Nouto Nuritakurie Ink Card: 25 Cards, 91 × 55 mm
The Nouto Nuritakurie Ink Card is a pack of 25 business-card-size cards (91 × 55 mm) printed in clear, water-repellent ink, so each looks white until you smear water-based ink over it and the pattern appears. Nouto lists the pack at ¥1,000 (about US$6.30) before tax, in our $$ band ($5 to $20).
On this page
Product facts
- Product
- Nouto Nuritakurie Ink Card
- Brand
- Nouto
- Brand origin
- Japan
- Made in
- Not stated*
- Material
- Paper (Van Nouveau, as Nouto names it) printed with clear water-repellent ink
- Good for
- Released
- October 2021*
- Price range
- $$$5–20 per ream or pad
- Colors
White (clear print)
- Rate it
Notes on these facts
- Made by Nouto Co., Ltd., printed with Obun Printing. Country of manufacture not stated: The product page names a Japanese printing company but gives no country of manufacture. Check the packaging. Source. Price: example listing. Released: Nouto says it showed the cards at FRAT #3, a show for small stationery makers, starting October 13, 2021.
- Colors: names per Nouto (maker's product page and photos), checked November 4, 2026. The card is printed in clear ink, so it looks white; the tint here is our light-gray stand-in for white. The pattern's color is whatever ink you apply. Tints are representative, not measured. Shops stock different colors.
- How we test and disclose samples: How we test stationery.
- Price bands are typical US retail, checked October 2026. Conversions to US dollars are approximate, at October 2026 rates (US$1 = ¥158 = ₩1,330 = NT$32.5 = CN¥6.7 = SEK 9.9 = DKK 6.7 = ₺49.6 = C$1.41 = A$1.43 = CZK 21.7; €1 = US$1.12; £1 = US$1.32; CHF 1 = US$1.21).
Key takeaways
- Each pack holds 25 cards of 91 × 55 mm, printed with clear water-repellent ink, so a card looks white until it is inked.
- Nouto says any water-based ink works, but dye inks repel more cleanly than pigment inks, and a few inks repel poorly.
- Rubbing pigment, glitter or old thickened ink across the card can stop the print from repelling, so Nouto says test first.
- A bigger postcard version (100 × 148 mm, 5 per pack) is sold as the same series at ¥700 (about US$4.40) before tax.
- Nouto lists the pack at ¥1,000 (about US$6.30) before tax, in our $$ band, and does not state a country of manufacture on the page.
What is the Nouto Nuritakurie Ink Card?
It is a card that looks blank until you smear water-based ink over it and a printed pattern appears. Nouto, a small Tokyo stationery maker, trademarked the name, which reads roughly as “not a coloring page, a smearing page” in our translation. The art is printed in a clear, water-repellent ink, so ink beads away from the lines and leaves the picture unpainted. We read Nouto’s product page on November 4, 2026.
Nouto says the idea started with its weekly live stream, where it asked viewers to smear their favorite ink on postcards and mail them in. People did not know where to start, so it printed the pattern first and asked a printer known for a whiteboard-style notebook series, and so used to water-repellent printing, to test it. The first run was shown at a trade show for small makers in October 2021.
What are the size, paper and pack?
91 × 55 mm per card, 25 cards in a pack. The postcard version is 100 × 148 mm with 5 cards in a pack.
| Spec | Nouto says |
|---|---|
| Ink card size | 91 × 55 mm (3.6 × 2.2 in), business-card size |
| Cards per pack | 25 |
| Paper | Van Nouveau, as Nouto names it; no weight stated |
| Price | ¥1,000 (about US$6.30) before tax |
| Price band | $$ ($5 to $20) |
| Postcard version | 100 × 148 mm, 5 per pack, ¥700 (about US$4.40) before tax |
| Made in | Not stated |
Which inks work?
Water-based inks, and dye inks work best. Nouto says dye inks repel more cleanly than pigment inks, and some inks repel poorly, so it asks you to try one first. Three things stop the print from working:
- Rubbing pigment: pigment is a solid, so scrubbing it across the card stops the print from repelling.
- Glitter: it is solid too, so use a little.
- Old, thickened ink: the extra solids make it harder to repel.
The paper also matters. Nouto says it tried many papers and chose Van Nouveau because inks that shimmer or shade separate into their colors well on it. We have not tested the cards with any ink.
Which designs are there?
Eight ink-card designs on Nouto’s page. They are NTC-01, 02, 03, 07, 11, 14, 21 and 24. Nouto describes a moon-and-flower illustration, a floral all-over print and a marble pattern among them, plus a layout copied from an ink-swatch template and a bear mascot. The designs come from guest artists and Nouto’s own designer. Nouto names the artists on its page, and we leave their names to it.
The postcard series has 13 designs on the page. Nouto says one is discontinued (shipping ended June 2023) and another ends when stock runs out.
What colors does it come in?
The card is white; the ink you add is the color. The clear print has no color of its own, so the swatch above is a light-gray stand-in. Whatever you smear on becomes the pattern’s background, and the lines stay card-colored.
Who is the Nuritakurie Ink Card for?
It suits people who own bottles of fountain-pen ink and want a way to use it up or show it off, because a pack has 25 cards and the pattern does the drawing.
- Journaling and planning: Nouto suggests making a personal ink swatch book or trading cards of favorite inks, and says dye inks work best.
Skip it if you work mostly in pigment ink or glitter inks, which repel poorly. The same maker’s Nombre Note N is a numbered A5 notebook, and its Irotan flashcards use water-tolerant paper.
Where is it made, and what does it cost?
Not stated, and ¥1,000 (about US$6.30) before tax per 25-card pack. Nouto’s page names a Japanese printing company that made the first test, but does not state a country of manufacture. The price is in our $$ band ($5 to $20). We did not check overseas prices, which change with shipping and tax.
Frequently asked questions
How does a Nuritakurie card work?
Nouto prints the pattern in clear, water-repellent ink, so the card looks white. Smear water-based ink over it and the ink beads off the print, so the pattern shows up.
What size is the ink card?
91 × 55 mm, which is business-card size, and a pack holds 25. The postcard version is 100 × 148 mm with 5 per pack.
Which inks should I use?
Nouto says water-based inks in general, and that dye inks repel more cleanly than pigment inks. It warns that a few inks repel poorly, so try yours first.
Why did my pigment ink or glitter not work?
Nouto says pigment is a solid, and rubbing it in stops the print from repelling. Glitter is solid too, and old inks that have thickened can also repel poorly.
How many ink-card designs does Nouto list?
Nouto's page lists eight ink-card designs (NTC-01, 02, 03, 07, 11, 14, 21 and 24), made with guest artists and Nouto's own designer. Stock of each may vary.
What paper are the cards?
Nouto says it chose Van Nouveau after testing many papers, because inks separate and show shading well on it. It gives no paper weight.
How much do the cards cost?
¥1,000 (about US$6.30) before tax for 25 ink cards. The postcard pack of 5 is ¥700 (about US$4.40) before tax.