bottle.
3. Twist the other end clockwise to draw ink in, then twist anti-clockwise to empty. Repeat until there are no air bubbles.
4. If you're refilling an empty cartridge: with the converter full, move from the ink bottle to the empty cartridge (standard international size) and release the ink.
5. If you're refilling the body of the pen: with the converter full, move from the ink bottle to the body of the pen and release the ink. Make sure you have used silicone grease to seal the pen beforehand.