Ink on Cheap Paper Test #16, Noodler's 54th Massachusetts

Noodler's 54th Massachusetts is a blue-black ink that belongs to the bulletproof lineup, touting water and forgery resistance. There are several reviews available for this ink including Goulet Pens, Duck's Doodles, and The Pen Addict. These samples were written with a Hero 240 with a fine nib.

 

AMPAD Legal Pad - Front

AMPAD Legal Pad - Reverse

Post-It-Note - Front

Post-It-Note - Reverse

AMPAD Small Legal Pad - Front

AMPAD Small Legal Pad - Reverse

AMPAD Steno Pad - Front

AMPAD Steno Pad - Reverse

Staples Copy Paper 20 lb - Front

Staples Copy Paper 20 lb - Reverse

AMPAD Scratchpad - Front

AMPAD Scratchpad - Reverse

pen & GEAR Notebook, Front & Back and Overlapping Line Tests - Front

 pen & GEAR Notebook, Front & Back and Overlapping Line Tests - Reverse

Best One-Sided Performer: Legal Pad with quicker drying time and writing space.

Best Two-Sided Performer: Copy Paper with slightly less ghosting to the point of being non-existant and similar dry time compared to the Steno Pad.

The Post-It-Note Test: A quick dry time and excellent readability makes this a great quick note taker.

TLDR [Drying Time, (B)leed, (G)host]: Legal Pad - 0, G, B; small Legal Pad - 5, G, B; Steno Pad - 10, G; Copy Paper 20lb - 10, G; Scratchpad - 0, G, B; p&G Notebook - 25, G.

Disclaimer: All photos and opinions are my own. This page does not contain affiliate links and is not sponsored in any way. This ink came from my own collection.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ink on Cheap Paper Test #15, Birmingham Pen Company Periwinkle

Birmingham Pen Company Periwinkle is a part of the Crisp/Keystone ink families made for cheaper papers. A short review can be found at The Well-Appointed Desk. These samples were written with a WingSung 698 with a fine nib.

 

AMPAD Legal Pad - Front

AMPAD Legal Pad - Reverse

Post-It-Note - Front

Post-It-Note - Reverse

AMPAD Small Legal Pad - Front

AMPAD Small Legal Pad - Reverse

AMPAD Steno Pad - Front

AMPAD Steno Pad - Reverse

Staples Copy Paper 20 lb - Front

Staples Copy Paper 20 lb - Reverse

AMPAD Scratchpad - Front

AMPAD Scratchpad - Reverse

pen & GEAR Notebook, Front & Back and Overlapping Line Tests - Front

 pen & GEAR Notebook, Front & Back and Overlapping Line Tests - Reverse

 

Best One-Sided Performer: Both legal pads performed well here with the larger having slightly more bleed-through than the smaller one.

Best Two-Sided Performer: The Steno Pad had the best performance with no ghosting or bleeding and a short dry time comparable to the Copy Paper.

The Post-It-Note Test: shows a relatively quick dry at 10 seconds and the readability is good enough for a short note.

TLDR [Drying Time, (B)leed, (G)host]: Legal Pad - 5, G, B; small Legal Pad - 5, G; Steno Pad - 5; Copy Paper 20lb - 5, G; Scratchpad - 0, G, B; p&G Notebook - 10, G.

Disclaimer: All photos and opinions are my own. This page does not contain affiliate links and is not sponsored in any way. This ink came from my own collection.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ink on Cheap Paper Test #14, Noodler's Tiananmen

Noodler's Tiananmen ink has been discontinued as of 2022, but it is a warm red color. Reviews of this ink can be found at Fountain Pen Network, Wonder Pens, and Stationary Journey. These samples were written with a Jinhao 65 with a fine nib.

AMPAD Legal Pad - Front

AMPAD Legal Pad - Reverse

Post-It-Note - Front

Post-It-Note - Reverse

AMPAD Small Legal Pad - Front

AMPAD Small Legal Pad - Reverse

AMPAD Steno Pad - Front

AMPAD Steno Pad - Reverse

Staples Copy Paper 20 lb - Front

Staples Copy Paper 20 lb - Reverse

AMPAD Scratchpad - Front

AMPAD Scratchpad - Reverse

pen & GEAR Notebook, Front & Back and Overlapping Line Tests - Front

 pen & GEAR Notebook, Front & Back and Overlapping Line Tests - Reverse

 

Best One-Sided Performer: The Legal Pad offers an instant dry time, no bleeding, and slight ghosting.

Best Two-Sided Performer: This is close, but I would lean towards both pen & GEAR and the Steno Pad because of their short dry times and no ghosting or bleeding present. The Copy Paper does have an instant dry time but displays some ghosting.

The Post-It-Note Test: A medium-short dry time and is readable, fine for a quick note.

TLDR [Drying Time, (B)leed, (G)host]: Legal Pad - 0, G; small Legal Pad - 5, G; Steno Pad - 10; Copy Paper 20lb - 0, G; Scratchpad - 0, B, G; p&G Notebook - 10.

Disclaimer: All photos and opinions are my own. This page does not contain affiliate links and is not sponsored in any way. This ink came from my own collection. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ink on Cheap Paper #13, Birmingham Pen Company Heron

Birmingham Pen Company's Heron is part of the keystone formula, "which are built with water-soluble dye colorant to produce a broad spectrum of hues and desirable writing properties." A review of this ink can be found at Inkpendence. These samples were written with a Paili wooden pen with a fine nib.

 

AMPAD Legal Pad - Front

AMPAD Legal Pad - Reverse

Post-It-Note - Front

Post-It-Note - Reverse

AMPAD Small Legal Pad - Front

AMPAD Small Legal Pad - Reverse

AMPAD Steno Pad - Front

AMPAD Steno Pad - Reverse

Staples Copy Paper 20 lb - Front

Staples Copy Paper 20 lb - Reverse

AMPAD Scratchpad - Front

AMPAD Scratchpad - Reverse

pen & GEAR Notebook, Front & Back and Overlapping Line Tests - Front

 pen & GEAR Notebook, Front & Back and Overlapping Line Tests - Reverse

 

Best One-Sided Performer: The Legal Pad performed the best for a one-sided paper, having an instant drying time and having more writing potential than the Scratchpad.

Best Two-Sided Performer: The Staples Copy Paper had the quickest drying time with no bleeding.

The Post-It-Note Test: This test showed a longer than normal dry time but it has good readability.

TLDR [Drying Time, (B)leed, (G)host]: Legal Pad - 0, B, G; small Legal Pad - 5, G; Steno Pad - 15, G; Copy Paper 20lb - 5, G; Scratchpad - 0, B, G; p&G Notebook - 15, G.

Disclaimer: All photos and opinions are my own. This page does not contain affiliate links and is not sponsored in any way. This ink came from my own collection.