Water resistance and light fastness test of some fountain pen, roller ball, ballpoint and gel inks

Ballpoint and gel

This test ran from 02-09-15. One strip was rinsed under running water. One strip was taped to the inside of a window facing out until 02-10-20 (5 weeks), one strip until 03-05-17 (8 months) and one strip was 1 m from a window perpendicular to it and subjected to office light until 03-08-18 (11 months). It can be noted that this gave almost the same effect as facing full sunlight one autumn week.

• Parker blue bold "new standard" ballpoint
  Water: OK.
  Light (5 weeks/11 months): Slight fading
  Light (8 months): More faded, slightly greenish
• Parker blue medium ballpoint
  Water: OK.
  Light (5 weeks/11 months): Slight fading
  Light (8 months): More faded, slightly greenish
  Light (11 months): Slight fading
• Parker black fine ballpoint
  Water: OK
  Light (5 weeks/11 months): OK
  Light (8 months): Some fading
• Parker gel 0.7 blue
  Water: Totally washed away
  Light (5 weeks/11 months): Faded to faint brownish
  Light (8 months): Totally faded
• Parker gel 0.7 black
  Water: Smudged
  Light (5 weeks/11 months): Slight fading
  Light (8 months): Faded to brownish
• Fisher blue bold ballpoint
  Water: Some smudging
  Light (5 weeks/11 months): OK
  Light (8 months): Fainter greyish
• Fisher black bold ballpoint
  Water: Slight smudging
  Light (5 weeks/11 months): OK
  Light (8 months): Barely noticable fading
• Rotring blue medium ballpoint
  Water: OK
  Light (5 weeks/11 months): Some colour change
  Light (8 months): Faded to somewhat faint greenish
• Zebra Jimnie blue gel
  Water: OK
  Light (5 weeks/11 months): OK
  Light (8 months): OK
• Zebra J-roller blue gel
  Water: OK
  Light (5 weeks/11 months): OK
  Light (8 months): OK
• Zebra J-roller black gel
  Water: OK
  Light (5 weeks/11 months): OK
  Light (8 months): OK
• Pilot G-1 1.0 blue
  Water: Some smudging
  Light (5 weeks/11 months): Some fading, greyish
  Light (8 months): Faded to faint grey
• Pilot G-2 0.7 blue
  Water: Some smudging
  Light (5 weeks/11 months): Some fading
  Light (8 months): Faded to faint grey
• Pilot G-2 0.7 purple
  Water: Illegible
  Light (5 weeks/11 months): Barely legible
  Light (8 months): Totally faded
• Pilot G-2 0.7 red
  Water: Barely legible
  Light (5 weeks/11 months): Very faint red
  Light (8 months): Almost totally faded
• Niji J-Clear III black
  Water: Some smudging
  Light (5 weeks/11 months): OK
  Light (8 months): Faded slightly greyish
• Sakura Gelly Roll blue
  Water: OK
  Light (5 weeks/11 months): OK
  Light (8 months): OK
• Pentel K106 Hybrid Roller
  Water: OK
  Light (5 weeks/11 months): OK
  Light (8 months): OK
• Bic Intensity Clic 0.7 gel
  Water: OK
  Light (5 weeks/11 months): OK
  Light (8 months): OK

Ballpoint, rollerball, disposable fountain pens

This test ran from 02-09-22. One strip was rinsed under running water. One strip was taped to the inside of a window facing out until 02-10-31 (5 weeks), one strip until 03-05-17 (8 months).

• Parker blue bold ballpoint
  Water: OK
  Light (5 weeks): OK
  Light (8 months): OK
• Parker blue gel
  Water: Washed away
  Light (5 weeks): Faded to brownish
  Light (8 months): Faded to almost illegibility
• Parker blue rollerball
  Water: Almost washed away, illegible
  Light (5 weeks): Faded to dark purple
  Light (8 months): Faded to almost illegibility
• Zeb-Roller DX-7 blue
  Water: Faint light blue, legible
  Light (5 weeks): Faded to dark purple
  Light (8 months): Faded to faint brownish
• Zeb-Roller DX-7 black
  Water: Faint grey, legible
  Light (5 weeks): Slight fading
  Light (8 months): Noticable fading
• Bic Orange blue
  Water: OK
  Light (5 weeks): Faded dark blue
  Light (8 months): Faded greenish
• Bic Cristal black
  Water: OK
  Light (5 weeks): OK
  Light (8 months): Some fading and colour change to brownish
• Bic Atlantic blue
  Water: OK
  Light (5 weeks): Faded dark blue
  Light (8 months): Faded greenish
• Pilot BPS-GP extra broad blue
  Water: OK
  Light (5 weeks): Darker
  Light (8 months): Faint greyish
• G-1 Metallic blue
  Water: OK
  Light (5 weeks): OK
  Light (8 months): OK
• G-2 purple
  Water: Smudged
  Light (5 weeks): Only faint remains
  Light (8 months): Illegible
• Pilot Varsity disposable fountain pen blue
  Water: Illegible
  Light (5 weeks): Faded to purple
  Light (8 months): Faint reddish remains
• Pilot Varsity disposable fountain pen black
  Water: Almost washed away, barely legible
  Light (5 weeks): OK
  Light (8 months): Slight fading
• Ballograf blue ballpoint
  Water: OK
  Light (5 weeks): Faded, darker
  Light (8 months): Faded, faint greenish
• Penac Sleek Touch ballpoint
  Water: OK
  Light (5 weeks): Faded, darker
  Light (8 months): Faded, faint greenish
• Pilot P-700 blue rollerball
  Water: OK
  Light (5 weeks): OK
  Light (8 months): OK
• Pilot V7 rollerball blue
  Water: Smudged, legible
  Light (5 weeks): Slight fading
  Light (8 months): Faded to faint blue-grey
• Pilot V-2000/5 black rollerball
  Water: OK
  Light (5 weeks): OK
  Light (8 months): Greyish
• Pilot V5 turqouise rollerball
  Water: Faint remains
  Light (5 weeks): OK
  Light (8 months): Some fading
• Pilot V7 red rollerball
  Water: Smudged
  Light (5 weeks): Faint remains
  Light (8 months): Faded to illegibility
• Pentel Hybrid black
  Water: OK
  Light (5 weeks): OK
  Light (8 months): OK
• Sakura Gelly Roll blue
  Water: OK
  Light (5 weeks): OK
  Light (8 months): OK

Fountain pen inks

One strip was rinsed under running water, one was taped to the inside of a window between 03-01-07 and 03-05-17.

• Parker Penman Emerald
  Water: Faint, but legible
  Light: OK
• Pelikan Brilliant Green
  Water: Faint remains
  Light: Faint remains
• Mont Blanc green
  Water: Washed away
  Light: Very faint remains
• Waterman green
  Water: Smudged, hardly legible
  Light: Faint grey
• Shaeffer green
  Water: Washed away
  Light: Faded
• Pelikan turquoise
  Water: Washed away
  Light: Faint remains
• Parker turquoise
  Water: Smudged but legible
  Light: Faded
• Pelikan purple
  Water: Very faint remains
  Light: Faded remains
• Mont Blanc blue
  Water: Very faint remains
  Light: Faded to grey
• Waterman Florida blue
  Water: Washed away
  Light: Dark grey
• Parker Quink blue
  Water: Washed away
  Light: Dark grey
• Pelikan blue
  Water: Washed away
  Light: Faint dark grey
• Caran d'Ache blue
  Water: Almost washed away, barely legible
  Light: Faint dark grey
• Shaeffer blue
  Water: Almost washed away, barely legible
  Light: Faint dark grey
• Pelikan blue-black
  Water: Faint grey
  Light: Some fading to grey
• Mont Blanc blue-black
  Water: Slight smudging, good legibility
  Light: OK, barely noticable fading
• Shaeffer blue-black
  Water: Faint grey
  Light: Faded
• Parker blue-black
  Water: Faint blueish
  Light: Very faint grey
• Pelikan black
  Water: Smudging
  Light: OK
• Shaeffer black
  Water: Smudging
  Light: OK
• Waterman black
  Water: Faint blue
  Light: Some fading
• Mont Blanc black
  Water: Washed away
  Light: Brownish
• Parker black
  Water: Faint blueish
  Light: Some fading
• Pelikan brilliant brown
  Water: Very faint blueish
  Light: Slight fading
• Waterman Havana
  Water: Washed away
  Light: Some fading
• Shaeffer red
  Water: Faint red
  Light: Faint red
• Pelikan red
  Water: Very faint
  Light: Faint dark red

Rollerball, ballpoint, gel

One strip was rinsed under running water, one was taped to the inside of a window from 03-01-05 until 03-02-22 (6 weeks) and one until 03-05-17 (18 weeks).

• Parker blue rollerball
  Water: Almost illegible
  Light (6 weeks): Darker
  Light (18 weeks): Faint reddish
• Pelikan black rollerball fine
  Water: Slightly smudged
  Light (6 weeks): OK
  Light (18 weeks): Some fading
• Pelikan blue rollerball medium
  Water: Almost illegible
  Light (6 weeks): Darker
  Light (18 weeks): Faint brownish
• Mont Blanc green rollerball
  Water: Smudged, almost washed away
  Light (6 weeks): Darker
  Light (18 weeks): Very faint, barely legible
• Parker blue gel
  Water: Almost illegible
  Light (6 weeks): Purple
  Light (18 weeks): Very faint red
• Parker black gel
  Water: Smudged
  Light (6 weeks): OK
  Light (18 weeks): Slightly brownish
• Zebra blue retractible gel
  Water: OK
  Light (6 weeks): OK
  Light (18 weeks): OK
• Pilot G-2 purple
  Water: Smudged
  Light (6 weeks): Faint
  Light (18 weeks): Illegible
• Pilot G-2 blue
  Water: Some smudging
  Light (6 weeks): OK
  Light (18 weeks): Faint black
• Pilot G-2 black
  Water: Some smudging
  Light (6 weeks): OK
  Light (18 weeks): Some fading
• Pilog G-2 green
  Water: Very smudged
  Light (6 weeks): Dark green
  Light (18 weeks): Faint brownish
• Pilot BPS-GP blue ballpoint
  Water: OK
  Light (6 weeks): Darker
  Light (18 weeks): Faint remains
• Pilot BPS-GP black ballpoint
  Water: OK
  Light (6 weeks): Slight fading
  Light (18 weeks): Faded
• Pilot BPS-GP green ballpoint
  Water: OK
  Light (6 weeks): OK
  Light (18 weeks): Slight fading
• Rotring blue ballpoint
  Water: OK
  Light (6 weeks): Darker
  Light (18 weeks): Faint greenish
• Ballograf green ballpoint
  Water: Some smudging
  Light (6 weeks): OK
  Light (18 weeks): OK
• Ballograf blue ballpoint
  Water: OK
  Light (6 weeks): Darker
  Light (18 weeks): Faint greenish
• Parker blue ballpoint
  Water: Slight smudging
  Light (6 weeks): Darker
  Light (18 weeks): Slightly greyish
• Parker black ballpoint
  Water: OK
  Light (6 weeks): OK
  Light (18 weeks): Slight fading
• Parker blue broad ballpoint
  Water: Slight smudging
  Light (6 weeks): Darker
  Light (18 weeks): Slightly greyish
• Fisher black ballpoint
  Water: Some smudging
  Light (6 weeks): OK
  Light (18 weeks): Slight fading
• Fisher blue ballpoint
  Water: Some smudging
  Light (6 weeks): OK
  Light (18 weeks): Darker
• Fisher green ballpoint
  Water: Some smudging
  Light (6 weeks): OK
  Light (18 weeks): Fait remains
• Fisher blue Spaceball ballpoint
  Water: Slight smudging
  Light (6 weeks): Darker
  Light (18 weeks): Slightly greyish