Tomoe River Bound Review

[Finalist]

I finally have my own Tomoe River paper. I got to briefly try some a few weeks ago and was amazed, so I purchased this bound, blank, white book from Paper for Fountain Pens. Here's my review...

 

Thoughts that are neither good nor bad:

Tomoe River Paper is thin. Tissue paper thin. The white color is not bright white, but it is plenty white enough for me - about as white as... tissue paper.

 

What I really like:

It is absolutely smooth. No bleed through or feathering AT ALL, but there is good amount of ghosting. If the ghosting doesn't bother you writing on both sides of the paper is easy. The book is about two thirds as thick as a Leuchtturm1917 hardbound journal but has 62 more pages. The navy blue cover feels like great quality and paired with the little red binding stitches it looks really good. Also, Check out the sheen on the word Breaking in the picture. That ink is Iroshizuku Tsuki-yo and I have never seen it sheen like that. Must be from the slow dry times which allows the ink to pool and get really concentrated.

 

What I don't like:

Dry times are too slow. I have to let the page sit open or it will mark the reverse page when closed. I have a good size piece of blotting paper that I will try to keep in this book. The size is small - about half an inch taller and about half inch more narrow than a Leuchtturm1917 hardbound journal. Because the paper is so thin and the book is sort of small I really need to sit at a desk to use it. Using this book at funny angles like in bed can put my hand in a funny position and with my needle point flex Falcon I stabbed through a page twice - I think because my hand was really low while doing some Copperplate type stuff. It's a "lay flat" design, but it could "lay flatter" in my opinion - especially since it is a narrow book. Also, because the paper is so thin it is really easy to leave an impression on the next page. I see the impression, but so far they don't bother me once I finally get to that page. You have to really look hard.

 

How I would improve this product:

BIgger! Offer three sizes - this version, one about an inch bigger all around and maybe a full letter size that is perforated. And if Tomoe River offered a version of this stock that was a hair thicker for durability this paper game would be over.

 

Do I recommend this product?

YES! everyone needs to try some Tomoe River paper. This particular book has a high quality cover that is very simple, yet very well done.

For $30 I'm VERY glad I purchased this version of Tomoe River binding. It will probably last me a looooong time and it pairs well with my other favorite bound paper - the small Fabriano soft cover books (great for thin lines, strong paper, sort of like a thin bristol board and only $3.99). A very minor detail, but one I really like is how PPFP packages the books. He wraps them in Tomoe River paper, so it gave me a good amount of nice scraps to get going before I marked in the book. My goal is to make every page in this book worth looking at. I have many other soft bound blank books (Apica, Leuctturm, Fabriano, Scout, HP Laser) that are 80% scribble garbage done just to see how a pen works. I'm determined to actually produce something nice in this one.

 

 

 

 

Edited July 21, 2014 by Finalist

[Finalist]

I tried to save the above picture as a larger size, but the site is compressing it down or something. Here's a close-up. Note the lack of bleeding on the upper page which has a lot of thick ink. there is enough ghosting to want a nice clean page, but it's not so bad that one can't use it.

 

[da vinci]

Nice review, thanks

 

I am a big fan of Tomoe River paper. I have a Hobonichi planner.

[wikeh2004]

Nice review, thanks

 

I am a big fan of Tomoe River paper. I have a Hobonichi planner.

 

Hi Da Vinci,

 

Just curious, as I'm interested in the Hobonichi too. Do you use it as a daily planner, or more like a journal? Obviously, with a planner, you'd have to write on both sides of the paper. Do you find ink drying time to be an issue? Do you use a blotter paper on the back side?

 

What's your favorite pen and ink to use with your Hobonichi?

 

Thanks,

Walter

[Finalist]

^ good questions! I would find this paper frustrating if I used it for notes or quick writing sessions. I'd probably only use a dry extra fine nib paired with a dry ink.

[mAsTeRmInD-L]

A very pertinent review!

 

Thank you so much! Now, I'm considering to buy one pad of Tomoe River paper.

 

 

- L

[flexnib]

Did a drying test myself between this paper and the Muji notebook I have and was really surprised at how long the Tomoe paper took to dry. Still wet with xf nib up to 15 seconds. Muji paper was dry in 3. I think I will put my review of the 2 up this week. At $6 a notebook compared to $30 it may be helpful to some.

[Finalist]

I'm also learning Tomoe isn't the best for waterbrush/fountain pen art. If a lot of water and wet ink is used the paper warps pretty badly. Again, the $3.99 Fabriano books are vastly better for the watercolor type fountain pen drawing. I think the ideal usage for Tomoe River might be for slow relaxed journal session where you have time to go slow and want a superior smooth experience.

 

I have one of the ink blotter cards from Nibs.com that I use as a book mark in the Tomoe River joirnal and it fits well. I'd recommend one if you are getting a bound book of TR.

[DrCodfish]

"I have one of the ink blotter cards from Nibs.com that I use as a book mark in the Tomoe River journal and it fits well. I'd recommend one if you are getting a bound book of TR."

 

"I think the ideal usage for Tomoe River might be for slow relaxed journal session where you have time to go slow ..." That is exactly what I do with my Design Y journal. It's for thinking with ink.

[da vinci]

Hi Da Vinci,

 

Just curious, as I'm interested in the Hobonichi too. Do you use it as a daily planner, or more like a journal? Obviously, with a planner, you'd have to write on both sides of the paper. Do you find ink drying time to be an issue? Do you use a blotter paper on the back side?

 

What's your favorite pen and ink to use with your Hobonichi?

 

Thanks,

Walter

Hi Walter. I use it as a planner, mainly for keeping track of my daily to do lists and tasks. Ink drying time is longer than usual. I have a piece of blotting paper cut to size which I insert between the pages.

 

I tend to use all my pens, including a mb144 BB nib without a problem, but a fine nib works better for me simply because I can write smaller and get more on a page.

 

I am not a fan of ghosting, but for some reason it genuinely does not bother me on TR paper.

 

It is worth getting a sample to check out its unique qualities (and I dont have any affiliation with any seller just think its great )

[wikeh2004]

Hi Walter. I use it as a planner, mainly for keeping track of my daily to do lists and tasks. Ink drying time is longer than usual. I have a piece of blotting paper cut to size which I insert between the pages.

 

I tend to use all my pens, including a mb144 BB nib without a problem, but a fine nib works better for me simply because I can write smaller and get more on a page.

 

I am not a fan of ghosting, but for some reason it genuinely does not bother me on TR paper.

 

It is worth getting a sample to check out its unique qualities (and I dont have any affiliation with any seller just think its great )

 

Hi Da Vinci,

 

Thanks for the response. The slow drying time with FP inks seems to be pretty inherent to this paper, but it doesn't seem to bother its fans. :-)

I did get a sample from a kind friend and am planning to give it a thorough test when I have time. I like the layout and organization of the Hobonich Planner too. Its allows you to be as structured or unstructured as you like.

 

Mahalo,

Walter

[FPFan]

Finalist,

 

Thanks so much for the Review. I have one of these books on order and it is due here Friday. I'm really eager to get it. I have a package of Tomoe River A4 paper I bought from Jetpens.com awhile back and I love the stuff. I use rather broad, wet stub nibs and they seem to be okay with the paper and I haven't any complaints about it. What I really like about the paper is that when I write letters to my friends, I can often get long winded and end up using lots of papers. When using other papers such as Crane or Claire Fontaine I usually end up having to add extra postage. Not with the Tomoe River. I can write up to at least ten pages without needing extra postage. Haven't gone over that ten age mark with it yet, but who knows I may one day! (I do write a little larger than some with my stub nibs.)

 

Again, Thanks for the review. I am barely patient enough to wait another two days for it to arrive!

Edited July 23, 2014 by FPFan

[amberleadavis]

Finalist, I love this review and though it's been more than I year, I just received yet another compliment on my original drawing from you. Thank you again and I miss seeing your work.