I wanted to share this with those who love Moleskine notebooks as I do. Today I went to Target and found some journals named Markings that are basically Moleskine clones. I bought one that has hard covers in real leather-suede (brown) for $ 8.99.

This journal is the same size as the large Moleskine notebook. The paper looks exactly like a Moleskine's notebook in color, texture, and in the spacing of lines. It also has the page marker and the elastic band, as well as the pocket on the back cover. In addition, it opens flat as a regular Moleskine, which for me at least is very important. There were other options of the same journal with plain leather covers in black and in brown. Those were one dollar more, $ 9.99.

Bottom line is these journals have all the details that makes a Moleskine notebook great. But they have a more luxurious look and feel because of the leather covers, and the price is a bit better than what you usually pay for a large Moleskine, usually from $ 12 to $ 18 each. Me happy tonight! Gigi

Oh my, this I must see. Do these notebooks come only with lined paper, or are they also graph and blank options? Also have you tried the paper yet with fountain pens? Is the quality any better than Moleskine paper?

Thanks,
QM2

Moleskine is a brand name and there are many, many journals that are being produced in that style. I personally try and stay away from anything that's mass produced for the big box stores. I don't feel like there's enough attention paid to the quality of the paper. If the paper in this journal is accepting of a wide range of fountain pen inks (from various nibbed pens) please let us know.

Don't know for sure if it comes with graph or blank paper. At the store I only saw the lined ones. But then again, I was getting gaga over them as my daughter was hurrying me up. So I didn't have time to look for too long, and just grabbed one to buy.
I am trying the paper now. I have about 18 pens inked. The ones I tried don't feather or bleed through the paper, so I can only say, so far so good. I'll keep reporting. Gigi

[quote name='biffybeans' date='Oct 8 2008, 12:18 AM' post='762561']
Moleskine is a brand name and there are many, many journals that are being produced in that style. I personally try and stay away from anything that's mass produced for the big box stores. I don't feel like there's enough attention paid to the quality of the paper. If the paper in this journal is accepting of a wide range of fountain pen inks (from various nibbed pens) please let us know. quote]

Will let you know the list of inks I tried after I'm done. I examined the paper in any possible way I could think of and it feels and looks exactly the same as the Moleskine notebooks I have. I wouldn't be surprised if they were made at the same factory, and with the exact same materials. If I was told this was a Moleskine I would believe it in a second. They look like identical twins.
Only that this one, the Markings, would be the rich one (leather covers). I'll report on the ink test later. Gigi

Im with Biffy on this one. I think the big box stores will only worry about shiftinig quantities as quickly and cheaply as possible, and thatmeans attention to detail and quality comes second. I also worry, with all this global financial crisis stuff that smaller, high quality manufacturers will go under if we din't support them. Moleskione get my dollars (pounds sterling) every time.

Search for +markings +gibson and you'll find 2-3 other threads about these.

I'll try to summarize.

Generally regarded as great, they come with lined paper (nice thin lines) and graph paper. Available in larger (~5x7) size and standard pocket size.

Some say the paper isn't as good as it was, but AFAIK that seems to be newer ones from Staples.

IMHO, Moleskine, the brand name copy of ye olde notebooks, charges a high price for its pretensions. These have none and are, IMHO, better than Moleskines for less money. And I can get them at Target, which is A Good Thing™.

I purchased a new pocket size one at Walmart to replace one I had filled, and got it the day before the post about the paper changing in the notebooks. Fortunately, the one I got is still good with FPs. I have seen them at Target also, but Walmart is less than a mile from my house, and Target is 5 miles. Have not seen the gridded version; only the lined.

Donnie

Yeah, how about a photo/scan, especially re the cover.

Mike

What exactly is high quality about Moleskines? Certainly not the paper... (Not meant to be insulting, just wondering what you are refering to as hight quality when the paper, which is the most important part, is variable). I also have to say that I like Moleskines, but loathe the inconsitency. I am on 3 good ones right now, and am dreading having to buy more and take a chance at wasting time and money.

As for Markings, I may have to try them.

-Nkk

Sometimes you do pick up a gem of a bargain in department stores but often the range is shortlived - if you find a stunner stock up.
You could apply your principles to Moleskin. Any company that allows the variance in paper they do in a prestige brand should hang their head in shame. Moleskin will not get one cent more of my money until they address the variance in paper quality.
Moleskin is all about getting top dollar for their product with little if any reagrd to quality assurance. Unfortunately I place them in the same category as you place the "box store" books - all about sales and no regard to quality.

I've said it before... the Moleskine clone, Markings at Staples, $9 for the larger, $6 for the smaller. It's practically the same thing, except the paper doesn't bleed.


I mean, the ink doesn't bleed through the paper, and it doesn't feather, either.

Well, I have done a bunch of tests with this one. Before I list them just let me say that I wish I had read the other posts about the Markings journals. I always believed that Moleskine notebooks were overpriced. But I just love their design, from the hard covers and the creme colored paper with the lines closely spaced to the page marker, the pocket in the back, and the elastic that keeps it all together. Moleskines are just very well designed notebooks. But in my opinion Markings is giving us an upgrade, and for a lower price.

I tried the Markings paper with various pens and inks and these are the results.

NO NOTICEABLE BLEEDING WITH THE FOLLOWING

Lamy Palladium extra-fine with Diamine Saphire Blue ink

Lamy Safary fine with J. Herbin Blue Nuit ink

Lamy Safary extra-fine with Lamy Violet ink

Lamy Safary fine with J. Herbin Verte Olive ink

Lamy Studio fine with Diamine Presidential Blue

Lamy Joy calligraphy pen with a 1.5 nib and with Montblanc Racing Green ink

Lamy Safary extra-fine with J. Herbin Violette Pensee ink

Levenger True Writer fine with Diamine Crimson ink

Levenger True Writer fine with Ebony Purple

Lamy Al-Star extra-fine with Private Reserve Midnight Blues ink

Lamy Al-Star extra-fine with PR Black Magic Blues ink

Levenger True Writer fine with Pelikan Violet ink

Laban Mento fine with Diamine Violet ink

Lamy Vista fine with PR Ebony Blue

Taccia Continental medium with J. Herbin Poissiere de Lune ink

WITH THE FOLLOWING PENS/INKS THERE WAS JUST A LITTLE BIT OF BLEEDING

Laban Mento fine with J. Herbin Lames de Cassis ink

Lamy Safari broad with J. Herbin Lie de The ink

I also did the same test on the Moleskine notebook after finishing with this one, and the result showed a bit more bleeding on the MOleskine paper than on the Markings paper. So I am very happy at this point. I'm planning to return to Target next week to buy a few more journals to stock up. This is too good to pass up.

My camera is not working, so I can't take pictures. If anyone got a camera and one of these notebooks please add a few pictures. But there is nothing like seeing the real thing, so if you can, visit a Target store and make your own decision. I have made mine, and I am giving Markings a Gigi

Thanks for the extensive tests, Gigi!

Well, my Moleskine's volant does bleed a lot, with many pens and many inks. Much more so than Clairefontaine's velouté. But I still prefer the Moleskine paper -- even if costs 2.5 x as much -- because it is less smooth, less glossy.

Mike

But at the same time Mondo & Mondo does not seem to be all that interested in quality as the number of complaints about variations in paper have shown.
Both are companies and are going to try to sell the most number of items at the greatest price for the least cost. Moleskine has the advertising to pretend a connection to the past then again there are a few pen companies out there doing the same thing.


Kurt

I have been aware of Markings for some time, but was quite disappointed with it. I tried to use it for a class I took this summer and it did NOT play nice with my Pelikan M200.

I read your review this morning and went to Target and bought one.
I experienced a little skipping with an old MB, but none whatsoever with a medium Phileas. I'm just a newcomer
to this forum and to FP's in general so my opinion tain't worth much compared to most other people, however, I just
wonder if it's the ink rather than the pen. I have no problem with Private Reserve DC show blue but Aurora black skips.
For me, it really doesn't matter. I like it, like the price and thank you for making me aware of it!
I've gone to Barnes and Noble and bought one of their travel journals. I'm very happy with it.
Not real sure how I'll use this one... maybe I'll use it to keep track of broken campaign promises.
Thanks again for the tip.
Barry

You're welcome, and I hope you enjoy it. Gigi

I found these in Staples last spring, I think. There was another post about them a few months ago. The plusses for me are a decent price, good sizes, spiral-bound, hard cover and cover design choice, not blinding white paper, different paper colors, no feathering, and no bleed-through unless I make a dense scribble. I just wish they made at least one with no lines. And like every single notebook/journal/pad I've tried, one side of the page writes the way I want it to and the other side makes the lines wider. I've certainly seen much worse examples of this than Markings--their pages are more consistent in comparison.

Nope. We are talking about something different. There are other C R Gibson products, we are talking about something similar to Modo & Modo's Moleskine.


That's the key difference. Pictures of what we are talking about:
http://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/in...st&p=615627

I've found what I believe to be the best Moleskine clone of them all - the Piccadilly notebook, available from Borders. I picked up mine last week at my local Borders here in Orange County and they cost $3.99 each. I picked one up thinking it was a Moleskine until I turned it over to look at the price when I realized that no Moleskine would be this cheap. I was wary at first, but for the price, I figured it was worth a try. I have written in it with several FP's (Waterman's Black) and a wet RB. No bleed through or feathering that I noticed. There are pictures and a review here: Piccadilly review

Nib+ink+paper = the experience. All three have to be aligned. Some are most forgiving, others not. If any one of those elements in the equation are finicky, you'll have a tough time getting a good experience.

I bought a Markings journal book and like it very much. They are affordable with near Moleskine performance. You can't go wrong for more common pens and inks, IMHO (unless you've got a nib that can't handle the surface or an ink formulation that finds a way to bleed on it).

Thank you for the information! I'm going to visit the link you provided and do some research on these Piccadilly notebooks. Thanks again. Gigi

Yes, you are right. Most of my pens/inks feel great on Moleskine {also Markings, Piccadilly? (don't know yet)} paper. But some of the inks, like Gemstone Green from Levenger, feather and bleed horribly on a Moleskine but behave perfectly well on Rhodia paper. Then again, most extra-fine nibs and some of my inks don't feel right on Rhodia, but they feel great on Moleskine. So there it is. Now to try the Piccadilly option and see how that one works out. Gigi

The Piccadilly notebooks look great! Thank you again for sharing the information.
I read the review and then went to the online store. Ordered a couple of the large ones. The price is very good, and got the discount too. Another thing I like about these is the option of the larger size that Moleskine doesn't have. The medium size is just as the large Moleskine. For me, a larger size works better.

I'm glad there are other companies coming up with less expensive options to the Moleskine, and this, as Martha would say, is "a good thing." Gigi

Awesome! thanks for the tests. I've been wondering how these performed. I'd guess they're as good as or better than Moleskines for durability. Only one thing left to do - test them with various Noodler's



Stevo

Okay, I went to Target and bought a black Markings notebook with graph paper. The construction of the notebook is nearly the same as the large Moleskine, including the elastic band and the back pocket. But the material used for the cover gives it an entirely different look and feel, so I would not call it a Moleskine clone.

According to the labeling, the cover is "80% leather". The rest is "other materials". The paper is similar to Moleskine, but smoother. The notebooks come with blank, lined and grid paper.

I like these notebooks and could see myself using them -- except for one thing: This effect is so subtle that it is almost imperceptible, but most of my pens skip over the grid-lines ever so slightly. You can't really see this in the finished writing, but I can feel it during the act of writing. The grid lines feel glossier and more slippery than the paper itself, and I would bet that the ink is not getting properly deposited over them. I will write in the notebook for a while and see to what extent it bothers me. Has anybody else experienced this with grid papers?

This is very interesting, because years ago I had a similar experience with a quadrille notebook I was using, but I don't recall the brand. I only tried the Marking's lined journals. But I haven't tried the Moleskine with the quadrille paper either, so I can't compare them.
With the lined journals, the paper felt and looked basically the same as the Moleskine.
Also, you may look at this other option that blublazes told us about, the Piccadilly notebook . I ordered three of these but haven't received them yet. When I do I'll report back. The price is great. If you place an order be sure to use the coupon code listed in the review. The shipping is a bit expensive but worthwhile if you order a few notebooks. Otherwise, according to the review, Piccadilly notebooks are available at Borders bookstores.
Gigi

I found the small (3.5"x5.5") C.R. Gibson Markings notebook that looks like a moleskine at Walmart in Canada and bought a couple they were so nice and a great price. They're beautiful in many ways, but I found the paper is too thin for ink, and ink is visible on the other side. The page absorbs ink too quickly into the paper, in fact it sucks it up. And it also feathers with a lot of my inks using extra fine nibs. It looks like this Can it possibly be the same notebook as the one that people here are saying is fountain pen friendly?

I found another alternative that has much better paper. It's sold in DeSerres art stores in Canada. It's exactly the same size, with the same features; lined pages, bookmark, expanding inner pocket and elastic. The cover is 'leather like' without stitching. But it has thicker paper where the ink doesn't bleed through to the other side and doesn't feather. The paper doesn't 'suck up' ink like the Markings notebook, instead the ink sits nice and crisp on the paper. (I do carry a small napkin as a page blotter for fresh writing, so it doesn't stain the opposing page.) It cost me $8. The IPC code on the back says DNB6534 The website doesn't appear to have them, but I've frequently seen them in several DeSerres locations.

DeSerres locations in Canada