Introducing Platinum "Mix-Free" Inks

The Pear Tree Pen Company is excited to announce the arrival of a new line of fountain pen inks, "Mix-Free" from Platinum Pens. This product represents a huge step forward in ink customizing and will allow users to explore more color variations than ever imagined.

In the past mixing inks was a risky endeavor too often leading to clogged pens or unappealing colors. Even combining colors from the same manufacturer was no guarantee a muddy mess would not result. Platinum Pens has released the perfect solution with inks designed to work together. Using the included color chart for guidance, anyone can create a unique, one-of-a-kind
color or a whole ink collection.

Has your favorite color been discontinued? Now you can replicate that special hue. Want to match a color in nature? This kit will make that possible. Do you fancy a unique signature color? Mix Free will let you combine colors to get that exact shade. This is one time getting carried away is encouraged.

The kit comes with nine colors including Aqua Blue, Aurora Blue, Cyclamen Pink, Earth Brown, Flame Red, Leaf Green, Silky Purple, Smoke Black, and Sunny Yellow. The straight-from-the-bottle colors have a clear and saturated look. By combining equal parts of only two colors, plus the original colors, that's an instant ink collection of over 40 different shades. Simply altering the 1:1 ratio expands the potential combinations into a virtually unlimited number of hues. Each bottle is 60 cc so that is a total of 540 cc or over 18 ounces of ink.

The set also contains a bottle of “reducer” that de-intensifies the color saturation but does not affect the ink's properties. This dilution liquid will step down the color and even make pastel colors an option.

Included are two syringes and a storage bottle along with the color chart that will guide your quest for the perfect shade.

Mix-Free sets retail for $189 but we are introducing them at only $149.95. Individual bottles will become available soon at $20 each. Purchasing the set is a great deal. Once you have used up favorite colors, they can easily be replaced with individual bottles.

Whether you are an artist with a distinct vision of color, someone who likes to show your unique character, or somewhere in between, this is the most promising line of inks ever.

Thanks for stopping by.

They're Back!

After a too-long hiatus, the Pear Tree Pen Company's ink sample program is back! The inventory of available inks has grown (although I still have to add Omas and Caran d'Ache to the list). Unfortunately, so has the price. It seems that the cost of everything keeps going up, including ink, postage, supplies and now I have to add labor to the mix. I was faced with a choice of charging for shipping/handling and keeping a nominally lower price posted, or to keep shipping free and increase the price. I opted for the latter, but let me know if you all think it should be otherwise. I do listen to your suggestions.

To offset the price increase somewhat, I have decided to add more ink to the vials, so now there should be about 2 ccs of ink for you to all test and play with. I figured that's more than enough to give you a good idea of how the ink will look on different papers and how it will perform in different pens. Again, I'm open to suggestions on this. Despite the price increase, I still think this is one of the best values around - why bother buying a bottle of ink only to find out it's not what you had hoped for?

On another note, I received word from Private Reserve yesterday. The price on Private Reserve Ink is going up, but they are also introducing a new color, Tropical Blue. I hope to get some in the next few weeks. Pelikan has also just informed me that they've raised wholesale prices as well.

Luckily, the price of Sailor fountain pens has held steady. Perhaps as a result, The Sailor Sapporo seems to be selling faster than I can get them in, and I find myself back-ordered on several different nibs, so if you want one, you'd better act fast or call first to see if I have it in stock.

As you know, the Sailor 1911 and 1911M have long been the workhorse pen in the Sailor line, but they have recently been discontinued. Luckily, I managed to secure a nice supply of full-size 1911s and 1911Ms. I've got them in all colors and size nibs (except zoom - I'm told they're on the way). Unlike most closeouts, I suspect the price on these pens is only going to go up, so get them now because once they're gone, well, you know the rest. I've said it before, and I'll say it again. Dollar for dollar, Sailor pens are very possibly the best fountain pen you can buy.

Also, if you're interested in some really special pens from Sailor, I managed to secure three Nagahara Limited Edition pens - the Taishi-Tsu "Black Forest" edition, the Sailor Mosaic and a Dragonfly "Tombo." The nibs on these pens are absolutely unbelievable - the Cross-Emperor (with collector), the Cross-slit nib (same as Cross-Emperor, but with no collector), and the Nagahara Naginata nib in medium. These nibs have to be seen to be believed. Remind your loved ones that Father's Day is coming.

Lastly, I have a number of products available for sale that haven't made it on my website. For example, I have some Lamy Persona rollerballs in black titanium oxide with gold trim, as well as a Lamy Persona fountain pen in titanium. It features gold trim and a gold-colored oblique medium nib. If you're interested, email me for pricing and photos. Lamy ballpoint refills are also in stock. Everyone loves Lamy, and a quality pen makes a great graduation gift!

Jac Zagoory pen stands are also in stock. These are really cool. I need to take some of my own photos of these, because Jac, while being a great designer, doesn't seem to grasp the need for this little marketing aid.

I'll do my best to get my site updated soon.

If you don't see what you want on my site, in most cases, I can get it for you, so please don't hesitate to ask.

Let's see - what's coming? New pads and journals from Rhodia, Exacompta and Clairefontaine. More on this when the stuff gets here. But suffice it to say that the Exaclair line has introduced some promising new products and I'm eager to try them out. Simply put, this is the best paper I've ever used.

Thanks for writing!