Search the Community

Thought I'd share this because Maruman is one of my favorite stationery brands, particularly their Mnemosyne line. They've released a journal with a similar form factor to Moleskine, and the colors are strikingly similar to the Sailor TUZU line. Some eye-candy: Anyone have the new journal N888? It's quite expensive to buy in NA but I think apart from the price, the classic black one would be my perfect notebook/journal.

Could you share with me about your favorite ideas for notebooks 5x8 that are double spiral? I want to use them for brain dump journaling, random thoughts, etc. I don’t see much of that at Target, Walmart, Staples, etc. I’m familiar with muji notebooks and I love them. What else is there? I just happen to appreciate attractive notebooks that are both wieldy and double spiral.

I recently splurged on the beautiful refillable notebook from Endless, with their proprietary Regalia paper. The package arrived yesterday and I have tried out a few sample inks on it to see how they behave. Firstly, the quality of the product is incredible. The leather is supple and feels really. I love the blue color that I chose... it leans slightly teal and is beautiful in touch. It came with a dot grid notebook that goes inside with their Regalia paper. I feel the notebook could have been a bit thicker.... however, once nested inside, the entire thing has sufficient heft. You also have the provision to hold upto 3 notebooks, so maybe I'll add one with a different style, do a DIY with watercolor paper for my urban sketching. Now, onto the paper. It felt slightly toothy (in a good way), very smooth and has a slight sheen from certain angles. Being 80 gsm, its thick enough that I did not see even a hint of ghosting, but that's also based on very limited trials right now,, with any old nib I had lying around. Where it shines, is the sheen!! All my inks looked incredible on it. It just makes their colors pop, and the sheen and shading stand out. Here are some quick, unprofessional pics where I tried to capture the sheening as best as I could

Looking for some recommendations for an A5 Daily Planner. I like the layout of the Luddite daily planner, but I would like to find something with fewer pages (to fit in my traveler-type notebook) and not TR paper (if possible). Any recommendations would be appreciated!

Dear fellow members I was using matrix spiral notebook earlier and currently iam using soft bound classmate notebooks... I was certainly liked classmate notebooks better than the matrix spiral notebooks... However i would like to know from all 1. What notepad you are using? 2. How much it costs? 3. Purchased from? 4. Will you recommend it?

Hello again to all my FPN friends, After acquiring too many inks and far too many pens, I thought it was time to turn this obsession toward papers in order to round out the experience. I just received a blank notebook in the mail from a Chinese stationary company called Kinbor (www.kinbor.net/). They seem like a Chinese version of Midori and offer very similar products (at much lower prices, of course). Here's an article about the company that has nice photos of their products. I'm thoroughly impressed with the paper in this A5 notebook. Although this paper is 80gsm and quite sturdy, it's also very supple and floppy like Tomoe River paper. The sewn binding is better than most I've seen; the journal will lie open completely flat regardless of what page you open to. The paper texture is much smoother than Midori paper but not slick like Rhodia and Clairfontaine, again reminiscent of Tomoe River. I've only tested a couple inks with really wet pens so far but there has not been any bleed through or even show through, although a little feathering in same cases. It is advertised to be fountain pen friendly (see picture below). These journals are currently offered in A6 and A5 with the options of blank, dot grid, graph, a blank/dot grid/graph combination, 7mm lined, lined with red side rule, thick sketchbook paper, and a calendar/planner combination. They come with either white or brown covers. I'm in no way affiliated with the company, but I thought I'd ask about these journals because this is the first Chinese paper I've ever tried that has actually blown me away. That's saying a lot because I live in China and have tried lots of papers over the past few years, most of them being quite unfriendly to fountain pens and often unbearable toothy as well. I'll try to post a review once I spend more time with this journal and run in through some tests.

Hello, I was just wondering if it’s just me or do you guys have a specific pen for a specific notebook? This ink color for this pen color only? I use my pilot kakunos (M,F,EF) with colors black, gris nuage, diamine grey, respectively, for my midori notebook journal. My kawecosport (BB) in the shade earl grey for midori everyday journal. 2 Kawecosport (EF) using Vinta in the shade perya and ubi for midori and rhodia notes. Kaweco perkeo (M) using smokey grey for random scribbles and midori travel journal. Am I the only one? Lol

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IzMDZRypqcE/ViQ20CCjxLI/AAAAAAAACag/EETndYJjdRA/s1600/IMG_9214_R.jpg Greetings, FPN fellows! After being away from making journals for a while, I wanted to show you these books that I made some months ago for a FPN friend, LuMa, since I will return to my work space. I am very excited to contact all the members who have patiently waited for me. Finally, I'd like to show you some of my past work that I had not been able to present to you before. Some months ago, LuMa contacted me for a custom order. She originally wanted a journal, but after showing her all the options, she finally decided she wanted five journals! But there was one problem: she wanted all the journals in Tomoe River, but I only had paper for two. For that reason, I sent her samples of three different papers: Fedrigoni, Torreon and Canson. She tested them and decided that the most fountain pen friendly one and the one she preferred was Torreon. She wanted two journals for her that looked the same. She chose a modern Ethiopian style with full black leather. It had 400 sheets, that is, 800 pages, of Tomoe River paper. http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jaiRmPN9iGc/ViQ2zIlPtdI/AAAAAAAACaY/Oc82NjTdcK0/s1600/IMG_9213_R.jpg She asked me to put two red bookmarks and a black elastic band. http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-X2O6QrW1HhA/ViQ2vH733GI/AAAAAAAACaI/x70UgMbFq2k/s1600/IMG_9212_R.jpg She wanted me to engrave her family name, Lucero, on one side of each journal. http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9WlT7r_Nq9o/ViQ2u-8XvFI/AAAAAAAACaE/6yYgmF1wq7Y/s1600/IMG_9208_R.jpg For the endpapers, she wanted a Bomoart paper with vintage writing style. http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MZ4zXnfU_lk/ViQ2xBts-gI/AAAAAAAACaQ/TGHtzJuxTNY/s1600/IMG_9210_R.jpg By the way, one of these black journals is currently traveling all the world. LuMa had an iniciative where the journal will travel to different FPN members and each of them will fill some pages with their creative expressions. You can see more here. The third of the journals was made for her mother. She wanted the same journal style, but with red leather and black bookmarks. http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IzMDZRypqcE/ViQ20CCjxLI/AAAAAAAACag/EETndYJjdRA/s1600/IMG_9214_R.jpg The endpapers were a different Bomoart paper, this one with a music theme. http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-utElJOzVioo/ViQ23ei89VI/AAAAAAAACao/mp9PeSzP9_o/s1600/IMG_9215_R.jpg For her mother, LuMa wanted a stamp engraved on the center of the journal. Tomoe River is only 52 gsm, however Torreon is 90 gsm. Since this journal also had 400 pages, the final journal was very thick compared to the black ones: almost 10 cm or 4 inches thick! http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JWBFXW-1TW4/ViQ25IsP5zI/AAAAAAAACa4/wsWhJtTS9FU/s1600/IMG_9220_R.jpg The other two journals were for a couple of friends and she chose a completely different style: they were linkstitch. This style has soft leather covers and she chose two different colors: olive green and orange. http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-q7IRTj4InqY/ViQ3Db_59oI/AAAAAAAACbs/nYcmcCc8SD4/s1600/IMG_9232_R.jpg A close up of the engraving of the arabesque. http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bSsreKJE94M/ViQ3D5A90mI/AAAAAAAACbw/frBE90qySBU/s1600/IMG_9233_R.jpg The journal opened. http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YN8F93CHHo4/ViQ3FNU7yqI/AAAAAAAACb4/bDMn_WEK4FE/s1600/IMG_9235_R.jpg An appreciation of the thickness of the journal. This journal also had 400 pages of Torreon paper and was more than 10 cm or 4 inches in thickness. http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RYZiQ0dkve0/ViQ3HuuJgbI/AAAAAAAACcI/rALC82v1slU/s1600/IMG_9238_R.jpg This is the olive green journal. She also chose a black leather strap for the closure and an engraved Celtic cross as decoration. http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ezeYNGektj0/ViQ29eL6r5I/AAAAAAAACbM/6ek95Vu30bw/s320/IMG_9224_R.jpg I had never shipped such a big package! I had to use a box that used to keep 5000 sheets, the ones usually bought for offices. It was about 5kg! It felt amazing to carry it to the post office to ship. LuMa received the journals many weeks ago and I am happy to say that she was pleased with them, as her mother and her friends were of their gifts. Pheww, that is all, sorry for the long post. Thank you for reading and if you have any questions, they are always welcome . Have a nice day! Anna J. Bach

Greetings Lord's & Ladies of the Pen. Since 2019 has been a Horrific year for yours truly, how about breaking my back for starters, my Wonderful Mrs. Decided that I needed a special Christmas and told me to buy whatever I want as long as my new toys ship to her for wrapping for me to open Christmas day. Also, she asked me to not bankrupt us. I spent 3 days on eBay before I managed to snag a Georgous & Massive Victorian Deskset W/Double Inkwells and Pen Rest at a beyond reasonable price. Then I made the best of a big sale at Fountain Pen Revolution for a couple of Pens & Ink. Per the above, I rather quickly (and inexpensively) with minimal effort got everything on my list except one rather simple item. A nice Leather Notebook Cover for a Moleskin Journal. I just want a nice Vintage type cover that will hold the notebook in place. And with a flap that keeps the end Covered. And when closed a leather cord that wraps around it all. No free pens (I have nice ones). No pen pockets (all my shirts have pockets. No Plastic Bags to hold junk, No strings with shiny Anchors and the like to mark my page, and the only leather carvings on the cover would be my initials at the most. Any and all help will be appreciated! The

You’re a fan of the Japanese Tomoe River paper? But a notebook of 400 pages is a bit too much for your taste ? Galen Leather Co came up with a lovely solution! Notebooks up to 128 pages, in a vast range of sizes (B5, B6, B7, A5, Passport and Pocket), with white Tomoe River 52gsm paper. Just enough for one project, an ink journal, a logbook. Every small notebook has a colorful cover with retro print, rounded corners and, a ruling guide. These notebooks are delivered per set of three in a reusable canvas bag with a zipper. All handmade in Turkey. In stock! https://www.sakurafountainpengallery.com/en/boutique/galen-leather-notaboekjes

I came across this thin, nondescript A5 notebook with cream-coloured paper in Muji the other day: The product label, as you can see, doesn't tell me much. The cardboard covers are a charcoal colour and very stiff (which suggest to me good physical protection of the pages). I had to manually count the number of thread-bound sheets there are thirty sheets, so sixty pages in all and the paper weight is (still) unknown. The 5mm line grid is printed in a very faint grey, and I don't find it in-your-face or distracting at all. This notebook isn't even listed on Muji's Australian web site; searching by the 13-digit barcoded product code pulled up no matches, and manually injecting the product code into the URL doesn't work either. However, the item can be found on Muji's Singapore web site listed among the products in its catalogue of notebook products. According to its product listing on Muji's US web site, the material is 100% recycled paper. However, I don't know how much I trust the accuracy of the information on that page, given that the dimensions stated in the details are correct in measurement units but incorrectly stated as being B6 sized (in direct contradiction to the product heading of "Recycled Paper Bind Notebook A5 Grid Dark Gray" on the same page.) I've been slightly disappointed with similar-looking, made-in-Japan Muji notebooks with equally smooth-to-the-touch paper before; however, for the asking price printed on the label, and maybe it was just the mood I was in at the time, I was prepared to take a punt. Then I was quite (pleasantly) surprised when I was asked to pay less for the notebook at checkout, which scanned as if it was priced at a 30% discount. Instantly, this product leapfrogged to the front of the queue of things I wanted or 'needed' to test, in case it's good enough to be 'worth' buying a fair few more at the scanned price. I was even more surprised by how incredibly fountain pen friendly the paper proved to be. Writing all over the first page with different pens and inks: resulted in no observable feathering, no show-through (even though you can discern that the other side of the sheet was written on and not unused) and no bleed-through with any of the inks. I then wrote densely on the recto side with pigment inks and iron-gall inks that I have seen cause trouble with other types of paper: and there was still effectively no show-through and bleed-through. Oh, and the 'sheening' inks do sheen on this paper, although perhaps not at Tomoe River levels: My conclusion is that, for A$1.25 for every 60-page A5 notebook, one couldn't reasonably expect better performance for use with fountain pens than that. Writing on this paper is a far more pleasant kinaesthetic experience, compared to that with the coated paper in the Muji 裏うつりしにくいノート B5 Notebook Set I bought on the same visit. I went back to my local Muji store the following day and cleared out every last one of its stock of this SKU; I've been back three times since, and it doesn't look as if it has any more stock "in the back". Update: It seems Muji US has delisted the product since last weekend, when I successfully searched for and found it by the 13-digit product code. Even though you can still retrieve the product listing by using the direct URL, the 'Add To Cart' button no longer appears on the page.

Hey all! I'm going to be making my own traveller notebook, and my own inserts using foutain pen friendly paper like Rhoda. And my plan, for me, is to have a few inserts for different things as follows: Random journal- Just random thoughts, quotes, how I feel, ect Medical Journal- note down everytime I get sick, sore, everytime i go to the doctors and what they said, what ever medication I'm on, ect. Fitness Journal- to note down how far i walked, my weight, ect. Note pad- for when I need to write down something particular randomly. How do you, if you use something similar, set up yours??

I'm offering to give away a pack of three of these incredibly fountain pen friendly Muji A5 notebooks I reviewed, with domestic postage (by letter post not Parcel Post, so it won't be trackable online, sorry) at my expense, to one fellow community member in Australia who wants it, selected from those who respond in this thread by Sunday, 26 May 2019. To be considered, please express your interest in this thread, and optionally state the following: The State of your delivery address Whether you intend to share the notebooks with other fountain pen users (and I'll just take your word for it; there's no need to explain how or who)To what use you want to put the notebooks (especially if not intending to share) Selection process: Selection will not be at random. These notebooks were quite cheap to acquire in the first place, in spite of being so damn good for use with fountain pens, but with Muji stores only being in Sydney (2), Canberra (1) and Melbourne (2) as far as I'm aware, those who live outside of NSW-ACT-VIC would nominally have had the least opportunity of buying them in the first place (since Muji doesn't take online orders in Australia). Then, because I think I cleared out most of the current stock in Muji's NSW stores, and this item may or may not be restocked, those who are in NSW will most likely have less opportunity to acquire them in-store themselves, compared to those in ACT and VIC, but of course I have no visibility of how much stock each interstate store still has. Also, since I believe Muji still sells the 'twin' of this product that has kraft covers instead of dark grey covers (for the price on the label, and not the perhaps erroneously discounted price), I'll assume those in NSW-ACT-VIC can try picking up one of those in-store and take a punt for A$1.75$1.25 (Edit: I bought one, and it also scanned at less than the price shown on the product label; it's the B5 size with the slightly more articulate product label that scans at $1.75), if they want to get this type and quality of paper from Muji. So, in principle, all else being equal I'll favour interested parties from WA, NT, TAS, SA and QLD ahead of those in NSW, and then ACT and VIC. Also, because it is not economical for me to send each notebook in the post separately (postage > unit price!) to different recipients, those who are of a mind to share the pack of three notebooks with others – however they arrange it – would then take priority in my selection process. The default 'answers', where information is not proffered (and I can totally respect that), would be taken as: VIC No, not sharing Kitty litter box liner Note: I will be sending this by letter post using a 500g postage-prepaid envelope I have sitting in a drawer. That practically excludes Australia Post Parcel Locker and Australia Post Parcel Collect addresses as delivery addresses, but PO Boxes are okay.

I came across this Muji product while I was browsing in my local store the other day: I cannot vouch for what the Japanese or the French words on the product label actually mean, but the Chinese words promise that the notebook is "show-through resistant". For the asking price, I was willing to give it a go and test its marketing claim, even though every set of five notebooks was wrapped in cellophane and I could not inspect or feel the paper therein. This is how the reverse side of the page looked, after I've written quite densely on two-thirds of the front, using a variety of fountain pens and inks (of which the details are shown in the image at the bottom): I then used the same pens and inks to write on the reverse side, so that there is a significant area of overlap in which there is writing on both sides, with the same pen and ink for each four-line panel: in order to see how noticeable or distracting the level of show-through is: My conclusion is that the resistance to show-through and/or bleed-through is less effective than what I think one could reasonably expect, in the face of the product's marketing claim. For the price I suppose these notebooks aren't that bad for use with fountain pens, although I know Muji could do better, because a different notebook (made in Japan) I bought on the same visit proved to be incredibly fountain pen friendly, and very resistant to feathering, show-through and bleed-through. With these made-in-Indonesia notebooks, there is some woolliness observed when writing with certain inks, but no significant feathering. People who don't like the feel of the coating on bright white Clairefontaine paper (such as in the 'Age Bag' notebooks) probably won't like this paper either.

Dear All, I think this is an age old debate. I just want to start it again. I am from Chennai. I am using FPs with Western Medium Nibs coupled with dry ink. Which are the fountain pen friendly papers / notebooks (minimum size: B5) made in india which can be bought online or may be in stores directly. Please share your views. Thanks in advance.

Afternoon All, Wondering if someone could impart some friendly advice on me. I have used Black n' Red's wire booked A4 90gsm "Optik Paper" for the last 5-6 years for my day to day notes / scribbles at work etc. I probably go through a 140 page notebook every 2 months so I have quite a few of them collected on my bookshelf now. Sadly it appears that they have recently changed the manufacturing process / paper finish as on my latest notebook from my recent re-stocking of new notebooks, I am getting pretty annoying feathering for the first time ever. The paper looks and feels different, but Black n' Red have this down as the "same" notepad. I am using the Platinum Mixable Inks as there is a particular shade of blue I have become fond of which I mix myself, which is the blue colour in the photo. (For anyone interested it is 3 parts Aurora Blue (AB), 3 parts Aqua Blue(QB) and 1 part Silky Purple (SP).) I have never had this problem on this notepad prior to the change but its incredibly annoying now especially as I keep all my filled in notebooks. Would someone be able to give a bit of advice if there is anything I can do to the ink to "dry" it out a bit or if anyone could recommend a good notebook that I can use moving forward which has good quality paper as well as a cover finish (Hard back cover and wire bound). Cheers Mike

So... Just noticed that the notebooks game are gaining new players recently. Aside from Elia notebooks that was released late last year, this time around the Chinese PenBBS brand has released their own line of notebooks (and notepad/memo). I know that Beini has been teasing this stuff and finally it was released on their Etsy shop about 2 or 3 days ago and they have 5 models in total: 474 - Notepad/ Memo Blank 476 - A5 Notebook Black Cover Grid 477 - A5 Notebook Purple Cover Blank 478 - A5 Notebook Purple Cover Lined 479 - A5 Notebook Black Cover Lined https://www.etsy.com/shop/PENBBSOfficialStore All notebooks are sourced from Fabriano 85 gsm papers and are priced $8 for the notebooks and $5 for the pads/memos. Personally, if I am going to get one, it will be the black cover with blank layout since he ruling is strange to me (lined is 9 mm gap and grid is 4mm) but I can not say for other people. Unfortunately it isn't an option so I guess I will be getting the blank purple cover.

Hello all! I could really use some help looking for a notebook. I'm planning to use it as a planner/journal type thing. My preferences are: ~ Fountain pen friendly ~ Dot Grid ~ Wirebound/Spiral ~ Side binding, not top ~ About the size of a piece of paper or slightly smaller? I don't want bigger than that but I don't want anything too small either. I can't seem to find anything that hits these marks, is there anything out there?

Hi FPN Community Members, I would like to get straight to the point here, do you have reference to notebook cases that is quite affordable? My price range is $10 - $20. I understand that maybe genuine leather might be out of reach at that price point but could you guys point me to some items in the price range? Preferably that ships to South East Asia, thanks!

Every store I go into I peruse the stationery aisle and study the notebooks and have yet to find the perfect one. Currently I’m using a notebook that I don’t really like (but I spent $ on it so I can’t just toss it) and I’m using a pattern tracing wheel to perforate my pages for removal. Has anyone found a notebook that is: Size: Composition - it fits in my daily go-bag Rule: Wider than college ruled - I write big Paper color: White paper that really shows off the ink colors Thickness: Doesn’t bleed through Perforation: PREFERRED Elastic band closure: preferred but not a deal breaker Cover: Hard cover preferred Cost: less than $10 Anyone found this exact combination yet???? I’d settle for all of the above qualities and no perforation because I can use my “tool” to do that. I know about the mega monster notebook review spreadsheet but all I’ve found in that reveiw is for pocket sized notebooks and I’m looking for something larger. Thank you!!!!

Every store I go into I peruse the stationery aisle and study the notebooks and have yet to find the perfect one. Currently I’m using a notebook that I don’t really like (but I spent $ on it so I can’t just toss it) and I’m using a pattern tracing wheel to perforate my pages for removal. Has anyone found a notebook that is: Size: Composition - it fits in my daily go-bag Rule: Wider than college ruled - I write big Paper color: White paper that really shows off the ink colors Thickness: Doesn’t bleed through Perforation: PREFERRED Bound: NOT Spiral Elastic band closure: preferred but not a deal breaker Cover: Hard cover preferred Cost: less than $10 or $15 Anyone found this exact combination yet???? I’d settle for all of the above qualities and no perforation because I can use my “tool” to do that. I know about the mega monster notebook review spreadsheet but all I’ve found in that reveiw is for pocket sized notebooks and I’m looking for something larger. Thank you!!!!

Just receive an email notification from GLP Creations. Their 192 page 68gsm Tomoe River Author Notebook is now available. Dot or 7mm lined.

Hi Everyone, My problem is that I prefer hardcover journals for daily writing, but move around a lot so they are too heavy and impractical for my kind of lifestyle. Therefore, I'm thinking about switching to something more portable like Midori A5 journals. The issue is that I don't like writing on floppy surfaces and often need the hardcover to act as a writing surface when I'm out and about. Does such a thing exist as a leather notebook cover that is stiff enough or has hard enough surfaces to make a softcover journal feel like a hardback? Thanks for any suggestions!

Hello! I just recently posted a long (and very picture heavy) review of the Arc notebook system from Staples on my blog. If you would like to read it, you can find it here. However, in case you don't have time to head over there and read the full post, here's my closing thoughts: Overall, I highly recommend this notebook system if you are looking for something more polished than a binder but that has all the same wonderful features and conveniences. They aren’t cheap, at ~$25 for the basic leather notebook, $3+ per accessory and refill pack, and ~$45 got the punch. On the other hand, I’ve heard this system is much more affordable than the one by Levenger while looking just as nice, so the cost issue will have to be a personal decision. I can tell you that I think you get a lot of utility for your money, and I haven’t regretted my purchase at all.

I got five notebooks from Massdrop this week, just as I needed to start a new one. The "1951" notebook is a revival of an older product, with a sort of composition book styling only more sophisticated. I like the monochrome cover with an overall fishnet-stocking pattern and a blank cartouche for a title. They're book-bound, with Clairfontaine's brilliant 90-gram paper. I have the A5 size, which I've come to like a lot. The paper is wonderful: very smooth, substantial, with no bleed-through whatsover. I use slightly desaturated inks, so your experience may be different but it works a treat for me. It's right on the edge between absorbent and resistant, so I don't have to blot everything. i also like the purple color of the ruled sheets. The cloth binding is very high-quality, but it prevents the notebook from lying flat, which is an inconvenience to a left-handed writer. Otherwise it's one of the best notebooks I've ever used, and I'm glad I have multiples.