Private Reserve - Plum

Private Reserve - Plum - Ink drop

This is Plum from Private Reserve’s standard line. I put off reviewing this ink for more than a year since purchasing it. I love the color; however, the writing experience has always left me a bit disappointed. With the right pen and paper combination it can be a nice ink, and the 60ml bottle is priced well.

Private Reserve - Plum - Color range

The color of this ink is quite striking! I don’t find it dark enough to really call it a plum, but it definitely pleases the eye. It’s a brilliant pink-magenta and shades both light and dark on many papers. Like me, you might expect a little sheening from a color like this, but none was found. I’ve included a six-ink swatch comparison to show some similar inks.

Private Reserve - Plum - Edge issues

Plum has a beautiful, wet consistency. It flows smoothly and generally performs quite well on coated papers. The key to this ink is pairing it with the right paper. Problems develop on less friendly, uncoated papers. You begin to see hints of feather and bleed-through in the best conditions on uncoated, but it completely falls apart on cheaper copier paper. Drying ranged from very fast to average. Stick with coated paper and you’ll be happier.

Private Reserve - Plum - Ink swatch card

This is a gorgeous ink, but it’s only really nice in ideal conditions. This is a problem that I’ve had with various Private Reserve inks. It keeps me from choosing them, and I’d love the brand to change my mind. For best results, I recommend dry-writing pens, narrow nibs, and coated papers. The color might be worth the trouble, but until they fix it, I’d choose the very similar in color KWZ Raspberry or one of the others in the swatch comparison image below for worry-free writing.

Private Reserve - Plum - Swatch comparisons

Private Reserve - Plum - Ink bottle and box