Shanghai Stationary - Fireworks

Shanghai Stationary Fireworks - Ink drop

“Fireworks” brings many colors to mind, but I love the reference in the naming of this ink from the Netherlands-based Shanghai Stationary. The inspiration is the iconic red of the paper wrapping that covers the small, cylindrical traditional firecrackers that welcome the lunar new year. It’s a color that brings back a lot of memories.

Ink Swatches on Cosmo Air Light and Tomoe River

I’d call this a deep, burnt, brownish brick red. It goes down redder than it sometimes ends up being, as the browns develop and emerge as the ink dries. On some papers (standard copy paper, Tomoe River, and the swatch card, in particular), it ends up being more of a brown than a red. On most others, the result is firmly in the reds and truly reminds me of strings of firecrackers. There’s decent shading on good-quality papers, too.

Ink Swatches on Iroful and Takasago Bank papers

I like the feel and flow of this ink. It’s neutral, but very comfortable. Writing generally results in clean, crisp strokes, but on some papers there are the occasional spots of feathering. I’m not sure if that’s due to fingerprints on the page, but it doesn’t happen all of the time. Ghosting is moderate, which is better than you might expect for such a dark ink. Overall, I think it’s a nice writing ink, but maybe be extra careful with fingerprints on the page.

Writing sample on Cosmo Air Snow paper

Like all of the inks from Shanghai Stationary, you can find Fireworks in an individual 50 ml bottle, or as part of a 3-ink set in a 10 ml bottle. Personally, I like the 3-ink option as you get to try a variety of colors, but the 50 ml bottle is quite nice, too! Enjoy!

Shanghai Stationary Fireworks ink writing samples

Special thanks to Shanghai Stationary for sending this and several other inks over to try! As usual, when I accept inks or pens to try, I review the ones I want, and I always include all the negatives and positives that I find. I write these reviews based solely on my own user experience, and to give you the info that I’d want as a potential customer. Enjoy!

Shanghai Stationary Fireworks - Swatch Card

Shanghai Stationary Fireworks - Comparisons

Shanghai Stationary Fireworks - Sample Bottle