Tono & Lims City of Mist – 30ml Fountain Pen Ink (Grey)

Tono & Lims City of Mist — 30ml Fountain Pen Ink

Tono & Lims City of Mist is a 30ml limited edition fountain pen ink built around a cool, neutral grey — a colour that is deceptively simple on first impression and quietly compelling in use. Grey inks occupy a precise niche in the fountain pen world: too light and they disappear; too dark and they read as black. City of Mist finds the right position — a mid-tone, slightly cool grey that holds its identity across nib sizes and paper types, while its shading gives each stroke a visible depth that flat greys cannot match.

A collaboration between the Japanese brand Tono & Lims and South Korea's Lim's Lab, City of Mist was originally released as a limited edition available primarily at pen shows and select events. It has since been revisited as a Remastered Limited Edition, reformulated with updated materials for greater depth and refinement, and made available through select international channels. The Remastered edition is the most current and polished expression of this colour.

Available at Shosai (shosai.ca) in Gatineau / Ottawa — with in-store pickup (J9J 0K6) and Canada-wide shipping.

What Makes City of Mist Different

Grey is one of the most technically demanding colours in fountain pen ink. A grey that reads as flat and lifeless on the page offers nothing that a diluted black cannot provide more reliably. City of Mist avoids that trap through its shading — a visible gradient from lighter to darker grey within each stroke that gives the ink a textured, atmospheric quality entirely its own.

The name is apt. City of Mist does not assert itself. It settles. It diffuses. It creates the impression of depth without drama — a grey that feels considered rather than merely neutral. Writers who find black too heavy and blue too conventional will find in City of Mist a third option that is neither compromise nor afterthought.

Colour Profile

Base Colour

City of Mist is a mid-tone, cool neutral grey. In the bottle, it presents as a clean, slightly muted grey — neither warm nor noticeably blue-toned, but distinctly cool in character. On the page, the grey settles into a composed, legible tone that sits at approximately RGB 109, 106, 116 — close enough to neutral to work in professional contexts, cool enough to carry quiet character. It is not a dark charcoal and not a pale silver-grey; it occupies the considered middle ground between the two.

Shading

Visible and characterful — the ink's defining quality. City of Mist produces a clear tonal gradient from lighter grey in the thinner areas of each stroke to deeper, denser grey at the pooling points. The Remastered version enhances this further, using updated materials to strengthen the depth and refinement of the shading effect. On quality papers with broader nibs, the gradient becomes particularly pronounced, giving sustained writing sessions a layered, atmospheric quality that flat grey inks cannot achieve.

Reflet métallique (Sheen)

None. Reviews and descriptions of both the original and Remastered versions consistently report no metallic edge sheen. City of Mist invests its visual identity entirely in its grey base and shading character rather than surface reflective effects. The ink dries to pure grey, undistracted by sheen at any angle.

Paillettes (Shimmer)

None. City of Mist contains no metallic or iridescent shimmer particles. It is a standard dye-based ink, fully safe for fine nibs, vintage pens, and pens with narrow ink channels. No clogging risk, no particles settling in the bottle over time.

Ink Properties at a Glance

Flow

Smooth and reliable. City of Mist flows well through standard converters and cartridge-converter systems across a wide range of nib sizes. The flow is consistent and balanced — a comfortable everyday ink that does not require adjustment or special handling.

pH

Approximately 9.2 — slightly alkaline. This is within the normal range for fountain pen inks and does not present compatibility issues with standard pens and materials. Writers with particularly sensitive vintage pens or unusual ink channel materials may wish to note this.

Water Resistance

None. City of Mist is a standard water-based dye ink with no water resistance. It will run or fade when exposed to moisture and is not suitable for documents requiring archival longevity. For those applications, a pigment-based ink is recommended.

Bottle

30ml glass bottle — the standard Tono & Lims format, with a secure cap suitable for long-term storage.

How to Get the Most Out of City of Mist

Recommended Paper

City of Mist's shading expresses itself most clearly on smooth, slow-absorbing papers that allow the ink film time to develop its tonal gradient before setting:

• Tomoe River (52gsm or 68gsm) — slow absorption maximises the light-to-dark grey gradient; the shading is at its most visible and atmospheric here
• Midori MD Paper — smooth surface with excellent ink pooling behaviour; the cool grey tone reads cleanly against the cream paper
• Rhodia / Clairefontaine — consistent, reliable results; a dependable everyday pairing that shows the shading clearly
• Cosmo Air Light — excellent clarity; the cool neutral grey character is well-defined and the shading gradient reads with precision

Avoid highly absorbent papers (standard copy paper, Moleskine). Fast absorption compresses the tonal gradient before it develops, reducing City of Mist to a flat, unremarkable grey with no visible depth.

Recommended Nibs

• Medium to Broad nibs — the primary recommendation; more ink on the page means the full light-to-dark grey shading range is visible within each stroke
• Stub or Italic nibs — the contrast between thick and thin strokes creates multiple tonal zones within each letter; the shading effect is particularly atmospheric in broader stroke sections
• Fine nibs — shading is more subtle but still present on quality paper; a good choice for those who prefer a more restrained expression of the gradient
• Vintage pens — the complete absence of shimmer particles makes City of Mist entirely safe for older pens with delicate feeds and narrow ink channels

Recommended Uses

• Everyday writing and note-taking — the cool neutral grey is highly legible and professional; a distinctive alternative to black for daily correspondence and journaling
• Professional correspondence — grey reads as considered and precise; City of Mist occupies a tone that is formal without severity
• Long-form journaling — the shading gives sustained writing sessions a layered, atmospheric quality; pages develop visible tonal depth over time
• Fountain pen photography and swatching — the light-to-dark grey gradient photographs clearly under natural light; the shading reads well in macro photography

About the Remastered Limited Edition

City of Mist was originally released as a limited edition available primarily at pen shows and select events, a collaboration between Tono & Lims and Lim's Lab. It has since been revisited as a Remastered Limited Edition, reformulated with updated materials to bring greater depth and refinement to the grey base and shading character. The Remastered edition preserves the core identity of the original — the cool neutral grey, the visible shading, the composed atmospheric character — while representing the most current and polished expression of the ink. It is available through select international and specialty retailers.

About Tono & Lims

Tono & Lims is a South Korean ink brand founded on the principle that fountain pen ink should be an artistic medium in its own right. Known for adventurous colour formulations, limited edition releases, and thematic series, Tono & Lims has built a devoted global following among fountain pen enthusiasts, calligraphers, and stationery collectors. Their inks are manufactured in South Korea and distributed through curated stationery retailers worldwide.

Product Specifications

Available at Shosai — Ottawa–Gatineau

Shosai (shosai.ca) is a fine stationery boutique serving the Ottawa–Gatineau National Capital Region. We carry a curated selection of premium fountain pen inks, papers, and writing instruments from the world's most respected stationery brands.

• 📍 In-store pickup: Gatineau, QC — J9J 0K6
•  🛵 Local delivery: Available in the Ottawa–Gatineau area
• 🚚 Canada-wide shipping available
•  🇫🇷 Service bilingue — français et anglais

Whether you are new to fountain pens or a seasoned collector, Shosai is your local destination for inks that go beyond the ordinary.