So far, I really like J. Herbin inks. They are gentle on pens and come in a wide variety of colors. My second experience with J. Herbin inks involved Vert Empire, a darker green color.

The Bottle: If you are interested in the bottle’s features, please see my last review of J. Herbin’s Vert Olive.

The Color: The box and ink residue inside the bottle cap indicated it was more of a dark emerald color. However, upon testing the ink, it was duller and more watery than I had expected. It has a faded antique quality, which may match your preference. If you prefer something bolder, this might not be the right ink color for you. For some reason, Vert Empire makes me think of old bank records, although I doubt if banks even used green ink to keep their records.

On Paper: Vert Empire shows up fairly well on paper, but is best on bright white paper. The contrast makes the ink look a bit darker.

Consistency: Unlike the bright Vert Olive, Vert Empire is more of a watery ink. However, it is not like a watercolor or so transparent that it looks watered down.

Other Considerations: J. Herbin inks are from France and were first established in 1670. The subdued aspect of many Herbin colors, including Vert Empire, can take one back to that time. It is easy to imagine that your document was originally written in the late 1600’s and now you are reading it, the green ink faded, but the history still bold.

While blue and black are the standard colors for business, I think one might also use Vert Empire for business notes and comments on documents. It is subdued enough to be appropriate for the business setting.

Office Supply Geek got the color to show up quite well on his writing sample, so you may also want to check his review.

I like J. Herbin’s Vert Empire more each time I use it.

I have reviews of more items that I hope to post soon.

3 comments on “Review: J. Herbin Vert Empire

  1. OfficeSupplyGeek

    Nice review, and thanks for the mention. Funny that we both did the review of this ink on the same day. 🙂

  2. Pingback: J. Herbin Vert Empire « An Inkophile’s Blog

  3. BTIrwin

    Ooooooo! Interesting review. I just got a bottle of this and now I’m really looking forward to trying it.

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