Highland Smoke, a dark grey by Ferris Wheel Press

Whenever I open a new ink in one of the primary colors, I wonder if it’s different enough from other shades from the same manufacturer in that color. Do you know how different yellows can be from each other? Or oranges? Purples? Or grays? Today we’re taking a look at grays from Ferris Wheel Press, welcoming aboard their newest shade, Highland Smoke.

Highland Smoke Ink

Highland Smoke is an ink from the Everyday Ink collection, available in 38ml and 10ml bottles, which premiered on June 6, 2025. It has been in my hands for a few weeks now, and today I can finally tell you about it!

As we might guess from the name, we are dealing with a gray ink color. It is definitely dark and easily visible on both white and cream paper.

As you can see in the second photo, Highland Smoke has medium shading and a reddish sheen.

As usual, I tested the inks in an Odyssey notebook with creamy Tomoe River paper and on lighter and thicker paper in an Ottergami The Pro notebook.

Highland Smoke in Odyssey notebook with Tomoe River paper

Drying time: long

Feathering: none

Impressions: Should I start by saying that I don’t like Tomoe River? I’ll just mention it, okay. This paper is too loud for me, and everything takes too long to dry. Highland Smoke loaded with Carousel pens with M nib looks very dry and… miserable? Or maybe I’m just used to the thicker lines of eMs in TWSBI? Anyway. We have no problem seeing ink shading here.

On larger blots they are very clearly visible, and the shade itself is… definitely grey. Suitable for everyday writing, visible enough and also different enough from typical black.

To see the full potential of this ink you need a thicker nib or a glass pen in my opinion.

Highland Smoke in Ottergami notebook with 150 gsm paper

Drying time: medium

Feathering: slight

Impressions: I’ll start by saying that I wrote here with a glass pen, which delivered much more ink than a fountain pen would have. However, I wanted to give the color a chance to show itself in all its glory. From now on, I think I’ll be using that for testing, so that everything is consistent in this respect.

The color on the Ottergami notebook is much darker and there is less shading. This is because we are dealing with “typical” rough paper, not the smooth Tomoe River that helps bring out the sheen and additional properties of the inks.

It goes very well with cream paper, although it is sometimes spidery. It needs more than 5 seconds to dry, although it seems dry.

How does Highland Smoke compare to other Ferris Wheel Press grays?

The most important question, right? And let me tell you, yes, it makes sense, it’s different enough from the other greys in their range. Lighter than Bearrington Black , noticeably darker than Leadcast Letters . The other greys in their range have flecks and Wayfinders Slate would be the closest, but it’s still not it. Plus, our new colour has a reddish shimmer. It looks really interesting.

In the writing sample, we can see that
Bearrington Black is just one shade darker. So, quite honestly, for writing on cream paper, one of these will be enough for you. On white, the difference is more visible (samples below).

Now I want to take a closer look at Bearrington Black, especially since it’s still available for sale. And pretty much every other one too. I currently have Leadcast Letters in my pen, which I use to fill my work calendar, and I love its “sandy” shade. After buying it, I immediately put Atlas Iron Ore on the shelf, which is embarrassing. I’ll catch up, I promise!

Details

Manufacturer: Ferris Wheel Press
Color: dark gray
Ink: fairly dry, with slight shading and a reddish glow
Sheen: none
Shimmer: none
Available volumes: 38 ml, 10 ml
Release date: June 6, 2025

The ink packaging shows us a hunt with a whole range of different animals. Alongside the obvious grey, we also have the typical gold decorations.

There are still a few days left until the premiere of this ink. By signing up for the Ferris Wheel Press newsletter, you will have the opportunity to buy it the day before the Friday premiere, and additionally receive points worth 20 euros to use on later purchases! Our discount code for -15% (JA-PAPERLOVER) would also work for you then. Link to the EU page .

Below are a few more “angle” photos that show the ink more up close.