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I have handwritten notes that need to be constantly reorganised and replaced. I am looking for a binding for loose sheets of A5 paper, ideally one that does not require punching. I want to keep the leaves intact, without holes. Do you have a suggestion for a quality binder that you like to use?

As most High School students know, Mead and all those other American brand looseleaf paper, just dont work with fountain pens. It can be difficult to find the right paper for High School note taking that is friendly to F.P users without spending $10 per notebook such as Clairefontaine. There is nothing wrong with this paper by anymeans, it just that some H.S students like myself don't feel like investing that much for each subject, which can be up to 5 notebooks, and there's $50 which can be spend on a new pen for example. I'm Happy to announce I FOUND THE SOLUTION! After doing some research I saw that people really like the Target brand filler paper (Up and Up). First stop was there. I grabbed said paper in wide and college ruled and also grabbed a Tops brand packet which was on sale. Next stop was Walmart. I grabbed every brand, ruling, and style I could grab to do a "official" review to help people out, who have the same problem as me. Here is a list of every brand I grabbed; Tops wide ruledUp&Up wide ruledNorcom wide ruledA Norcom sprial bound notebook ( 97 cents at Walmart)Exceed wide ruled with punch hole protectorsExceed College RuledPLEASE NOTE: I am NOT a professional, these results are only based on my High School experience, and is meant to help said people The chosen ink was Noodlers Baystate Blue, which is a very heavy thick velvety ink. The chosen pen was a High School favorite, the Platinum Preppy with a Fine Nib Here are the results: Up and Up Wide ruled. Little feathering, does show through a small amount, not ideal for two sided work2. Norcom Notebook Paper (from the 97cent notebook) no feathering, little bit more show through on back, same as Up and Up, good for one sided note taking.3. Tops Wide ruled Nearly no feathering, I was shocked how well it preformed so I pulled out my Jinhao X450, (another popular student pen) With a medium nib and Noodlers X Feather, just to see if I could make it feather and show through. Still no! This Paper works great, although it has an off white-yellow color to it, which isnt personally to me appealing.4. Norcom Filler Paper Noticeable feathering, massive bleed through. Not a good paper for Fountain Pens.I was starting to get sad, as I couldn't find a paper that worked for note taking, when I realized I still had the Exceed in the Walmart bag. Let the Results explain it to you; 5. Exceed wide and college ruled Only feathering noticed is when you get the paper about 3'' from your eyes, No see through, even on a Jinhao with a Medium nib and Baystate Blue, which is a strong ink. This paper feels like you are writing with a stick of butter on a hot pan, even on a Preppy. This Paper is 110% capable of double sided notes. This paper is also very smooth and the dry time is pretty quick. Conclusion: For double sided notes in High School with any nib and ink combination, Exceed will not let you down, I tested this result by writing a short biography of me with my Jinhao M nib and Baystate, I wrote front and back and it still appears to be legible. I would recommend this paper for High School students, or anyone who writes on a daily basis. Exceed will work better on finer nibs, which is more sutible for notes. I Hope this review helped anyone trying to find a good, cheap paper for note taking.

Just visited Richard Binder's site, and came across his statement about closing the retail side of his business down. Seems like a true heavyweight of the pen scene is leaving us, which will be a big loss for us all, especially those of us who were yet to try one of his magic nibs. Which led me to think if we, on this forum, should consider sponsoring or creating some kind of scholarship for members interested in learning from the great nib-meisters?! Even if a hundred members donated $10 each, that could go a long way to creating such a scholarship. It would be a real shame if these skills don't get passed on to the next generation. If we do manage to put something together, you can count me in with $200 as my contribution..!

I am looking to get a Binder stub or cursive italic for a Pelikan or a VP I have. I am debating the size. If you have a Binder 0.6mm stub, a 0.8mm stub, one of the cursive italics, or even a crisp italic (which I don't think I will get as I want a smoother writing experience) and have a writing sample you want to show off, I'd be very grateful!

So...there are Spencerian dip nibs. And then there's Spencerian nibs, modern modified beauties via the likes of John Mottishaw on the Namiki Falcon and Richard Binder on Edison Pens. I have no experience with any of these four: Edison pens, Falcon nibs, mods by Mr. Mottishaw or Mr. Binder, and I'm curious as to how these modifications compare. Judging from reviews and pictures alone, they look and write great! Lots of line variation, which suits my likes exactly. But how does it feel like to write with one? Is there anything that sticks out? Is the scratchiness very noticeable when compared to, say, a vintage wet noodle nib like a Waterman 52 1/2? Are Falcon nibs more fragile after the modification? What about modified Edison nibs? I would love to hear your input. The only "flex nibs" I have now are a Danitrio EEF and a Noodler's Ahab. But I'm interested in going full-flex-----without the hassle of staking out eBay for those once-in-a-lifetime vintage wet noodles that everyone seems to bid on. A Mottishaw'ed Falcon or a Binderized Edison seems the best bet, so everything else aside, how do the nibs compare? Is there a significant difference? I don't think writing pressure will be an issue here, since I write with a very light touch---people used to have trouble reading my pencil lines! Thanks in advance!

After failing many times to get good photos from an iPad, I have given up. So, my apologies for the truely poor images, which do not do justice to the wonderful nibs from Richard Binder. The Edison Nouveau Premiere LE has a JoWo nib customized to XXXF with Extra Flex (Artists Nib), and the ink is Diamine Oxblood (which I find to be wetter than the Kon Peki in the Pelikan). The Pelikan has its Pelikan nib customized to XXXF with Extra Flex. The ink in the Pelikan is Iroshizuku Kon Peki. Both these nibs are soooo... amazing. Just wonderful. I've posted two images, both awful quality, unfortunately. The paper looks like paper bag paper in the photos! The first is on an Exacompta pad, and is really white paper! The second is on regular (read 'poor') quality graph paper. The grid, at 5 squares to the centimeter, gives a clearer idea of scale than plain paper. I have not flexed either nib very hard, usually writing with only the weight of the pen plus a little. My estimate is that I used light medium pressure for these samples for the 'squiggly bits'. I never flex a fountain pen nib very heavily. These pens are used for regular, everyday writing, not just for special occasions. They're that smooth, but I have to mention that I learned to write with old school steel nib pens. So I may be biased. Does anyone else remember the inkwells in desks? I can heartily recommend these nibs! Hmmm....Maybe I need some more of them!

As it says above. Looking to get a flex nib and a pelikan so I thought get then together. I also very much appreciate Richard binder. All that being said. I have no idea wether to get a F or XF. Any suggestions? Thanks!