20 Best Black Tattoo Ink On Amazon (2023 Updated)

I have been drawing cartoons for around 40 years and I wish I had used this before. Usually, I would use either Stephens Indian Ink or Windsor & Newton, both of which have a good density. However, when drawing for reproduction, I would always have to use Bristol Board due to the sight tendency to bleed, leaving a slightly fuzzy edge on normal papers.

This, by comparison, is far superior! It flows much better than either of the other two, has absolutely no bleed, giving a sharp, print-quality image on most papers and dries very quickly even if applied densely with a brush.

The density of the black is absolute. I highly recommend this product!.

I used this product as a primer on new wood. It is very easy to apply, absorbs beautifully, gives a waterproof surface and looks great. I also used it on timber previously treated with wood preserver without any difficulty.

I applied it with a bristle brush. The ink laid down nicely and the brush washed out easily under the tap. A volume of 490ml rather than 500ml looks a bit like the supplier is being tight but anyway it runs for miles so I just ignore the penny pinching packaging.

This ink IS great, I was using Rotring then switched to this about 15 years ago. It’s just good quality, really smooth and proper black. I also use it diluted 9-1(water-ink) for chinese style wash painting.

I always buy the 990ml bottles and Crafty Arts are the best price in the U. K at the moment.

Im Sumi ink obsessed and this is the best ink Ive used and buy regularly. Its hard to get hold of here now and the price seems to have gone up rather a lot. I bought some a few months ago for early half the price of this bottle but had no choice really as its hard to find.

I have used this ink on fine handmade Chinese Xuan paper for Asian ink painting as well as using it for practice work on newsprint. As it is both a high quality bottle sumi (black ink) as well as very reasonably priced, it fits both my needs.

The black is deep and glowing, like a beautiful black lacquer; and the ink is both stable and consistent. There is stabilizer added to bottle ink and the results of any bottled ink cannot ultimately absolutely equal that of a fine ink stick ground just prior to painting.

There is a brittle clarity to properly ground ink that is inimitable. However, the Japanese have done an extremely fine job of creating very fine bottle ink and many ink painters now choose to use it, usually as a time-saving convenience.

I’m having fun with this. Being inexperienced with dipping in inks, I wish the bottle were translucent so I could see how far I’m dipping into it. But the ink is lovely and I like that the cap has a little rest for the brush or other implement.

I decided to stain a guitar fret board black and had read on using India Ink to do this with. I used Q-Tips to dip the end of it in the ink and then applied it on the fret board this way. This India ink worked great for my project.

After applying it on your fret board and allowing it to dry out a bit, you can simply use the edge of your fingernail to scratch any excess ink off of both the steel frets and the pearl dots on a guitar fret board.

It mainly bonds to the wood. Just be sure to press on the ink dipped Q-Top firmly against the object you’re staining. You’ll need to wait a few hours and then apply more than one coat for a more uniform look.

After waiting for the ink to dry for a few hours, try rubbing some of the left over ink residue off of your project. You’ll notice that you may end up rubbing some of the ink off in certain areas. This just means that you did not apply enough pressure when spreading the ink on the wood with your brush or Q-Tip.

So, give it another go in those areas until you’re satisfied. And even though this stuff will permanently stain your clothes, table or your floors (always be sure to place newspaper or canvas under the project to keep the ink from dripping on to the bottom), you can easily wash it off of your hands by rubbing in some soap and water over the ink stain on your hands.

Great stuff if you do it right.

I use this ink with dip pens and brushes. It has nice coverage, opaque with a few strokes, and dilutes well. It doesn’t gunk up my tips and washes out of brushes easily. It is waterproof, as it says, even if its heavily diluted, it will stay fast after its dried.

Perfect if you use other colors/watercolors over top. It doesn’t seem to go bad, the last jar I had lasted me 4 years without souring or losing its pigment. Not alcohol based, so the finished product will have a long lifespan, as well.

The only thing I’ll say is keep the original seal you peel off and stick it to the top of the cap, if you store on its side. The cap can leak.

It worked well for me with a dip pen. It was black enough for my needs and flowed really well. My only complaint is that the eye dropper it comes with doesn’t work all that well. Otherwise very happy!

UPDATED Review Turns out there were ink and paper reformulations. After condensing the ink for one day, it still bled on all of my old (sealed from moisture) bristol board. However, a friend who bought ink from the same batch as me stated it was working fine on her bristol.

I decided to test out some new stock and sure enough, across several brands this ink worked flawlessly. Strathmore had stated that several ink companies reformulated their ink around 2011-2012 and they were working on changing their paper formulations to fix this.

My stock was sealed from 2009. My 2014&2015 stocks worked flawlessly. This ink is very matte, and super dark. On nibs its as dark as Kaimei and Speedball superblack. However, this ink is much thinner and flows great across all nibs tested.

It also dries much quicker than Kaimei and Speedball, but doesn’t clog nibs as quickly (remember, this ink is ok for use in Rapidiographs and fountain pens). With a brush it is almost as dark as Kaimei and IC Superblack.

All around this is the great ink I remember, and works flawlessly on Strathmore and Canson bristol boards (have yet to test on Eon Comic Boards).

Manufacturing defect on bottle. Nothing wrong with the shipping. Jet Pens was great with the packaging. The ink bottle’s cap has a small defect. (I have pictures but I don’t know if I can put any on here.

) It looks like a small part was melted. There’s a bit of plastic missing from the cap & it seems to have been melted onto the bottle itself. Very odd. It was enough of a defect that it caused some of the ink to leak out in transit.

If I had to guess, I’d say maybe one quarter of the ink has leaked out. There’s also a bunch of dried up crusty ink stuck to the mouth of the bottle & inside the cap. As for the ink itself? Not sure.

Seems to stick to my skin pretty good. Heh.

I love record players, Coil Machines, and Talons black ink! Gives me all those old school feels. Forget the future and live in the past.

Best natural looking black. Great for Japanese background

First class black drawing ink, fast delivery, great price what else could you want.

I bought this item because the description says it’s “waterproof when dry”. This ink is not waterproof. I compared this with the pentel brush pen and let it dry for a few hours. The pentel was perfectly fine but the Sumi ink smeared everywhere.

This is upsetting since I was going to use this for my watercolor paintings. The ink is good for calligraphy but do not use this for watercolors.

The best ink in the world While waiting for DELETER Black 4 30-mL ink to come back in stock on JetPens, I ordered a few bottles direct from DELETER to tide me over (as a result, this review won’t show up as a “Verified Purchase”).

The price from DELETER was lower than JetPens, so I felt so proud of myself for outsmarting the universe, but then after adding in the cost of international shipping etc. the JetPens price actually became quite comparable (plus domestic shipping is way faster), so once it is in back in stock, would definitely recommend sourcing it from JetPens.

Short-form review: The best ink I have ever used; perfect all-around. Just…the best. Long-form review after using DELETER Black 4 for a week: Pros: (0. ) The blackest black I have ever seen; it just absorbs all incident light and reflects nothing back; it seems only an idealized blackbody would reflect less electromagnetic radiation.

(1. ) The black is a solid matte black, with zero gloss even under high-intensity lighting, which I prefer as it photographs and scans flat without spurious reflections. (2. ) Thin enough to ink the finest hairlines using a fine nib such as the DELETER Maru (mapping) nib.

(3. ) Thick enough to produce clean, consistent, carefully-controlled-width lines using a medium-flex nib such as the DELETER Comic G nib or a firmer nib such as the DELETER Saji (spoon) nib. (4. ) When undiluted, does not feather or bleed even on substandard paper.

(5. ) Hella waterproof. (6. ) Copic- and alcohol marker-safe. (7. ) Each bottle is individually packaged by DELETER in strong, shrink-wrapped plastic to prevent leakage and drying out during shipping.

(8. ) The artwork on the bottle is hella cute and makes me happy every time I see it. Cons: (0. ) The most expensive per mL of the DELETER manga inks. (1. ) Shelf life is finite, so recommend using it within one calendar year of purchase.

If you won’t be using it for an extended period of time, also recommend shaking it vigorously at least once a month to maintain fluidity. (2. ) Because the ink is designed to be resistant and impervious to nearly anything when dry (in a head-to-head match-up with any of the Noodler’s “Bulletproof” inks, my money would be on DELETER Black 4 hands-down), it is a little more difficult to clean if you let it dry out on the nib.

“Pro” tips: (0. ) The white plastic cap comes with a flexible disc underneath; don’t toss this little disc out, as it is what is maintaining the airtight seal when the cap is tightened closed. (1. ) Get in the habit of cleaning your nib immediately after use if you don’t anticipate inking for a while to prevent the ink from drying out on your nib.

(2. ) If DELETER Black 4 _do_ dry out on your nib, clean it off with water first; then use isopropyl alcohol if necessary to remove any residue that didn’t come off with water. If you really let the ink dry out on your nib (why did you do that?), and isopropyl alcohol do not completely remove the remaining residue, use acetone as a last resort to obliterate the last remaining traces (but crack open a window or ventilate accordingly or you’ll get a headache after prolonged exposure).

(3. ) If you forgot you left a bottle of DELETER Black 4 in storage and didn’t shake it every month like you were supposed to, the DELETER Black 4 instructions suggest adding a few drops of water to try diluting it; however, don’t overdilute, as this will compromise DELETER Black 4’s innate resistance to bleeding and feathering.

I should mention that one downside of this ink is that it is so good that you’ll run the risk of either (0. ) getting spoiled by how awesome it is, or (1. ) eventually getting a little mad why other inks can’t be this good 🙁 @kelly: This ink is definitely Copic marker-proof, but it does need to be completely dry first.

DELETER offers eight different inks (numbered accordingly) in their line of manga inks, so you may have innocently mistaken one of the other DELETER manga inks that are not Copic-proof for this one. However, if resistance to alcohol markers be your primary consideration, DELETER Black 2 is probably your best bet out of the eight DELETER manga inks for Copic-prooficity.

Wow. That’s, uh, dark. I stuck this in a Zig BrusH2O (by the way, you can do that, just be careful not to let the ink leak out the sides of the stupid thing), and it works beautifully. I think the more forgiving mechanism of a water brush might support some sort of capillary action with the thicker ink, because I rarely have to squeeze the stupid thing (I just did lineart for a character and I didn’t have to squeeze it once).

Anyways, about the ink: It’s Copic proof, waterproof, eraser-proof blah blah blah you can gather that when you read the stupid description. However, I really don’t think you can grasp how unbelievably black this ink is.

It literally doesn’t shine unless you directly shine a flashlight to it. It’s not, like, Vantablack or Black 2. 0 (jetpens please try to get a hold of Stuart Semple’s black 2. 0 i want to try that out), but it’s the darkest thing I’ve ever used.

Plus, it’s a pretty decent amount of ink in the bottle you get, for a much more forgiving price than a fountain pen ink like Platinum Carbon Black or god-forbid the De Atramentis Document Black (although if you *really* want to put it in a Pentel Pocket Brush or something I guess that’s your best bet).

Plus, from what I’ve seen online it’s darker than those. Overall, I can stick it in a water brush and keep it with me on my misadventures, it resists my very heavy-handed use of Copic markers, it’s darker than a singularity, and it’s actually affordable.

I bought this ink after recommendation from a successful illustrator. It works well with my Zebra G Nib in a generic dip pen holder. I use it for inking sketches. The ink is relatively thick and can handle a large amount of flex from the G Nibs without railroading.

Flexed wider lines do lay down a lot more ink though, which may mean long dry time, or some ink blotting to soak up the excess ink on top. It is a good strong dark black ink, dries quite quickly (only except when I put down too much ink), and is waterproof and alcohol marker proof from what I can tell.

This means it’s great for inking then colouring with light watercolours, or alcohol markers like copics. I have been using it on thin zeta paper, and it holds well when erasing pencil marks. So far no noticeable feathering and relatively little bleed through.

The ink seems to hold to the nib well and flows well. Because it is fast drying I have found it can begin to dry and gum up on the nib after extended use, but cleaning the nib with water and a paper towel before dipping again for new ink is quick and easy.

I recommend other artists try this ink, as well as dip pen calligraphers who want fast drying waterproof black.

I have been wanting to try a better ink than the Speedball water soluble block printing inks which is what I’ve used up til now. This oil based ink is really smooth, is still workable after staying on the inking tray for quite some time (I had to leave my ink unattended for awhile so I could tend to some other work for a couple of hours), and it works well on a variety of papers (the Blick Masterprinter paper, rice paper, slightly textured papers and slightly heavier printing papers).

I was becoming increasingly frustrated with the water soluble inks and this ink seems to have remedied that. My printing process just became much smoother! It really does ink up quite smoothly on my inking tray–I use a piece of smooth marble for rolling out my ink.

Can’t wait to try some other colors. Clean-up took slightly longer than with the water-based inks, but I wipe most of it off with a damp towel before rinsing.

I have been a printmaker for many years and have used multiple brands of relief ink and this is the first ink I’ve encountered that has absolutely horrified me. It is seldom that I leave a bad review, so please know that this was warranted.

I ordered several shades of this ink including Crimson Red, Diarylide Yellow, Phthalo Blue, Titanium White and Supergraphic Black. Thankfully, I had positive experiences with the white and black shades.

The black ink is actually lovely to work with and the reason I chose to buy more colors from Speedball. However, the red and yellow inks are extremely watery and offer little to no opacity (see my photo) The only way I’ve been able to get solid color from them is by mixing white or black with the ink.

On their own they are so watered down it is impossible to roll them out (I’ve tried mixing them but they remain a consistency I can only compare to screenprinting ink?) The blue is much more opaque but leaves something to be desired in it’s application.

I’ve inked plates heavily, lightly and everywhere in between trying to make the blue ink produce a print that is neither splotchy or over-inked. It’s nearly impossible to pull a good print with these inks.

I’ve tried every method known to man to get these to work for me and I cannot deduct what’s happened. Perhaps they sat in a hot warehouse for too long or were just a bad batch. I have no idea but, unfortunately, do not plan on purchasing ink from Speedball ever again.

I usually don’t think of black as a bright and vibrant color that pops off the page, but this ink has made me think otherwise. The ink has a good consistency for dip pen nibs, laying down a crisp and predictable line, with reasonable drying time.

The final color is fairly matte and very rich/dark black — a bit darker and higher contrast than anything I’m used to seeing on printed/inked pages. This lends a subtle but compelling character to finished works (irreproducible in digital copies).

The ink is more expensive than what I’d use to paint a barn, but not outrageous when used in dip-pen quantities.

This is all you could ask for in an ink. It’s the blackest I’ve used, it’s water and alcohol-proof. These are five star worthy traits. It lives up to the hype. The price point is fair given that fact.

Now I’m going to go over the reasons why I stopped buying it. Although it is smudge free with Copics, I stopped subjecting my Nibs to anything other than Copic Multiliner Ink. Everything from pencil , colored pencil, microns, and paint can destroy a Copic nib, but coloring over the wrong ink is the absolute worst.

This is that ink. It is so thick and black (great characteristics by the way), that after three uses, my typical low E skin color markers are DONE. I even sacrificed two Nibs testing with microns/pencils vs Black 4 and Black 4 will kill it faster every single time.

I’ve also stopped using it for black and white stuff like my manga, as well. I only really wanted it so I could have Copic compatible dip pen ink, but as I’ve established, it’s Copic PROOF, not compatible.

Other cheaper inks, like Kaimei Drawing Ink, are just as Copic proof. Strike one. Those inks aren’t as dark, so if I ever am at the end of a marker nib’s life, is rather get 10 uses with a less dark ink than 3 with this ink.

Back to the black and white though. This ink isn’t as versatile imo. It lays down THICK, DARK, MATTE lines, but I can’t seem to get thin lines like I can with other inks (again my go-to Kaimei and also Pilot).

I like the variation from thin to thicker than from thick to thickest. Lastly, after a while it got really finicky with my G Nibs. It only worked with new Nibs RIGHT after I primed them. Not before, and not too long after.

I wasted so much of it by dipping, failing, and washing it off the nib because the ink would NOT flow off. I gave it five stars because again, for what it is, it’s perfect. If anything I rambled about will effect you, think twice.

It’s also five stars because I believe some of this is user error. Not the Copic part though, I’m a Copic fanatic and I know when my Nibs are being killed. Anyway, that’s it. Five stars for the blackest, matters ink available.

Well for starters I ordered this on June 30th. Not expecting its arrival until August today July 5th it shows up in the mail I have no idea wat it was because I ordered a lot of things open the first package only to fined another package.

Inside that package was a bag with the ink inside so I wold really recommend this comapany to just about anyone fast reliable safe and half assed cheap. Awesome job u hooligans Im going to buy more stuff thank you.

Moms black pearl outlining ink is awesome! Great product great value! This ink stands out from my other tattoos and feels good going in. Doesnt bleed or fade or scab out. Nice nice lining ink! Great buy!!!!.

The ink is great , got to me all in one piece ( no leaks) just took a little longer than it should have sat in the next city for three or four days before it got to me which was 45 mins away.

Great deal can’t beat MOM’S ink it’s the best it goes in so easy. I would recommend it to everyone. At this price you can’t beat it this size will last for a very long time it can be used for shading too.

Excellent for crisp bold lines. Mixes well for shading. I will purchase again.

I ordered this specifically for suminagashi, based on the DB recommendation. It did not work on tap water- sank quickly. It did float and disperse well using bottled water. However, with any movement (e.

g. , gentle blowing), the ink lines literally broke. It was almost like reticulation. I loved the effect, but if you are not looking for that, be aware. It made wood look spalted. It worked very well on a variety of papers (most had alum mordant) and fabrics (all had alum mordant), as well as wood.

#sweepstakes.

I use it with dip pen, brushes, watercolor or acrylic over it. Also have used it as a ‘stain’ on bare wood! Perfect. Can scratch through when coated or partly brushed on claybord. Dilutes well with water to make washed of varying degrees.

I like that it is not that shiny in finish – I use another for that. It’s a very good value ink. Entirely waterproof, but not with all varnishes. Some solvent bases will smudge/dissolve it – but knowing that I can exploit that quality.

It can grow a white floating mold on the top with long keeping. No problem. Skim that off and and carry on. If mold likes it, that’s ok by me. I pour some in to a smaller jar to use from that, as I once knocked over the tall container.

not a pretty clean up.

I’ve also never used regular ink before like this but ive always wanted to try. So combined with a new Windsor Newton Kolinsky Sable brush, it was the most amazing inking experience ever. You dont know what your missing if you want a solid, fine, or cover alot of area quick like Jim Lee does.

Just use a brush and some india ink. This brand seems pretty good. Its really watery. So idk if thats bad or what. But it doesnt seem like a rollerball ink pen ink thats all thick and metallic looking.

This is smooth and its not like pitch jet black like a paint but its black enough.

I love Tina Davies pigments and all their lip colours, they are the best in the world. I ordered a few pigments and they were really quick to send it through as I needed them Urgently. The team has been very supportive in responding to my queries quickly.

I am really looking forward to try their needles and also to enroll for a few online courses. Thank you :).

First time opening the bottle and using the new cap design and I got a faulty cap. I didn’t realize it was faulty until I picked it up and the top looked like it was sealed, I went to shake it and ink just poured out.

Wasted 1/3 of the bottle. Disappointed for such an expensive product it should have a simpler design.

the lid of the container does not close properly and the pigment dries super fast and spoils. I spend a lot of pigments already. I would like you to respond to me to see if you have any solution to give me.

I always buy from them and it is the only defect that I find in their line. but lately it has been hurting me because I have to throw away all the pigments before time.

I ran out of my very old beautiful Black Magic ink as I was finishing a drawing I couldn’t find Black Magic and purchased Higgins Black india ink, sadly to say it’s a below standard product, it is runny and watery and paints a dark gray, after 2nd coat it is still gray!!! does not have the quality of my old bottle of Black Magic.

I should’ve waited till I get Black Magic ink, then again reading the reviews of the new Black Magic, I wonder if I should get another brand. Very disappointed. I’m attaching a photo to see the comparison Old Black Magic was used on the left upper corner and India ink on entire right side of drawing.

For Inking on ink paper! If you like drawing manga traditional way! This is the way to go. It can be a bit messy and hard to manage but when you do get the hang of it you can create amazing comic/manga art or just ink art in general.

I just purchased my 2nd set for tattooing Nigerian Dwarfs. They are easy to use, and my first set is about 3 or 4 years old. I decided easier to have one for my herd ID and one for the animal ID so I didn’t have to switch back and forth while the animal was waiting.

I liked the first one so much I went with purchasing the same one.

Good quality! Have not used it yet because I just recently received it, but it appears to be made well. I will update my review if I find out otherwise.

This product performs as expected. The price was at or below average for the comparable models I researched. As of now very pleased with the product. The pliers feel study and well built.

I bought this for use in a Pilot Kakuno fountain pen, and unfortunately, it REALLY doesn’t work well for that application. It would suddenly stop flowing almost every time I took the pen off of paper.

That being said, It dried beautifully fast and looked awesome, really bummed I couldn’t get it to work in the pen. However it does seem to work quite well with my Glass dip pens, so I won’t be returning the bottle I bought.

I use this link to make brush lettering. It is really black, thicker than watercolour and super uniform. I use that with PENTEL aqua brush and works perfectly.

I used this ink for DIY stick n poke tattoos and it worked great! The color is very pigmented making the tattoo look clean and crisp. The one thing is that I did have an allergic reaction to the ink.

I am not deducting a star from this product simply because it is not the products fault that my immune system was not happy. Just a heads up!.

I may not recommend this with a fountain pen, however, I’m sure this is best used with a dip pen. I don’t care for the weird dropper inside because I don’t have a purpose for it, and I’m scared it would make a huge inky mess if I set it to the side while I’m dipping in it.

Also, it came leaking in the box. not thrilled, but I think it’s the manufacturer, not blick’s fault.

I have used Higgins India ink for about 60 years. It works. It is reliable in fountain pens and technical pens and dip pens. However is is unforgiving if it is spilled, so one has to be very careful whenever the bottle is open.

I recommend putting a saucer under the bottle when filling a pen, and having water and paper towel close by. This is in no way a reflection on the ink, but on the user, and as you can tell by my comments, I have made a mess or two–which still marks my desk.

lovely dark black ink that is very dark and black just how ink should be.

Bought this ink for pen and ink paintings and because it is waterproof. Very pleased with it.

I had to return it because it wasn’t working with any of my 3 fountain pens.There is a lot of solid bedri in the bottle

I needed dip pen ink so I could break out my great grandfather’s 100+ year old dip pens to show a friend’s grandkids what it was like back then. This ink performed wonderfully for that purpose and has led me to use those dip pens more than I ever thought I would.

Thank’s Higgins for great ink at a great price! And thanks for letting history be rewritten so to speak!.

I purchased this ink to use with the Tokyo Nikko Comic Pen Nibs and also because it’s supposed to be nontoxic. So far I’m very happy with it. Despite the container being small there’s a lot more ink than one would think.

Easy to use, easy to clean up! I recently got back into practicing with a pointed dip nib and this ink works great. The large opening also allows me to dip my oblique.

I can go anywhere to purchase tattoo related STUFF. IF, that is my intention. Ebay and chicom pages (those who don’t demand the actual stringent claims to proper handling/resourced products) are littered with with the cheapest and least costly materials/consumables/progear (if that’s even a thing, to such brands), to offer any RAND0 a chance to play Russian roulette with a living canvas.

THAT IS NOT what our craft does! Nor is it the position that Eternal wants to afford to the tattoo community and tattooers that take OUR THING serious. The online access is for our convenience, to access the best that we may offer to those who choose their art, health and lives, into our hands.

Eternal takes that serious. and compromise is unacceptable. Sure, it’s just a tube, or just a cup, or just a needle group. IF you buy into that nonchalant approach to this. I choose not to! I buy Eternal and the outcome, is long lasting, well made and quality assets that do not harm the integrity, of the collector, the tattooer, nor their chosen brands!.

After meeting Marshall and tattooing with him for the wedding of Tobe Drew I realized I had been using his system of wash for years. I bought a bottle to support him and Eternal Ink. I believe in one family.

I have always used Eternal Ink and now use it exclusively. I use and highly recommend them. Thank you for the brightest colors period! Please consider me for a permanent fixture in the Eternal Ink Team.

All Love, Benjamin Esken w Ben Esken Tattoos 💛.

Love this ink! I gave myself a hand-poke about two weeks ago and heres how it’s healing. I have super sensitive skin and allergies to plants and other things so I was very pleased with how my skin reacted to this ink (no reaction at all!).

The shade of red was just as pictured and the consistency of the ink was very good. Worth the money for the amount and quality, definitely will be buying again :).