It depends on the fountain pen's filling mechanism. Check out this video for a variety of techniques:

It really depends on how big or small you write, and the nib size you’re using. We find that usually you can get 2 good fills for a typical converter with our Ink samples, or one good fill with a piston-filling pen. How much writing depends on you more than anything else, so we recommend experimenting with different nib sizes to find what works best for you.

Shading - A common (and often desired) result of a fountain pen ink pooling in certain parts of a letter when writing, so that the color and saturation of the ink appears different within a single letter or word. This characteristic cannot be achieved with ballpoint or rollerball pens and is a very appealing aspect of fountain pen use for those particularly drawn to all the pretty ink colors.

Sheen - Characteristic of a fountain pen ink where when ink pools another color can be seen on top of the ink, especially when looked at in different light angles using certain paper types.

Shimmering - Fountain pen ink that has small particles of glitter mixed in. There is no way to guarantee an ink will sheen, but using a larger nib on a pen will help obtain sheening results in your writing.

We do not allow substitutions in any of our ink sample sets.

We do not accept returns for ink that has been used. Otherwise, we accept returns on unused ink products for up to 60 days from purchase. You can read all our Return Policies here.

To initiate a return, please submit a request at the Return Portal. Our Customer Care team might reach out to you for more information.