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Banana Paper Notebook


fiberdrunk

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I found the neatest notebook at Target today. It's the Banana Paper Notebook with Pocket. It cost $3.99 for 80 rather thick sheets. It is tree-free and acid-free! It contains 80% post-consumer waste and 20% banana fibers. The cardboard covers open up along their tops to reveal a pocket as large as the covers themselves. Each sheet has a calendar along its top (rather handy for a journal).

 

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5099/5492944659_a791a8dd37_z.jpg

 

Here are the inks I tested on this paper: The following Noodlers: Scott Brown #41, Black Swan in the Australian Roses (probably the prettiest color on these sheets), Bay State Blue, Russian series Tsvetayeva, Rachmaninov, Tchaikovsky & Lermontov; Kung Te-Chung, and Heart of Darkness. Also tested Chesterfield Archival Vault, Montblanc Blue-Black and Magic Color Rust. There was no feathering and no bleed-through on the back. The Russian series ink wrote a little dry (all except Lermontov) but this might be the inks rather than the paper (they are new for me and I haven't done much other testing with them yet).

 

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5295/5493539318_56768abec1_z.jpg

 

All in all a wonderful paper! My only complaint is the removal... the style of binding makes a bit of a ragged edge when you tear it out (no fine perforations).

 

ETA: Sheet size is 8.125" x 10.5625" (that's what it says on the label!)

Edited by fiberdrunk

Find my homemade ink recipes on my Flickr page here.

 

"I don't wait for inspiration; inspiration waits for me." --Akiane Kramarik

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Thanks for the great review. Looks very interesting and will definitely check it out.

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I wonder how it compares to that Staples eco friendly sugarcane paper which is thinner, but does well with showing secondary sheen colors like the Sailor LE, Parker Penman Sapphire, etc.

With the new FPN rules, now I REALLY don't know what to put in my signature.

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I wonder how it compares to that Staples eco friendly sugarcane paper which is thinner, but does well with showing secondary sheen colors like the Sailor LE, Parker Penman Sapphire, etc.

 

I haven't tried sugarcane paper... how intriguing! Now I'm going to have to hunt that down, too, lol.

Find my homemade ink recipes on my Flickr page here.

 

"I don't wait for inspiration; inspiration waits for me." --Akiane Kramarik

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That looks cool, the elephant poo paper I tried (a little box of paper squares) was too rough, but judging by your picture and trial this looks quite smooth...

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Edited by carlmaloschneider

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I don't remember the brand, but I've tested another banana paper, and it was probably the most fountain pen unfriendly paper I've ever tested. I thought all banana papers were like that. Is the paper not rough at all? The type I tested was very rough and made all pens write dry, even the wettest ones.

http://img525.imageshack.us/img525/606/letterji9.pnghttp://img244.imageshack.us/img244/5642/postcardde9.png
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I don't remember the brand, but I've tested another banana paper, and it was probably the most fountain pen unfriendly paper I've ever tested. I thought all banana papers were like that. Is the paper not rough at all? The type I tested was very rough and made all pens write dry, even the wettest ones.

 

The paper has tooth, to be sure, though not uncomfortably rough. I'd say Strathmore 100% cotton rag paper is drier than this banana paper, if you have that to compare it to. I did find Noodler's Black Swan in Australian Roses in a Platinum Preppy .05 nib (medium) to be a very good combination for this paper, not only because it was a gorgeous color combination, but also because it didn't feel dry.

Find my homemade ink recipes on my Flickr page here.

 

"I don't wait for inspiration; inspiration waits for me." --Akiane Kramarik

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http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5295/5493539318_56768abec1_z.jpg

Are you sure that's Lermontov? It looks absolutely nothing like any sample of Lermontov I've ever seen.

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I picked up some of this paper over the weekend. I got 3 staple bound journals, 5.75in x 8.25in, 40 sheets (80 sides) each. I tried one today with just a couple of pens, and it's just not for me. Waterman Black, Heart of Darkness or Bad Belted Kingfisher showed up best, J. Herbin Vert Empire just doesn't really have enough contrast, not even with a Lamy OM nib.

 

I really like the sugar cane (bagasse) paper at Staples, haven't had any problems with it, with many different pens and inks. It's much smoother and whiter than this paper.

Edited by CatBookMom
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I really like the sugar cane (bagasse) paper at Staples, haven't had any problems with it, with many different pens and inks. It's much smoother and whiter than this paper.

 

Do you know if the bagasse paper at Staples is acid-free? One of the big selling points for me with the banana paper was that it was acid-free.

Find my homemade ink recipes on my Flickr page here.

 

"I don't wait for inspiration; inspiration waits for me." --Akiane Kramarik

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My brother gave one of these to my daughter on her last birthday. It is different though. It has two notebooks, one lined paper and the other graph paper. They both fit in the envelope pocket. My daughter loves it!

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I really like the sugar cane (bagasse) paper at Staples, haven't had any problems with it, with many different pens and inks. It's much smoother and whiter than this paper.

 

Do you know if the bagasse paper at Staples is acid-free? One of the big selling points for me with the banana paper was that it was acid-free.

 

 

Neither the Sustainable Earth label nor the info on sugarcane-based paper inside the cover of the spiral notebooks mentions the paper as being acid-free or not. It just isn't mentioned. All it says is that it's made from 80% sugarcane plant fiber waste leftover from the processing of the cane. Maybe there would be some info at the Staples website, but then again maybe not; I don't remember there being a lot of copy about the items. Are you thinking about the archival aspects?

Edited by CatBookMom
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Neither the Sustainable Earth label nor the info on sugarcane-based paper inside the cover of the spiral notebooks mentions the paper as being acid-free or not. It just isn't mentioned. All it says is that it's made from 80% sugarcane plant fiber waste leftover from the processing of the cane. Maybe there would be some info at the Staples website, but then again maybe not; I don't remember there being a lot of copy about the items. Are you thinking about the archival aspects?

 

Yes, I like the archival aspect of paper.

Find my homemade ink recipes on my Flickr page here.

 

"I don't wait for inspiration; inspiration waits for me." --Akiane Kramarik

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Neither the Sustainable Earth label nor the info on sugarcane-based paper inside the cover of the spiral notebooks mentions the paper as being acid-free or not. It just isn't mentioned. All it says is that it's made from 80% sugarcane plant fiber waste leftover from the processing of the cane. Maybe there would be some info at the Staples website, but then again maybe not; I don't remember there being a lot of copy about the items. Are you thinking about the archival aspects?

 

Yes, I like the archival aspect of paper.

 

Although it does not say specifically on the Staples 5x7 or 8.5x11 tablets, a similar 80% sugarcane product on Office Depot does say acid free. I sent a question to Staples asking if it is, but didn't see it addressed on the product listing on Staples website.

With the new FPN rules, now I REALLY don't know what to put in my signature.

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http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5295/5493539318_56768abec1_z.jpg

Are you sure that's Lermontov? It looks absolutely nothing like any sample of Lermontov I've ever seen.

 

Yes, that's Lermontov, though it looks more blue on my monitor than the original. The original looks lavender.

Edited by fiberdrunk

Find my homemade ink recipes on my Flickr page here.

 

"I don't wait for inspiration; inspiration waits for me." --Akiane Kramarik

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I wonder how it compares to that Staples eco friendly sugarcane paper which is thinner, but does well with showing secondary sheen colors like the Sailor LE, Parker Penman Sapphire, etc.

 

I now have the Staples sugarcane paper, which behaves far more like regular notebook paper than banana paper does. Banana paper is more textured than the sugarcane paper, even dry-feeling to write on. You're not likely to get sheen on the banana paper. Banana paper is a good one for a wet writer (I found a Platinum Preppy .05 nib with Noodler's Black Swan in Australian Roses to be a good combo for this paper).

 

If you enjoy textured paper and like an archival paper, this is a good brand of banana paper. Apparently it comes in 3-pack of smaller notebooks, too, but I didn't see this at my local Target.

 

eta: typos

Edited by fiberdrunk

Find my homemade ink recipes on my Flickr page here.

 

"I don't wait for inspiration; inspiration waits for me." --Akiane Kramarik

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Thanks for this review. I've been wondering about the banana books. There might be some of us who don't have a Staples nearby and need more choices in paper. Or is there always a Staples near Target?

Let there be light. Then let there be a cat, a cocktail, and a good book.

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Staples wrote me back to say they were delayed in their response. This borders on an oxymoron.

With the new FPN rules, now I REALLY don't know what to put in my signature.

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I'm glad it works good, because I bought the same notebook months ago, but I'm saving it for something special because it's so pretty. I love the cover design and get so sick of nice notebooks only coming with bland black, navy or brown covers.

I'd rather spend my money on pens instead of shoes and handbags.

 

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