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The Quest Is Over. I've Found The Perfect Paper


TassoBarbasso

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Understood about ghosting, I appreciate your comments. A little is ok with me, just curious.

 

LOL on the Iroshizuku. :-) :-) :-)

 

Thanks again for the pointer. I never would have given these notebooks a second glance without your review.

 

-Mike

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I would like to know if the paper is more "yellowish" than white? This is the case with Leuchtturm 1917 which I like a lot except for the strong yellowish color of the pages...

Francois

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I can only find Midori MD in notebooks. Is it also available in writing pads where you can detach sheets as you write? Can anyone provide a link?

 

jetpens.com has Midori pads in two papers. I've just ordered a pad and envelopes, based on the OP review.

 

Note: They only have pads in a proprietary size. It's close to A5, but a bit wider, and it's lined.

 

David

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jetpens.com has Midori pads in two papers. I've just ordered a pad and envelopes, based on the OP review.

 

Thank you.

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I would like to know if the paper is more "yellowish" than white? This is the case with Leuchtturm 1917 which I like a lot except for the strong yellowish color of the pages...

Francois

Yes, it's definitely cream-coloured :) sorry for not mentioning it right away, I forgot! :D

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Thanks for the post, I've got a few new types of paper to try!

​Working on Flexbook, a leather pocket notebook with pages and dividers you can easily add or remove! Check it out at http://getflexbook.com/ Launching soon!

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Just got the Midori A5 grid (the lined is still on its way).

 

Wow. Smooth on all my Pilot nibs (EF, F, M), acceptable ghosting, no bleed, but most of all the spread is minimal so even my M nib doesn't look messy as the ink dries. And it's 1/2 the price of others in the same genre, albeit it has a card stock cover and not a real hardcover. Lays flat with minimal effort.

 

Thank you so much for recommending, I skipped past these books on Amazon several times and opting for others, but now I'm hooked.

 

-mike

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Just got the Midori A5 grid (the lined is still on its way).

 

Wow. Smooth on all my Pilot nibs (EF, F, M), acceptable ghosting, no bleed, but most of all the spread is minimal so even my M nib doesn't look messy as the ink dries. And it's 1/2 the price of others in the same genre, albeit it has a card stock cover and not a real hardcover. Lays flat with minimal effort.

 

Thank you so much for recommending, I skipped past these books on Amazon several times and opting for others, but now I'm hooked.

 

-mike

 

+1! :) Glad my review helped! :)

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I'll add my "Thank you!" @ TassoBarbasso. I bought a Midori "Letter Pad," and I like it a lot. It is less smooth than Rhodia paper but not unpleasant, and it feathers even less. It makes my cursive italic nibs write thinner hairlines, without any catching.

 

The Midori "Letter Pad" is lined in a way that leaves good-sized margins. But it does not have the red margin line like the Rhodia lined A5 pads. This is much more attractive for correspondence.

 

Has anyone tried the "50% Cotton" letter pads? They cost a bit more. How is the writing experience different?

 

David

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I'll add my "Thank you!" @ TassoBarbasso. I bought a Midori "Letter Pad," and I like it a lot. It is less smooth than Rhodia paper but not unpleasant, and it feathers even less. It makes my cursive italic nibs write thinner hairlines, without any catching.

 

The Midori "Letter Pad" is lined in a way that leaves good-sized margins. But it does not have the red margin line like the Rhodia lined A5 pads. This is much more attractive for correspondence.

 

Has anyone tried the "50% Cotton" letter pads? They cost a bit more. How is the writing experience different?

 

David

 

Glad to hear you liked it!

 

Unfortunately I haven't tried the cotton paper but I would be REALLY curious to. If anyone has any feedback on it, feel free to share! :)

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Have you tried Fabriano's 85g EcoQua paper to compare? It's also pale cream color, also toothier than Rhodia/ClaireFontaine, also presents inks more beautifully than those, in my experience. Curious about Midori MD now in square grid (though would have loved it in dot grid).

“I admit it, I'm surprised that fountain pens are a hobby. ... it's a bit like stumbling into a fork convention - when you've used a fork all your life.” 

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I do have a pad of Fabriano 85 g paper. I don't know if it's EcoQua, though. It's white with a blue dot pattern. It is much toothier than Rhodia but also toothier than Midori. Honestly, I don't like it much.

 

The frustrating thing with both Midori and Fabriano is trying to find a US source that carries their full range. And many sources don't give sufficient description to really tell what they are offering.

 

David.

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I do have a pad of Fabriano 85 g paper. I don't know if it's EcoQua, though. It's white with a blue dot pattern. It is much toothier than Rhodia but also toothier than Midori. Honestly, I don't like it much.

 

The frustrating thing with both Midori and Fabriano is trying to find a US source that carries their full range. And many sources don't give sufficient description to really tell what they are offering.

 

David.

 

Hrm, that's different paper then. Mine has gray dots and is a pale cream color, not white. This is the paper product line, comes in different rulings (plain, lined, dot, graph):

https://fabriano.com/en/267/ecoqua

 

"The notebooks are made of ecological paper “Book Bioprima” 85 g/m² showing an eye relaxing pale ivory shade. Produced with 100% of T.C.F. (Totally Chlorine Free) and F.S.C. certified cellulose pulp issued from forests managed according to strict environmental standards. Acid Free paper with alkaline reserve to guarantee Long Life (ISO 9706).

The cover is made of ecological paper “Sirio Tela” 290 g/m² and is scratch-resistant. Available in 8 different lightfast colours. Federottica certified (cert. No. 654): the paper respects the standards apt to writing and reading. Ideal for any kind of writing: ball pen, fountain pen, felt-tip pen, etc."

 

Fabriano EcoQua line can be purchased on Amazon and also in places like the art store chain Dick Blick (excellent prices):

http://www.dickblick.com/products/fabriano-ecoqua-notebooks/

"Dot Gluebound" are the ones I use. I just wish there were a Dot Spiral-bound version.

Edited by Intensity

“I admit it, I'm surprised that fountain pens are a hobby. ... it's a bit like stumbling into a fork convention - when you've used a fork all your life.” 

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Has anyone tried the "50% Cotton" letter pads? They cost a bit more. How is the writing experience different?

 

David

 

I don't see where Jetpens says much about the cotton paper, not even the percentage of cotton, 50% or otherwise. I guess I'm missing something.

I may not have been much help, but I DID bump your thread up to the top.

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Have you tried Fabriano's 85g EcoQua paper to compare? It's also pale cream color, also toothier than Rhodia/ClaireFontaine, also presents inks more beautifully than those, in my experience. Curious about Midori MD now in square grid (though would have loved it in dot grid).

Yes, I tried it. Midori is incomparably better than EcoQua. EcoQua is not terrible, performs as good as if not better than some other more renowned papers, but if feathers and bleeds through much more than Midori, which doesn't do it at all. Moreover, ink colours are far, far more brilliant on Midori. I use EcoQua only because it's cheap and feedbacky but you cannot use any ink on it.

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That's certainly not at all my experience. No bleeding or feathering, inks look great on the Bioprima pater.

“I admit it, I'm surprised that fountain pens are a hobby. ... it's a bit like stumbling into a fork convention - when you've used a fork all your life.” 

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Thank you for your great review.

 

I too have tried many paper types. I use different papers for different purposes. I love Tomoe River, but like you mentioned it isn't feasible for me in loose sheets. I do, however, use refill No. 13 in my Traveler's Notebook (full size), which is my journal when I travel (which is a great deal).

 

For work, I recently bought a Levenger Circa notebook. What a huge disappointment! The paper was like writing on a thin paper bag. And the Arc paper from Staples (Circa doppelgänger) is not very good either.

 

So, then I stumbled upon your review. I had tried all of the others you mentioned, and was ready to give the Midori MD paper a try. I ordered an A5 notebook on Amazon. I put pen to paper and fell in love. By the end of the first day of use, I ordered another 8 notebooks. The only problem was to find a suitable notebook cover. I knew the little wax paper cover would not stand up to my travel. So, I ordered an cheap leather cover from Amazon, was horribly disappointed (the smell was so bad it would have scared off a bear!) and sent it back (I guess you get what you pay for). I then found a good deal on a leather notebook cover made by Midori that comes with 3 Midori MD notebooks. While it was a bit expensive, the quality is quite good.

"Today will be gone in less than 24 hours. When it is gone, it is gone. Be wise, but enjoy! - anonymous today

 

 

 

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Has anyone tried the "50% Cotton" letter pads? They cost a bit more. How is the writing experience different?

 

Midori MD Cotton paper is whiter in colour and more textured, giving more feedback when writing. Excellent with a wet nib, but can feel a bit scratchy with a dry one. It has the same resistance to bleedthrough as standard MD paper. Midori recommend the Cotton notebooks for sketching.

 

From Midori's website:

 

MD Cotton was newly developed in 2013. It is a soft and gentle paper that contains 20% cotton pulp. Cotton paper has always had outstanding durability and keeps exceptionally well. From ages past, it has been used in Europe for important and official documents, known as paper of high quality. The fibers are finer and longer than pulp, meaning that it has a luxurious feel and smoothness that give it an airily soft texture.

 

MD Cotton has a soft whiteness just like cotton that is well-suited both to fountain pens and colored pencils. We recommend this notebook as a sketchbook and therefore provide it only in a blank format.

http://i.imgur.com/utQ9Ep9.jpg

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Then, weep ! For you have no more worlds to conquer. What else did you find, during your quest ?

Auf freiem Grund mit freiem Volke stehn.
Zum Augenblicke dürft ich sagen:
Verweile doch, du bist so schön !

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Thank you very much for this review! I read it when you first posted, and then today when I was browsing one of the local online stores to Australia I find they have introduced a new range of paper- Midori MD!

 

I think I am right in this, but just want to check before I buy- the Midori paper is thicker (or at least less easily folded/creased) than Tomoe? I don't mind the thinness of Tomoe, but I don't like how easily it gets a fold or crease in the paper!

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