Papier Plume The Count Ink Set: A Halloween Limited Edition Worth Sealing

Introduction

New Orleans-based Papier Plume has built a solid reputation with its limited edition inks over the years, and each fall the company typically releases a Halloween-themed ink. This year’s entry is The Count, and it arrives with some genuinely unique packaging. For anyone who enjoys seasonal stationery with a story behind it, this set is worth a closer look.

The name refers to the Count of St Germain, an extravagant and mysterious figure in the early 1700s who, through his talents in alchemy, was rumored to have discovered the philosopher’s stone. Legend holds that stone is the key to immortal life. It is fitting backstory for a vampire-adjacent ink, and the set leans into it fully.

Packaging and What Comes in the Box

The ink set ships in a coffin-shaped box made of thick cardstock. It is not meant to last forever, but it is very cool and immediately sets the tone. Lifting the top reveals several items: a silver wax cream, a couple of rods of wax in black and red, a special wax seal stamp, and, most importantly, the ink itself.

The bottle label work is also a highlight. Papier Plume’s recent labels have been excellent, with a wax seal at the top of the bottle cap. The included wax seal stamp itself produces an impression with fangs and a drop of blood, which ties the whole vampire theme together neatly.

Ink Color and Performance

Papier Plume describes The Count as a deep purple, though it reads more as a dusty purple in practice. On 52 gsm Tomoe River paper with heavy application, you get noticeable shading, a low sheen, and a bit of a green sheen where the ink is applied very heavily. Bleed-through is significant on that thin paper with heavy application, so paper choice matters.

On 80 gsm Rhodia paper the story improves considerably: ghosting is low, bleed is low, and shading lands at a medium level with low sheen. Flow is on the wet side, and drying time was between 15 and 30 seconds with both a zoom and a broad nib. Chromatography shows the ink separating into a lovely range of greenish grey, lavender, pink, red, and blue-black. The ink does not claim to be waterproof, and while the water test was not disastrous, do not count on it for documents that need to survive spills.

Pens Used for Testing

The ink was tested with three very different nibs. First, a Sailor 1911 with a zoom nib, which changes line width depending on the angle you hold it: hold it higher and the line thins, tilt it down and it grows noticeably thicker. Its large fat tipping makes it a great match for the shading this ink produces.

Next, the Motor City Pens V6 with a stainless steel broad nib. Its color-changing material reacts to the heat of your hand while writing, adding a little extra novelty to the session. Finally, the Magna Carta Mag 600 with a gold flex nib that proved very flexible with a consistently nice ink flow, ideal for showing off a wet, saturated purple.

Making the Wax Seal

The wax accessories are more than a gimmick. For a standard seal, roughly ten drops of wax is enough. You can melt one color or mix the black and red rods together for a two-tone blend, then press the seal in and lift it after a moment.

The silver wax cream adds the finishing touch: apply a small amount with a cotton swab or your fingertip and accent the raised details of the finished seal. There is no red cream included, only silver, but the metallic highlight gives the seal an elegant accent.

Buying Advice

The set is $50 on the Papier Plume site, which feels fair given the wax, the seal stamp, the coffin box, and the cream all come with it. Quantities are limited, so acting sooner rather than later is wise. Once the sets are gone, they are gone. The ink itself will remain available for $10 until November 1st, after which it will be retired for good.

If you only want the ink, $10 gets you a nice dusty purple that works beautifully with the Halloween season. If you enjoy the ritual of letter writing and wax sealing, the full set is the better value.

Conclusion

The Count is a well-behaved dusty purple with a strong theme, thoughtful packaging, and a backstory to match. With limited quantities of the set and a hard cutoff for the standalone ink, it is an easy recommendation for seasonal ink collectors and anyone who enjoys a bit of theater with their correspondence.