Laban - Zeus Purple

Laban - Zeus Purple - Ink drop

In the winter of 2021, Laban released the second set of five inks in the Greek Mythology collection. The series consists of ten inks inspired by various Greek gods and heroes. It's a well-rounded and well-balanced set of colors. I don’t know if it was planned, but many in the series pair nicely with some of the color options available in their popular model 325 pen series.

Laban - Zeus Purple - color range

Zeus Purple is a very attractive ink. Wet on the page, it appears as a light to medium magenta. As it dries, it settles in to a very vibrant, reddish medium purple. Initially, it brought to mind Iroshizuku Yama-budo, which is one of my favorites in this category. As you can see in the swatch comparison image, it’s actually lighter, and brighter. The splatter shows a brilliant copper-bronze sheen, but little can be found in writing. It’s quite striking and pure.

Laban - Zeus Purple - Shades and edge

In writing, there’s some nice variation in shading on coated papers, which I think aids the overall look of the ink. Stroke profiles were clean and sharp, too. This is a wet ink, and it flows smoothly and comfortably on the page. Drying was fast on uncoated papers, but it took a bit longer than average on coated premiums. Even in these cases, it's never a real problem. In terms of writing experience, this is an excellent, and very enjoyable ink.

Laban - Zeus Purple - Writing on Rhodia

This was my first experience with Laban inks, and I’m very impressed! Zeus Purple is a very appealing ink visually, and it’s a pleasure in writing. I also like the solid, 50ml bottles, which are similar to Sailor’s Manyo bottles. Laban have done a great job with this one. If this is a color that interests you, you’ll definitely love this ink!

Laban - Zeus Purple - Ink swatch card

Laban - Zeus Purple - Ink swatch comparisons

Laban - Zeus Purple - Ink bottle and box