The Inky Box is an art pen subscription box that was suggested by Virginia, one of our readers! Lettering and calligraphy fans, take note—this subscription sends you tools to create all kinds of unique lettering work each month. They also share tutorial content for the month’s products on their social channels!
There are two subscription levels to choose from—The Inky Box (lettering tools, supplies, and hand-lettered greeting cards for $39.95 per month) and The Inky Box Mini (2-4 of the lettering tools that were featured in the larger box for $14.99 per month).
This is a review of The Inky Box Mini subscription, which costs $14.99 per month.
My Subscription Addiction paid for this box. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)
About The Inky Box Mini
The Subscription Box: The Inky Box Mini
The Cost: $14.99 per month + shipping
The Products: 3-5 lettering/calligraphy tools
Good to Know: They also offer a larger box (The Inky Box) that includes much more product for $39.95 per month. New to lettering? Follow @TheInkyBox on Instagram or subscribe to The Inky Box’s channel on YouTube for tutorials, tips, and more!
Ships to: US and worldwide. International shipping is $15.95.
The Inky Box Mini April Review
Here’s the info card for this month’s box, which includes links to digital handwriting practice sheets you can download. There are also subscriber-only tutorials on their Vimeo page.
Marvy Le Pen Flex - Retail Value $1.99 (found here for $1.64)
Marvy Le Pen is an all-time favorite of mine so I was excited to try this Flex version, which has a small flexible tip. The royal blue color is very rich and the petite nib still allows for a good amount of stroke size variety. I personally love how narrow the barrel is because it feels elegant to me.
Zebra Metallic Brush Pen in Metallic Bronze - Retail Value $2.99
With a medium-size pliable tip, this brush pen really feels almost like a paintbrush when you’re using it. Personally, I find metallic ink pens are always a bit disappointing because once the ink dries they almost never look as rich and shiny as they did when wet. This Zebra Brush pen ink still shimmers when dry but feels more like a warm brown than a shiny bronze when used on white paper.
Sakura Quickie Glue Pen - Retail Value $2.30
I didn’t realize the pen world included glue pens. This gives you much greater precision than using a glue stick or bottle because it’s as easy as writing! The Sakura Quickie Glue Pen lays down glue with a .7mm rollerball. When the glue first comes out it is blue and can create a permanent bond, for things like gluing photos into scrapbooks. After a minute or two of drying, the glue turns clear and can then be used for things like the included foil sheets or temporary bonds. I found there to be some inconsistencies in how the glue comes out but if you write slowly it is very manageable.
Ranger Celebrate Foil Sheets - Retail Value $5.99 (found here for $5.39)
This packet came with five different color options, two sheets of each. In order to use the foil sheets, no heat is required, and you can use the included glue pen and simply have to rub the foil to transfer. I love the color options included, particularly the shiny leopard print.
You can really see the difference in brush sizes between this month’s two pens.
Before testing out the glue pen and foil sheets together, I watched the subscriber-only tutorial. I’m the kind of person that always reads the instructions to the end before starting a project so having a video guide appealed to the rule follower in me. As you can see, the glue comes out blue and dries within a minute to clear. All I needed to do was press the grey side of the foil sheet into my writing and pull it off. My first attempt was not very successful but after a second try (and a little encouragement from my cat Maevis) I had better luck. I’m still not matching the lovely sample in the video in terms of quality but I think with some practice I’ll improve and be able to jazz up some handwritten cards.
April Practice Sheets
This month’s downloadable practice sheets features three different contributors with spring-themed phrases. You’ll need your own printer and paper in order to make use of them.
The Verdict: The Inky Box Mini continues to bring new things to my stationery collection that I’d previously never thought to try. Although I’ve seen foil sheets this is my first time attempting them. I didn't have much luck, granted, but I do like the idea and had fun goofing around with them! The box cost $17.48 ($14.99 + $2.49 shipping), but I estimate a retail value of $13.27 which does not include the downloadable practice sheets. I find the value of this box always falls a little short of the price, and since I didn’t love this month’s metallic brush pen, it doesn’t quite measure up to past boxes for me.
To Wrap Up:
Can I still get this box if I sign up today? No. New subscribers will receive their box the first week of the following month, according to The Inky Box's FAQ page.
Value Breakdown: This box costs $14.99 + $2.49 shipping, which means that each of the 4 items in the box has an average cost of $4.37.
Check out all of our The Inky Box reviews and more writing subscription boxes in the Artisan Subscription Box Directory!
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What do you think of The Inky Box Mini?
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