Diamine Inkvent 2025: Day 8 — Dream Catcher
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*Please note that the scan is the accurate representation of this color.
Day 8!
Welcome everyone! For day 8, we have Dream Catcher.
The Color and Properties
Diamine Dream Catcher is an “Extreme Sheen” ink. The base color is a dark blue that, when dry, exhibits a brilliant purplish-red sheen. Depending on the pen and paper used, the entirety of the letters may sheen when the light hits it.
Ink splat
Ink droplets
Performance | Cleaning
Rhodia
Leuchtturm
Dream Catcher has a medium flow; however, it doesn’t feel that well lubricated. It’s still usable, but I felt like I often had to use more pressure than I was comfortable with to keep the ink flowing or to prevent it from drying out in the nib. There weren’t any outright stops, but there was also a noticeable drop in flow about halfway down the first page of my extended writing tests. These are typical issues for many high-sheening inks, but it’s worth noting that I felt it was more frustrating than usual in the case of Dream Catcher. Otherwise, I didn’t notice any traces of bleeding or feathering on any of the papers I tested the ink with, and it seems well-behaved.
Cleaning the ink out went as expected for a highly saturated ink, and I recommend an initial flush and leaving the nib units to soak overnight if possible. The ink cleaned out without any issues, and shockingly, there weren’t any stains left in the barrel of the pen. Still, I recommend caution against using this ink with demonstrators, easily stained pens, or pens that don’t allow you to soak the nib unit or section.
Writing Samples
Written on 52 gsm Tomoe River paper (white, 7mm ruling) with a medium nib.
Written on Midori MD paper (cream, 7mm ruling), with a fine nib.
Written on Midori MD paper (cream, 7mm ruling), with a medium nib.
Taken in lower, single-sided lighting to better showcase the sheen.
My personal thoughts…
Out of all the Extreme Sheen inks I’ve tried thus far (including the ones from the last calendar), Dream Catcher is easily my least favorite. It’s one of those situations where writing with it takes so much more effort and pressure to keep the ink flowing instead of drying out that I can noticeably see my handwriting worsen from it, and for me, that’s not an enjoyable time. Sure, the ink looks fantastic, but the thing is, it doesn’t differentiate itself that much from the other Extreme Sheen inks from 2024’s calendar. When the performance is so much worse than those, it doesn’t make this seem like a great option. If you’re still interested in the color alone, that isn’t going to disappoint you, but if you want something similar with a less frustrating writing experience, I recommend Vibe from 2024’s calendar. I’m also left wondering what Dream Catcher has to do thematically with Inkvent? I don’t know. I don’t know where these ideas are coming from.
Written in a 52 gsm Tomoe River notebook with a medium nib.
More Images/Info:
Featured in the photography and writing samples:
Diamine Dream Catcher
Traveler’s Company “Have a Nice Trip” brass clip — Endless Pens | Amazon
Traveler’s Company brass clip — Endless Pens | Amazon
Nanami Paper Tomoe River Cafe Note B6 Slim - Ruled
Midori MD A6 lined notebook — Amazon
Current text: A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens — Amazon
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Tools and materials used in the writing samples:
A TWSBI Diamond 580 AL with 3 nib units including a Fine, Medium, and Broad. All nibs are tuned to perform at the same wetness.
A Rhodia No16 A5 DotPad
A Leuchtturm1917 A5 Notebook