Not To Judge A (Note)Book By Its Cover But...

February 20, 2017

Ah, Paperblanks... Suitability for fp can sometimes be dodgy but evidently I cannot resist the covers: haulage below. I maybe, quite possibly, have a problem. Nah.

Anyone else?

P.S. Apologies, the one below the Safavid (which is under the blue Monet mini) is actually a Peter Pauper Press, not Paperblanks. (I'm not affiliated with either company.)

February 20, 2017

Having too many journals/too much paper is only a problem if you have too much which is not FP friendly. I've seen Paperblanks discussed but have never used it. Widen your search and find the exotic covers which tickle your fancy but which contain great FP paper. When you have an assembly of those niche offerings, post here, you'll be the toast of FPN. Better yet, commission TM Lee (I am a happy customer) and get the best of both worlds. He'll produce the 'one off' cover you never knew you always wanted, and fill it with paper fit for your pens. (Don't ask me how I know this, and yes, I need more shelf space myself).

Best

Dr. C

February 20, 2017

I have questions. I have never used Paperblanks books/papers until very recently, although I have seen much discussion in several FPN discussion threads.

Recently, I received a traveling journal (if my fellow participants are reading this, they will recognize me), a Paperblanks journal; very pretty cover, well bound, pretty nice overall. However - and this is a big however - I tried several pen/nib/ink combinations, and I found that pretty much everything but the driest ink, stingiest flowing feed, narrowest nib I tried bled badly.

So, then, the questions: Is there a great variation in the papers used in Paperblanks journals; are some more fp friendly than others? What experiences have others had with various journals?

Ta -

February 20, 2017

Sorry, duplicate post!

February 20, 2017

I've found Paperblanks to be quite friendly to my pens in the medium (A5) size. A larger 8 x 10 I tried bled terribly.

February 20, 2017

I'm not really sure what drives Paperblanks paper quality (or suitability for fp). My sampling has been too few to say anything definite but I can say it has violated both the magic year 2008 (they switched to a more fp-friendly paper then, apparently) and the smaller sizes (viz., the minis have the worst fp paper) "rules" - for instance, that Claude Monet unlined mini has been nothing but consistent and very pleasant with a variety of different pens (though I favor F nibs) and inks but an old large/ultra Old Moroccan (unpictured) bled like a carotid. In other words, huge variance.

I haven't yet tested their most recent offerings among the ones I have - the Nova Stella and the special edition Shakespeare (which is the maroon one beneath the Nova Stella).

However, I do also gladly use ballpoint, gels, and other random pens - quelle horreur? - so, not a total dealbreaker for me, though understandably not expected to be the case for all FPN folk!

February 22, 2017

Pertaining to only cover design, I vastly prefer Peter Pauper Press notebooks. I don't like Paperblanks, I hate the fold-over covers. I prefer the elastic band or nothing. Plus Peter Pauper Press has nicer cover images in general, I think.

February 22, 2017

I like the covers on Paperblanks, but the metal clasps like on the Grolier Ornamentali are totally useless, with pretty weak magnets. I've read that people pop them off. The paper on the Grolier is so so. I recently used one of the mini Silver Filigrees and it seems to be fountain pen friendly, and have a Quantum Mini on the way, it looked spectacular at B&N but it was damaged so I'm waiting for one from Amazon. Not that I need any more journals with like 2 pages written in it... I'm a little bit of a junkie.

Regarding Peter Pauper, I ordered my daughter the Celestial Journal and I was like "Wow!" when it arrived. Now I really wanted one. The color and gold foil on the sides makes it pop. That's one where the pictures on Amazon don't do it justice. Anyhow I didn't as not to have her start scrawling in mine in case she spotted it lying around. I ended up getting "The Universe" - very antiqued late-mid 1800's looking. Idiot me I didn't check to see how FP friendly they are and haven't used it yet. (If it's not, well I have a Lamy Scribble, Uni Kuru Toga and a Parker 51 pencil)

February 23, 2017

I can't resist the covers either, but I've restricted my purchases to planners (the small week at a glance ones). They've worked well for me, but I should add that all of my pens are extra fines and fines. YMMV.

February 25, 2017

I like the covers on Paperblanks, but the metal clasps like on the Grolier Ornamentali are totally useless, with pretty weak magnets. I've read that people pop them off. The paper on the Grolier is so so. I recently used one of the mini Silver Filigrees and it seems to be fountain pen friendly, and have a Quantum Mini on the way, it looked spectacular at B&N but it was damaged so I'm waiting for one from Amazon. Not that I need any more journals with like 2 pages written in it... I'm a little bit of a junkie.

Regarding Peter Pauper, I ordered my daughter the Celestial Journal and I was like "Wow!" when it arrived. Now I really wanted one. The color and gold foil on the sides makes it pop. That's one where the pictures on Amazon don't do it justice. Anyhow I didn't as not to have her start scrawling in mine in case she spotted it lying around. I ended up getting "The Universe" - very antiqued late-mid 1800's looking. Idiot me I didn't check to see how FP friendly they are and haven't used it yet. (If it's not, well I have a Lamy Scribble, Uni Kuru Toga and a Parker 51 pencil)

I wanted to get a Peter Pauper recently, but not sure how well it works with FP. Does anyone have any experiences with it?

February 25, 2017

I have questions. I have never used Paperblanks books/papers until very recently, although I have seen much discussion in several FPN discussion threads.

Recently, I received a traveling journal (if my fellow participants are reading this, they will recognize me), a Paperblanks journal; very pretty cover, well bound, pretty nice overall. However - and this is a big however - I tried several pen/nib/ink combinations, and I found that pretty much everything but the driest ink, stingiest flowing feed, narrowest nib I tried bled badly.

So, then, the questions: Is there a great variation in the papers used in Paperblanks journals; are some more fp friendly than others? What experiences have others had with various journals?

Ta -

hhhmmmmmmmm

February 25, 2017

I wanted to get a Peter Pauper recently, but not sure how well it works with FP. Does anyone have any experiences with it?

Just one - in "Arabesque." I like it overall but it is of course a lot more absorbent than something like Rhodia. Feathered quite a lot with some bleed-through using De Atramentis Bach in a Platinum Kawazawa M (very much a medium). Namiki black in a Pilot Elite 95s had a tiny (almost unnoticeable) bit of feathering. But Noodler's Bad Black Moccasin in the same pen is doing beautifully and I've been happily using this combination. The paper is fairly thick/heavy too and I really like the unobtrusive ruling (composed of faint gray microdots). My only gripe is that the cover flap cracked in one spot the second or so time I opened it but perhaps that was a fluke.

Edited February 25, 2017 by squink

February 25, 2017

I love Paperblanks, but agree that they seem to use a vast range of papers. I have an ultra 2017 diary which is great (and I use wide italic nibs and fat bold gushers), and the older Japanese Lacquer ones have been fine too (also have in ultra size). The smaller diaries definitely have thinner paper, but still now too bad with fps. I see they have a new design coming out soon too.

My one experience of a Peter Pauper notebook has left me with the view to never buy them again. Pretty, but awful paper.