Moleskine notebooks seem to provide such a variety of experience that it almost seems as if we're talking about different notebooks. In fact, it does seem as though we're using different notebooks. A while ago I was about to finish using a large blank journal and start on a large ruled, so I took note of my currently inked pens. Big difference between the blank and ruled books - for this batch, at least!

I'll link to larger images, in case someone wants to really see bleedthrough and feathering

Blank moleskine:



Ruled moleskine:




That said, I'm using the ruled moleskine anyway. I might have a higher tolerance for bleedthrough than a lot of other people - but once you write on both sides of the paper, the appearance of bleedthrough is minimal. I still find that the overall design of the hard cover, and lie-flat-ness (please! someone tell me the real word for this!) and the feel of the paper while writing on it trumps the minor inconvenience of bleed.

I've seen the same difference between the blank versions and the weekly planners, with the planners bleeding less than the blanks.

Yes, me too - my planner will take the wettest nib I'll throw at it. Puzzling, isn't it?

Limesally,

I agree, once you write on both sides of the paper, the appearance of bleedthrough is minimal. The overall look and feel, design of the hard cover, the lie-flat-ness, availability, and price trumps the minor inconveniences some many have mentioned. And ... now I can get a leather cover from gfeller.

d.

My experience has been the opposite, with the blank page journals giving the most show/bleed through and the lined being a bit better. Like others though, I have accepted a bit of show through so that I can share the wonderful notebooks that so many great artists used...actually I never bought into that (Potty Mouth), I just like the form of the journals.

My experience is good with both, ruled and blank.

I like them cuz even when they end up at the bottom of my backpack, they look good after being dredged up.

Limesally - I like your handwriting. Very pretty!

I've been using $5 lined notebooks (hardcover, black, "JOURNAL" stamped on the front, which I cover with one of my photos) from Barnes & Noble.

I like the Moleskin, but I end up pasting e-mails I print out and photos on the pages (in addition to writing in it), so it doesn't make sense for me to pay a premium for notebooks.

Your handwriting is stunning limesally! Just beautiful.

I would say our Pelikan Royal Blues do the same thing for both of us. I am impressed by the Noodler's Bulletproof Black, but I'm not sure I can bring myself to write with black (I prefer a visually softer colour).

The Pelikans seem to give you the biggest problem of all the pens, perhaps I do need to look at changing that aspect of it. I was getting very fond of my little Pura though.

Thanks for this link, awesome post, very helpful.

The Moleskin reporter's notebook (large size) is one of my favorite traveling notebooks. I have never had a problem with my Lamy Accent, Safari, or AL-Star pens (F, F, and M respectively) using Lamy and Waterman inks in the Moleskin. The only caveat I have is that if your hands are oily and you rest them on one spot on the paper for too long, you can create a "null-spot" that the ink won't disperse on. I have noticed this phenomenon with other papers as well, so it is not unique to Moleskins.

I don't think there is a right or wrong answer when it comes to the notebook format and paper types that you choose based on your pens, inks, and writing style. The real blessing is that, thanks to online shopping, it is possible to buy paper and notebooks from all over the world at reasonable prices.

There is a psychology to writing that goes beyond the act itself; the tools of the craft can help to personalize and create enthusiasm for whatever type of writing you're working on. I know that my newfound interest in fine writing instruments and inks has definitely sparked my interest and creativity for working longhand, something that I'd thought I'd lost with my growing collection of computers, my other expensive hobby...

Cheers,
A.J.

Oh, don't give up on your Pura! It's just the inks I happened to have in my Pelikans at the time - and for that matter, the school pens (GO, Pelikano) are very wet and broad writers. If you have an F on your Pura, you might happen upon the right ink.

At the moment I have Lamy Blue in my M150 and it's working wonderfully in my bleedy moleskine - bright colour, lovely shading, crisp lines. My only reservation is that it's not waterproof - but it's in my home journal anyway so I don't care so much.

AJ above reminded me that I have also used Waterman blue with pretty good success as long as it's not in wet nib (a Pelikano F is not exactly an F, you see )

Re: Pelikan FPs. Do yourself a favor and speak with John Mottishaw. Jon can tweak it specifically to your liking.

Just a thought.

I have found Moleskins pretty much useless. I keep my notebook in my back pocket. My Moleskins fell apart after a few weeks. I now have a Clairfontaine which seems to be holding up. The Moleskins always bled through for me with more or less any ink and pen I tried. They were fine for ballpoints. So while they seem to be trendy, I've found them less than ideal.

I'm not a fan of Moleskines, but I really like your handwriting! Just wanted to drop that comment into this thread...

Doug

thank you for the kind comments on my handwriting. Certainly playing with pens, ink and paper are additional reasons to practice going a little beyond mere legibility
And of course, one keeps looking for the just the right combination....

Thank you for the review, I have just got my first weekly planner.

I use Moleskine and none of them bleed through or have feathering problems. I suspect this: the type of nib and ink used might be of matter. I use basically exclusively F nibs (mostly Japanese F nibs).

My pens are: Pilot Décimo, Pilot 78G, Pilot Birdie, Rotring Core XS nib.
My inks are: Noodler's Bulletproof black, Pelikan 4001 royal blue, Visconti Sepia, Quink black, Skrip black.

I can imagine that with a medium or broad nib that there will be bleed through with Moleskine paper.

* I do have a Lamy Studio with XF nib but I'm sending it in to have a proper Japanese F or Japanese XF nib. I guess I can't stand these European XF nibs. They're like medium or broad to me.

Right, but the point of the scans is that even using the exact same ink and nibs, paper in one notebook will behave differently from that in another notebook.

But actually, my new point (and I do have one ) is that I've found that it isn't just a fine vs. medium nib thing. There's an assumption that fine nibs - especially Japanese ones - will be better. For me, wetness and the way the line is delivered makes more of a difference - I have a Namiki Falcon F that writes a fine, but very wet line, and I will often get bleedthrough with the same ink that will actually behave better in a M nib, because it spreads the ink out a bit more. I've occasionally had a similar problem with my F Sapporo. In fact, I'll sometimes get better results with a M Sailor 1911 nib than a F Sapporo, using the same ink.

So while *most* of the time a fine nib will help control the bleed, it ain't necessarily so, and as always, YMMV.

Would you have any recommendations for a beginner. I have always used pocket pc's, palms, symbian devices to organize my life.

Great writing! I think I may be a diehard Moleskine fan. I just like them, everything about them; I've tried all the other major names and just keep going back to Moleskines. I agree with the others who said that it's such a personal choice that no number of discussions on it will ever generate a definitive answer (especially since Moleskine itself has no definitive product).

The lay of the book is a huge matter for me and no other comes close. I enjoy the feedback from the paper under the nib and the only bleeder I've encountered is PR Plum in a M or a wet fine.

I recently got a RenArt cover and I'm in 7th heaven with it. A couple actually noticed the book at a coffee shop recently and wanted to know all about it. LOL, we lead by example!

Shoppy: My advice is what I was once advised: Get your hands on a few pens and figure out your preferred nib size. That was great advice for me and really drove home my personal preferences. I then went on to find my ideal inks, and began a long paper-testing journey that ended where it began— Moleskines.

Thank you for the great advice.

This may be considered blasphemous by some, but I decided I like Moleskines enough to only use MP or BP when the paper is not working as well as I'd like for the FP and ink I'm currently using. In actuallity, I think my Molekines have become more interesting as a result of the variability in writing modalities.

Haven't read the responses, but for me the reason why I love/hate moleskines is:
the design and fit and finish is nice, but the paper is suboptimal for me.
I get feathering in the form of fine hairs sprouting from my letters when I use some pen/ink combinations. Accccck!
I'd be willing to try them again if and when I hear reports of good paper.

Love moleskine notebooks, and the reporter style in particular. When there is some bleed through it doesn't bother me because I use only one side of the page anyway.
But I've found that when I use J. Herbin's Bleu Myosotis with a Lamy Safary with a fine or extra-fine point there is no bleeding at all. This blue ink looks particularly beautiful on the creamy color of the Moleskin pages. So it is a combination that I use frequently. Gigi

I love the size and shape of the moleskine notebooks. If they cut the price in half to compensate for the fact that you can only use one side of the paper, it would be perfect.

I too love the size and feel of the Moleskines. I actually prefer it over the Clairfontaine paper which is hard starting to all my pens. I also have the RenArt cover for the pocket and the large notebook. LOL I have both because I can't make up my mind which one I like. I think I prefer the large as a journal , but I'm going on a trip in a week and the small one packs better in my back pack and of course I'll need to finish the small one because I can't stop using a journal in the middle of the book.

I have those Moles with the last 16 pages detachable. I always rip one page out and test, in a variety of FPs and ink combos, to check for feathering and bleed through first. Then I decide which pen/ink combo works best and stick to that throughout the whole journal.

This works for me because I HATE, really, I do, to see different colours splattered throughout a book. I know some of you with more artistic bents see it as a form of expression, and I can see where you are coming from, but it just riles me. Once I start any one book the pages have to fill up with the same colour. ALthough, I must confess, when I'm feeling particularly adventurous I may change the hues slightly. EG: I may begin using a Waterman Florida Blue and change to a Diamine Presidential part way through. But never totally differing colours.

I have never found a pocket notebook that is markedly superior to the Moleskine AND so widely available. Overpriced? Somewhat. Perfect paper? No, but I use the pocket Moleskine for quick notes and sketches, not for calligraphy. They are workbooks, first and foremost. And if I run out of them while in Berlin, Istanbul, Paris or Anytown USA, I can go to the nearest bookshop or stationers and buy them. What other notebook is so universally available? There are cheaper clones, it is true---the Piccadilly at Borders is the newest and closest---but isn't that kind of ungrateful? I mean, remember the days BEFORE Moleskine, when there were no such notebooks at all, anywhere? Moleskine has engineered something quite impressive---a veritable rebirth of interest in physical writing in an age of virtual technology. This has surely proved of profit and benefit to bookshops, stationers and fountainpen sellers the world over.

You know why the difference is like that... they change the paper to make printing lines on them easier. Lower quality = easier print. Higher quality = easier to write. I like them all though....

It's probably been mentioned here, but I just found out last night that the Cahier skine fits Levenger's Pocket Briefcase.

I know ... not exactly earth-shattering news, and some will likely say DUH, but for me it's a find.

I use a Moleskin schedule that has minimal bleedthrough and holds up well in my back pocket. Been carrying it for most of a North Carolina summer -- an extreme heat and humidity environment. Shows no real wear. The schedule is set to go from July 2008 to December 2009 so it better be nearly indestructible.

With wet writers and inks, I do get some bleedthrough. But not enough to obscure writing on the other side. The paper holds up well and accepts ink so well. An excellent pocket notebook, I am more than satisfied with the performance.

I use pocket schedules and notebooks for general notes and daily reminders. Have for over twenty years. While not the absolute best, Moleskins rate pretty high, IMHO.

Enjoy,

Edited for correction of dates.

You Are absolutely right! I hadn't thought about this before but it really was a dark age as far as great notebooks were concerned and it would be churlish to to be unfaithful to such a groundbreaking (re)invention. As for rediscovering the fundamental joy that writing with FPs and paper, I've converted both my husband and my best friend. My best friend, in particular, is havng a ball! She is working hard on improving her handwriting, spelling and presentation. She has just joined this network, is hoovering up knowledge, and building up her collection of fountain pens and molekines nicely.

When we meet we get all excited about the latest eye candy for sale on here or e-bay, chattering away in our own little language (Was the trim CT or GT? Do you think the breather tube would be ok? I do like a 9550 in my Estie, How would it behave in my Mole, do you think?) and all our other friends either sit, silent and puzzled, or tut and roll their eyes at us!

I use a Moleskine ruled pocket notebook because it is as near to perfect as an item gets: it is precisely the right size to be large enough for writing and yet small enough to carry, has a convenient band to prevent one's pockets and pouches from attacking it, and a cover durable enough that I can haul it about for a year without seeing it deteriorate. No other notebook I've seen has such an excellent combination feature combination; if the paper quality were slightly higher it would be perfect, but the trade-off is so tiny I barely notice it.

I can't agree. I don't think the moleskine is any way groundbreaking, and the only real impressive feat is in the marketing.

Sure, I do use them, but previous to that, I have always carried around some sort of notebook to do the exact same job my current moleskine does. Neither my writing, nor interest in pens and paper begins and ends with moleskine, and I'm sure I'm not alone in this.

Where's the need for faithfulness when they can't be consistent in their paper quality? There's nothing churlish or ungrateful about looking for alternatives. As I've said before, because of their availability, size, hard cover and durability, I use them. But I would not hesitate to try something else with the characteristics I'm looking for, at a similar or lower price point. They do nicely for now, but have hardly done enough to secure my brand loyalty. Still, I may end up continuing to use them just because they're that more easily available to me, compared to the Picaddily, Markings, Cartesio and Habanas reviewed here lately, and that's as practical a reason as anything else.

I could not agree more. Although I think Moleskines have no end of elegance with simplicity they are not perfect. The paper is too thin for my taste and while the paper seems made for the gel ink in my ballpoints, they are only marginally better than anything else out there with my fountain pens. The large size notebook is perfect and I love the binding and elastic strap.

The advertising scheme worked well on me originally- I am a fan of Ernest Hemmingway and his lifestyle of travel to exotic locations. Now, three years later, it seems a little silly. Their product line continues to grow while in turn prices rise. While I like them immensely and use at least two different styles daily, I fear they will eventually disappear as quickly as they appeared. Such is the way with all fads. I hope I am wrong because I would miss them, but once i find something similiar with heavier, better paper I will not look back.

I remember the first Moleskines that came out in the very late 90's. Only the sketchbooks were available. I was mesmerized by them. I held them in my hands like sacred objects. I had searched for such notebooks in vain. It really did feel a bit like a rebirth of the creative spirit of early 20th Century Modernism, when an artist's and poet's notes in a pocket notebook could change the way we see and think. Forgive me, but there wasn't a notebook even remotely like it available in the USA at that time, with the possible exception of the Colored-Edge books. I do believe that Moleskine filled a void and that it did revive the art of the notebook and journaling and interest in related things like fountain pens. Maybe you and I in particular were already interested in these things, but for many it was their first introduction to such delights. The proof is that it spread from being available only in small select stationery shops to becoming ubiquitous, world-wide, and inspiring a host of imitators. Does Moleskine need to return to its original quality, when it was entirely Italian-made? Absolutely. But we owe it some thanks nevertheless. I for one like knowing that I can pop into a bookstore anywhere in the world and find it. I would hate to see it disappear, and I fear that if that were to happen, all the imitators would cease, too, and we'd be once again without useful pocket notebooks.

....well, I guess you have a different relationship to your notebooks than I do. Only the content - what I've actually written or drawn in it - could make them anything close to sacred for me. When I saw my first moleskine in 2007 (that's how long it took them to show up here) I thought "huh, could be handy. Will try it". And so it takes its place in the long sequence of notebooks I've used. But that's about it, for me. I still don't feel I owe them any thanks. I'm already giving them my money, and that's plenty! It's a practical transaction. I get the utility - but I really still fail to get the mystique.

The mystique IS the utility! That's my point. Moleskine introduced to the USA one of the finest tools a writer can have, a simple pocket notebook. It just didn't exist in this country. Perhaps in Canada there were more choices. I owe Moleskine thanks for introducing precisely this practical tool for daily writing. I would hate for it, and the concept itself, to disappear. When I think back to the time before it, I shudder. Who remembers those awful, stiff, diary-like blank books from Waldenbooks, the ones with the fake burgundy leather with fake gold tracery? No, the Moleskine really has changed the landscape for practicing writers in this country. Europe always had interesting notebooks, but here, it was slim pickins. I completely agree with you, Limesally, on the need for better quality and/or lower prices for these products. And I like your no-nonsense approach to writing tools---preciousness leads to procrastination and blank pages. I am no longer so reverent about the Moleskine---or should I say, my reverence is expressed by filling every page and wearing out the binding with daily use.

heck, no. There's *never* more choices in Canada! I just wrote on whatever was available. Who was it here at FPN that said he'd write on anything that didn't move, and sometimes, things that did?
Anyway, that's almost me.

I respect and admire that, for sure, Limesally. And I won't stop writing if Moleskines vanish. But gosh, they're so handy and compact!

didn't really think about that until I jotted some notes with a FP and I think it is true that a planner has more FP likeable paper.

Kurt

The large grid notebooks are better than the blanks as well

I got a Moleskine. It bled with a G2. Now, that's pitiful. I usually write in a Rhodia. It's like writing on water.