<h2>'Dry' and 'wet' refer to the flow of the ink.</h2>
<ul>
<li><p><strong>Regarding inks, the terms 'dry' and 'wet' give a relative idea of the viscosity of the ink</strong>: wet inks flow more freely, whereas dry inks have more friction. The difference, usually caused by the amount of lubricant (depending on the amount and quality of the dye used), can be very subtle, and hard to spot, but you can feel it quite easily in your fingers, as wet inks give a smoother glide to your pen.</p>
<p>Wet inks, as the name implies, will stay wet for longer, whereas dry inks dry much quicker. Among other differences, dry inks allow for an improved application of details, as it is cleaner and finer. Wet inks will feather more. And if you happen to be a left-handed person, it will also facilitate sinistrodextral (left-to-right) writing, or vice versa, as the ink will likely smudge less.</p>
</li>
<li><p><strong>Calling a pen 'wet' or 'dry' gives a relative idea of the transfer of ink</strong>. The nib is the crucial element here: wet pens will allow for the ink to flow copiously through their nibs, whereas dry pens have nibs that deposit ink less freely.</p>
</li>
</ul>
<p>Obviously, this binary attribution - dry/wet - of what is essentially a range of fluidity is not particularly accurate.</p>
<p>It is now probably clearer why it is not recommended to use dry ink in a dry pen: both traits will counter each other, or, indeed, &quot;<em>the rate of ink-flow is likely to be too low</em>&quot;.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-07-26T19:43:03.060Z
Please give one example each of dry and wet inks and pens.
Aquarius_Girl
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-07-27T10:49:49.240Z
The *Pelikan 4001* you mention in [your other question](https://crafts.stackexchange.com/questions/8356) is a good example of a dry ink and *Aurora Black* of a wet ink (see [here](https://youtu.be/i2pn5uAH_jU)). Because for pens the nibs are decisive, it's a little harder to compare and give examples: I suggest going over [this thread](https://fpgeeks.com/forum/showthread.php/21616-The-wet-and-dry-of-it).
Joachim
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-07-27T12:42:23.937Z
Yes, but haven't mentioned how do I know before purchasing whether the ink is dry or wet so that I can make an informed decision.
Aquarius_Girl
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-07-27T14:41:05.670Z
It's more of an informal property. I suggest searching for the ink type online, scanning through reviews (using the browser's search option), and reading about it on forums.
Joachim
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-07-26T19:02:14.303Z
2020-07-26T19:02:14.303Z
Joachim
<blockquote>
<p>Because of its dry nature, it cannot be recommended for use in any pen that is also considered 'dry' as the rate of ink-flow is likely to be too low; that is its only practical restriction.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>From: <a href="https://www.amazon.in/gp/product/B001TBM2XC/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&amp;psc=1" rel="nofollow noreferrer">PELIKAN ink bottle review</a></p>
<p>What are they talking about when they say dry pen and dry ink?<br />
What kind of pens are dry pens? Are there wet pens and wet inks too?</p>
<p>Please give examples.</p>
<p><strong>How do I verify before purchasing that the ink and pen are dry or wet?</strong></p>

<ink><pens>
What are dry inks and dry pens?
Aquarius_Girl
# What are dry inks and dry pens?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2020-07-26)

> Because of its dry nature, it cannot be recommended for use in any pen that is also considered 'dry' as the rate of ink-flow is likely to be too low; that is its only practical restriction.

From: [PELIKAN ink bottle review](https://www.amazon.in/gp/product/B001TBM2XC/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1)

What are they talking about when they say dry pen and dry ink?  
What kind of pens are dry pens? Are there wet pens and wet inks too?

Please give examples.

**How do I verify before purchasing that the ink and pen are dry or wet?**

**Tags:** ink, pens


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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2020-07-26. Score: 4 | Accepted answer

## 'Dry' and 'wet' refer to the flow of the ink.

* **Regarding inks, the terms 'dry' and 'wet' give a relative idea of the viscosity of the ink**: wet inks flow more freely, whereas dry inks have more friction. The difference, usually caused by the amount of lubricant (depending on the amount and quality of the dye used), can be very subtle, and hard to spot, but you can feel it quite easily in your fingers, as wet inks give a smoother glide to your pen.

  Wet inks, as the name implies, will stay wet for longer, whereas dry inks dry much quicker. Among other differences, dry inks allow for an improved application of details, as it is cleaner and finer. Wet inks will feather more. And if you happen to be a left-handed person, it will also facilitate sinistrodextral (left-to-right) writing, or vice versa, as the ink will likely smudge less.
* **Calling a pen 'wet' or 'dry' gives a relative idea of the transfer of ink**. The nib is the crucial element here: wet pens will allow for the ink to flow copiously through their nibs, whereas dry pens have nibs that deposit ink less freely.

Obviously, this binary attribution - dry/wet - of what is essentially a range of fluidity is not particularly accurate.

It is now probably clearer why it is not recommended to use dry ink in a dry pen: both traits will counter each other, or, indeed, "*the rate of ink-flow is likely to be too low*".

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Please give one example each of dry and wet inks and pens.  
> **username_1**: The *Pelikan 4001* you mention in [your other question](https://crafts.stackexchange.com/questions/8356) is a good example of a dry ink and *Aurora Black* of a wet ink (see [here](https://youtu.be/i2pn5uAH_jU)). Because for pens the nibs are decisive, it's a little harder to compare and give examples: I suggest going over [this thread](https://fpgeeks.com/forum/showthread.php/21616-The-wet-and-dry-of-it).  
> **username_0**: Yes, but haven't mentioned how do I know before purchasing whether the ink is dry or wet so that I can make an informed decision.  
> **username_1**: It's more of an informal property. I suggest searching for the ink type online, scanning through reviews (using the browser's search option), and reading about it on forums.  

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