Fountain Pen Ink Manufacture Advice???

[Sadiq]

Hi my fellow FP buddies…

I’ve been a member of the FP community for some years.
Check out my profiles at FPG - link (http://fpgeeks.com/forum/member.php/2196-Sadiq) & FPN - link (http://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/user/103851-sadiq/) - well...I’ve been an FP freak a while before I found an online FP community.
Lately I’ve been on the quiet side, browsed a few threads occasionally, but been mostly off the grid for some time now.

Apart from the usual family life responsibilities, I’ve been busy experimenting with producing my own ink. I’ve contemplated manufacturing my own ink, but have been a little hesitant as I know there have been a few ink companies that have closed down in recent years. So...I’d like to know from you wonderful guys & gals, if you’d like to see a new ink company? I trust you to give me some honest feedback.

A little bit more about my plan of action (dependent on the feedback I receive)...

I haven’t perfected my recipe yet, although things look very promising – colours can be done in a rainbow of choice, nothing is impossible to achieve. I still have a few things to tweak. Initially, I’d like to start with 20-30 colours & grow from there to over a 100 different colours. As my colour range grows, to follow would be permanent inks, maybe a line of sparkly inks (maybe not), then possibly something unique, who knows... :).

I’m not sure when exactly this would happen, seeing as the ink is still in final experimental phase & a 1-2 years into the madness already. When I’m 100% happy, I’ll need to first get samples out to as many interested people willing to review my ink. Thereafter, if ‘God Willing’ I finally bring my ink to market, I’d initially be shipping orders once a week (as I think giving up my day job isn’t a good idea right now). Thereafter I’ll move on to next day shipping & then possibly same day shipping on weekday orders placed before 12pm (GMT +2)

I intend to sell direct to you wonderful guys & gals through my own website & cut out the middle man (it’s a scary thought thinking of the huge task at hand, but I guess everyone needs to start somewhere). I’d like to keep prices lower than the competition even taking into account international customs. This way, on the plus side my South African FP buddies will be getting them super low priced. Then all you guys & gals will have extra bucks to buy some more awesome fountain pens :).

Let me see how the feedback goes & then hopefully make my decision based on that.

Fellow FP freak ;)
Sadiq

[Chemyst]

Similar to the replies on FPN, I'd ask first and foremost: What is your market segment and what are your company goals?

There are a lot of ink companies in the market right now, what is going to differentiate yours from the competition?

Are you going to take on Indian and Chinese manufacturers on price?

Are you going to take on boutique makers on special features? Packaging and bottle art?

Are you going to take on established companies on safety and ease of cleaning?

Making 100 different colours is nice, but that has already been done (by many manufacturers). Why should I, as a consumer with established preference and a finite budget, pick up a bottle of ink from your unknown (to me) company, instead of going with one of my usual brands?

[Lady Onogaro]

The New Orleans pen store, Papier Plume, makes small batches of limited edition inks as well as some standards, and they seem to do well (I think they sold out of their new one, Mardi Gras Indians, in 24 hours or less).

Anyway, I think people will be curious enough to pick up bottles from a new seller if the colors are interesting and if the ink is well-behaved. Look at how crazy people have gone for the Robert Oster inks.

You might send out samples to noted reviewers, like Vis, Cyborg 6, Amberlea, and Chrissy.

[SIR]

Anything is possible, however... Function must precede form mustn't it? Therefore, it is no good producing a hundred inks when just one does not perform the task required of it, right?

Without any hint of a doubt, we'd all like to have another quality ink producer to buy from; but they must be a quality ink producer!

[Sadiq]

Similar to the replies on FPN, I'd ask first and foremost: What is your market segment and what are your company goals?

There are a lot of ink companies in the market right now, what is going to differentiate yours from the competition?

Are you going to take on Indian and Chinese manufacturers on price?

Are you going to take on boutique makers on special features? Packaging and bottle art?

Are you going to take on established companies on safety and ease of cleaning?

Making 100 different colours is nice, but that has already been done (by many manufacturers). Why should I, as a consumer with established preference and a finite budget, pick up a bottle of ink from your unknown (to me) company, instead of going with one of my usual brands?

Thank you for your reply Chemyst.

There are a lot of business related questions I haven't really given much thought to yet. What I can say is that I'd like to produce a well behaved ink, in awesome colours, at a decent price, so that everyone can enjoy an array of colours & experient & enjoy their fountain pens & other writing instruments more.


The New Orleans pen store, Papier Plume, makes small batches of limited edition inks as well as some standards, and they seem to do well (I think they sold out of their new one, Mardi Gras Indians, in 24 hours or less).

Anyway, I think people will be curious enough to pick up bottles from a new seller if the colors are interesting and if the ink is well-behaved. Look at how crazy people have gone for the Robert Oster inks.

You might send out samples to noted reviewers, like Vis, Cyborg 6, Amberlea, and Chrissy.

Thank you for your reply Lady Onogaro.

I think when I am ready to send out samples I'll keep the regular ink reviewers in mind firstly, then offer the same amount as maybe a PIF on condition the winners review all the samples - we might even find ourselves some new ink reviewers :)


Anything is possible, however... Function must precede form mustn't it? Therefore, it is no good producing a hundred inks when just one does not perform the task required of it, right?

Without any hint of a doubt, we'd all like to have another quality ink producer to buy from; but they must be a quality ink producer!

Thank you for your reply SIR. I think some questions are answered above, but to all the points you've raised - "noted" :)

[Chemyst]

I don't want to map out for you how to go about eating my lunch, but based on your location I'd recommend you make that your differentiator:
*Use ink components that are no longer accessible to EU/UK/USA makers.
*Access markets that are culturally or logistically inaccessible to foreign manufacturers.
*Brand your ink in such a way as to appeal to regional or national audiences.

In short, exploit existing unused markets and co-exist with the larger ink world before you decide to directly compete against it.

[Sadiq]

Chemyst - thank you, noted :)

[KKay]

Sadiq have you already made 2-3 inks that would be of interest? Have you tested them, and have reliable ingredient companies to do business with? Of course I'd be interested in trying a new ink, from a new maker. Here are a few things I look for in an ink... COLOR, lubrication, no clogging or nib creep, no staining, and definitely NO MOLD or any form of algae like material over time. Also high on my list is SHADING. I am a sucker for a shading ink. If it has sheen too, all the better. I also like fairly fast dry times. Less than 12 seconds on quality paper is preferable. I do have ink that goes above that, but I prefer it to be lower. I do not want bleed through (show through is okay), feathering is definitely frowned upon by me. I think that about covers it.

[Sadiq]

Sadiq have you already made 2-3 inks that would be of interest? Have you tested them, and have reliable ingredient companies to do business with? Of course I'd be interested in trying a new ink, from a new maker. Here are a few things I look for in an ink... COLOR, lubrication, no clogging or nib creep, no staining, and definitely NO MOLD or any form of algae like material over time. Also high on my list is SHADING. I am a sucker for a shading ink. If it has sheen too, all the better. I also like fairly fast dry times. Less than 12 seconds on quality paper is preferable. I do have ink that goes above that, but I prefer it to be lower. I do not want bleed through (show through is okay), feathering is definitely frowned upon by me. I think that about covers it.

Thank you KKay, appreciate your response.

I have a few good coloured inks, just getting them to behave exactly the way I'd like is proving a little challenging, but, I'll get there god willing. I have some that shade, some brilliant non shading colours & some that have a beautiful sheen effect. If you've ever read articles on ink making, its usually an either or where free-flowing, feathering & behaved inks are concerned - I may just get all my colours sorted & offer inks for crappy paper & inks suitable for great paper, the crappy paper ink would be suitable on good paper but not vice-versa. Top on the list is to get one version that is suitable all round & in all paper, pen & nib choices.

I've noted all your points, thanx.

[Sadiq]

Hi all...

I've been going through all my responses everywhere I've posted my "fountain ink manufacture advice thread" & had a long think about some of the responses. And even though I've dreamt as far as producing, I have a name in mind & in my excitement I may have jumped the gun & even designed the logo & bottle sticker, seeing as they're spin offs from my actual day job (not an expert, but I can get around such things ok-ish). Even though I would really like to see this happen, my thinking has evolved slightly since posting...

Someone mentioned that producing ink in South Africa may be a good thing as SA doesn't have any ink producers...but, as I've mentioned in previous threads, its a dying hobby in this part of the world. Asia, Europe & USA have FP movements me & the handful of SA FP enthusiasts can only dream of. What I'd give to attend any of your conferences/expos with a few nib meisters & test inks, etc. I do hope the demand grows this side of the pond, but from the responses alone, the SA online crew doesn't even know I exist. My reasoning for reducing my prices below other international producers was to enter their markets with a great ink & not have my international customers have to pay more due to customs & shipping, etc. I now think that this may hurt my growth some & to make this happen beyond just a hobby, I may need to price myself into a category that allows me to grow & the only way I can do that is offer my product to a SA market. My main fear is that we are at the stage of FP development I mentioned earlier.

Can someone please tell me how to check google search words in SA for "fountain pen ink" to see what kind of interest we have? (I may be using the wrong terms, I know IT guys get very hyped up when people use the wrong wording [:)] ) This would be the tipping point swaying my decision. I can always offer bulk discounts so international customers or FP groups can get them at a great price.

If, just if this idea doesn't see fruition, I will still send out some samples of my final ink to the ink reviewers & some other interested parties (as far as my pocket allows). Don't stress as yet, this is a* last resort.

Thank you for all the responses thus far.

Sadiq

[penwash]

Hi Sadiq,

I just read this thread and I immediately think that you -- if you haven't already -- may want to research making inks using ingredients that are only available in your area. Or maybe follow some traditional dye-making techniques that is practiced in a specific region over there. Basically you'd want to use the story of how you came up with the inks to generate interest.

Of course the ink itself has to be high-quality: Consistent batches, well-behaved and looks good. But what I'm saying is that being a high-quality ink by itself will not enough to be successful in a marketplace where there are established brands. You have to be able to tell potential buyers, why should they be interested to try your ink. Typically a unique story of the ingredients or process or both, will give you that extra edge.

Something to think about, and I wish you luck.

[Sadiq]

Hi Sadiq,

I just read this thread and I immediately think that you -- if you haven't already -- may want to research making inks using ingredients that are only available in your area. Or maybe follow some traditional dye-making techniques that is practiced in a specific region over there. Basically you'd want to use the story of how you came up with the inks to generate interest.

Of course the ink itself has to be high-quality: Consistent batches, well-behaved and looks good. But what I'm saying is that being a high-quality ink by itself will not enough to be successful in a marketplace where there are established brands. You have to be able to tell potential buyers, why should they be interested to try your ink. Typically a unique story of the ingredients or process or both, will give you that extra edge.

Something to think about, and I wish you luck.

Thank you for you reply penwash.

I'll note those good points mentioned... & thank you for your well wishes :)

[Sadiq]

Hi all,

Quick update...

Over the past year, enjoying myself experimenting with ink - during the same time pondering over this huge endeavor. I’ve seen a few new ink companies & some old ones pop up, all with their own great inks. Currently there are so many options, I can’t even count them all.

Honestly, I haven’t had much response, especially from South African FP enthusiasts - they being my main market. I’ve done some more coatings & with the monumental task at hand breaking into this market & surviving, regrettably I’ve sadly decided to put a stop to my ink manufacturing ideas.

Now I think it’s by time that I put down my nutty professor coat, go buy some pens & inks, and just enjoy writing, sketching anything or just doodling till the wet ink dries!

Happy holidays all!!