Dominant Industry - Maple Darjeeling

Ink ReviewDominant IndustrySeoul Penshow Autumn 2024YellowOrangeRedSpecial Edition

Dec 28

Dominant Industry Maple Darjeeling fountain pen ink splash — **Dominant Industry Maple Darjeeling - Ink drop**

Dominant Industry created two inks for release at the Seoul Pen Show Autumn 2024 in November. This is Maple Darjeeling. I don’t know what inspired the name, but if you like rich and complex oranges, the color is stunning!

Dominant Industry Maple Darjeeling fountain pen ink swatches — **Ink Swatches on Cosmo Air Light and Tomoe River**

I love inks that dance between notes of yellows, oranges, reds, and browns, and this ink is a beautiful balance of three. There’s no brown, but the base is a potent dark orange, and it leans so close to red that it’s hard to be sure sometimes. Shading is stronger on uncoated papers and results in gorgeous flashes of yellow that mimic splashes of sunlight. For me, this is a beautiful example of a strong, confident orange. It’s rich, but never glaring.

Dominant Industry Maple Darjeeling fountain pen ink swatches on Iroful and Takasago Bank papers — **Ink Swatches on Iroful and Takasago Bank papers**

Maple Darjeeling is wet in both flow and feel. I haven’t had any problems with feathering or spread (although it acted a little odd on Bank paper). On most good-quality papers, strokes have a nice darkened edging that frames the color and makes strokes pop. Drying was average and ghosting was minimal with no problems with bleed.

Dominant Industry Maple Darjeeling fountain pen ink writing sample — **Writing sample on Cosmo Air Snow paper**

This is a special-edition ink, so you won’t find it easily available. However, if you are ordering something directly from Dominant Industry, you might just ask if there are any remaining. It’s worked for me with other companies and inks in the past.

Happy inkings!