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Hi guys, I'm looking for paper that is lined and could be classified as "school use". My only complain with my current composition books is that they bleed and feather the heck out of me. It didn't originally bother me, but eventually it got so bad that I went back to ballpoints for a while. Another major concern is that I'm not a fancy person, I go through paper very quickly so I don't want to get the expensive paper like Rhodia or some other fancy brand. So any suggestions?

I have been wanting to try out bullet journaling for a while so I went and did some research on which notebook people recommended, the Leuchtturm 1917 hardcover came up constantly. I figured if people were recommending this notebook that it must be good right? (Btw even people using fountain pens were recommending this) So I bought one for $20 (which is a good amount of money for someone in college btw) and couldn't wait to start writing in it. The notebook itself seems great but as soon as I started writing in it I was immediately disappointed in the paper quality. I was getting bleed through and severe ghosting even using my fine tipped fountain pens. So I thought maybe it was just fountain pens, so I tried a needle tip sharpie and that bleed and ghosted like crazy. So then I tried my Retro 51 with the standard black refill and that was just as bad.. I'm really disapointed that I spent so much on this notebook. If I would have known about the Rhodia webnotebooks I would have got one of those instead for sure, I at least know that Rhodia has great paper. So now I'm stuck with a $20 notebook that I can't stand using.. http://i.imgur.com/1G6E7CAl.jpg http://i.imgur.com/U0vwnH2l.jpg http://i.imgur.com/tzixVxrl.jpg\ What notebook would you recommend? The Rhodia Webnotebook seems like a good choice? Are there any others? Thanks

Pretty much anyone in the UK over a certain age will have memories of the classic red covered Silvine exercise books, or the ubiquitous memo book. I'm still fond of the latter now for its fountain pen-friendly paper, if not for its rather flimsy cover, so was interested to come across the recent launch of a high quality re-tread of these old favourites. http://www.silvineoriginals.co.uk/ Lots of sizzle going on there, but what's the steak like? I emailed them to ask after the FP-friendliness and was assured they were "very happy" with fountain pen ink, so naturally I wanted to try one. And of course it had to be a Memo. The Basic @ approximately £0.80 in my local newsagents, comes loose, while the Original @ £4.50 comes shrink-wrapped with a belly band. The Original at 52 pages is marginally thinner than the Basic at 72 pages. The Original includes a bookmark telling you all the joys of the thing you've already bought, which might arguably be more useful if you could read it before you have to unwrap it. But it's a nice thought. A major difference between the two is the binding and cover. The Basic is simply staple bound, and the cover is flimsy in the extreme - I've never had one survive the life of the notebook without help. The Original, on the other hand, has a sturdy textured cover and a sewn binding. A vast improvement, although while the dark blue thread looks good against the red cover, it does look rather ugly when you reach the centre pages inside the notebook. You do have to rather "crack" the cover to get it to lie flat, and once done it's not thus far inclined to want to lie fully closed again. Inside the difference between the Basic on the left, and the Original on the right is obvious; the latter is a creamier, brighter paper, with a more pronounced ruling. Every page is also perforated. The fleck on the line in the middle of the Original's paper is within the paper itself; a quick flick through doesn't immediately flag up any other instances. Both have 7mm ruling. Ruled, blank or blank/squared pages are only available in certain notebook sizes, which is a shame. But the important bit is, naturally, how it faired with FPs. I used a mixture of inks already in pens, and broke out a dip pen so I could test it with the potentially problem inks of Shigure and Apache Sunset. I see no evidence of feathering, spreading, or skipping. The paper has a slight texture to it which I personally prefer, and possibly as a result does not generate any noticeable sheen. No smearing noticed. The reverse of the page shows no signs of bleed through at all, and limited show through. An extremely satisfactory result. As I said, every page is perforated although they seem robustly fixed until folded at the perforation line and torn off. The latter being a very clean tear. All in all, for performance, I was very impressed. Truly a pleasant writing experience that really makes the ink pop most satisfactorily. It's nice to see a company aim to make a quality product and not forget about the paper! As a Brit, it's a pleasure to enjoy a British notebook as a change from seeking out alternatives from France and Japan. I also enjoy the "retro" look and the childhood memories it evokes. However, there are cons. The various notebook sizes are all, as far as I can tell, somewhat idiosyncratic. A6, A5, and A4 are all carefully illusive, and even existing oddities like Field Notes size or Traveler's Notebook are ignored. There's also no options in what ruling (or not) you can have in what size notebook. I would have liked to have tried the Pocket size notebooks, but they're blank and I wanted to see what the ruled paper was like. Finally, the price is pretty high if all you want is a notebook, and not the accompany story. Whether it's too high will, of course, depend on the individual.

Hi everyone, after almost 2 years I'm going back to school, and for the first I have to properly ask myself: which paper would be best to use for daily use. I prefer to use wirebound notebooks, so I can organise the individual sheets into the right folders after class. Naturally I have to consider which pens and inks to use, too, but we all know how the paper affects things such as dry time, etc., too. So ideally I'd like to get a ring wired notebook, that isn't too smooth as ink tends to take its time to dry (which is what I experienced with Rhodia a lot). On the other hand I'd like to avoid feathering and bleed through as much as possible. I quite like Rhodia's dotted paper, though, due its subtleness and clean look, and it helps, of course, to write fairly neatly. Anyone's got any suggestions? I'd be very grateful.

Here's a place to compile our finds for notebooks, composition notebooks, filler papers, folders, labels, etc. that are fountain pen friendly as well as inks and starter pens. Please describe your find, brand, where made, price, and where you found it.

Dear community, I like writing my journal. Until now I use different notebooks - different sizes, different paper, etc. Since a few weeks I'm not sure if I would like to do this in this way in the future. I've got the imagination of a bookshelf full of journals - all the same back. How beautiful will this look! But on the other hand... What about testing all the notebooks? And which notebook should I use? Maybe I can change every year - but use the same size. And I like systems - like Midori, RoterFaden etc. - for EDC. But I don't like writing my journal in these thin inserts... But I love leather! And it's not really comfortable for me to write in my Midori/Fauxdori with different inserts for a longer time in bed or on the couch. The next question: Do you use always the same fountain pen? Or maybe always the same ink? I just wanted to ask, how do you journal? Do you use the same size of notebooks? Or do you only use Leuchtturms/LIFE/Moleskines... maybe in different colors? Do you use only one ink color? Or one fountain pen? Or...? Thanks a lot Julia

I'm currently taking a couple of college classes, and the poor quality notebook paper has been frustrating. I called Goulet Pens to see if they have the 8.5 x 11 inch notebook paper or know of any, and they said no and recommended I post here. So can anyone help me? I just want narrow-ruled notebook paper that's fountain pen friendly. Current paper I'm using is scratchy and bleeds through to the other side unless I use an extra-fine nib (which is scratchy and unpleasant to use on the paper). Any recommendations? Thanks much in advance for your help! Liora

Rhodia is now officially available in India. Rhodia products are available on flipkart.com and amazon.in Alternatively, you can also contact us at info@abhimanintl.in directly for placing an order or to inquire for bulk/ corporate orders. Regards, AbhimanIntl

Hi, I really want to jump on the Tomoe River band-wagon, however I can't find a notebook of the size I'd like. I like B5-sized notebooks. I went to SevenSeas, and the only notebook they offer is A5, which is too small for me. Are there any notebooks available that use Tomoe River paper and are close in size to B5? Thanks.

Hi, This is a review of the Fabriano EcoQua A5 Spiral Bound - graph 5mm notebook. See more at http://fabriano.com/en/267/ecoqua http://i.imgur.com/IDSu8Se.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/XNZwtje.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/PWNDPuZ.jpg http://i.imgur.com/OKEvYtY.jpg http://i.imgur.com/drpaYuM.jpg Pros: It has nice paper (85 gsm). The paper is quite smooth, but not as smooth as Clairefontaine. There is minor show-through and no bleed-through. Cons: (Personally, I cannot think of any.) Things to consider: The paper is off-white. The notebooks are available in different binding, sizes, formats, and cover colours. The dry time is from about 20 to 25 seconds. The covers might not be very durable to some people, but I have no problems with it. I bought it from an art store for about $5.00 USD. Amazon has it, but with a higher price. http://www.dickblick.com/products/fabriano-ecoqua-notebooks/ http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008VSMK4M/ Thank you for reading, Sofia

Hi, I am going to build my own Midori-style notebook (to make it a bit wider) and also wanted to make my own inserts. But I'm not sure which paper to use for it. I like the paper in Rhodia Dot Pads, the Leuchtturm paper, that is in the thicker A5 notebooks and Clairefontaine in general. So I like a smooth, FP friendly paper (preferably dotted). So what paper can I buy in bulk (like a pack of 100-500 pages) that has these options? Do I just buy the A4 versions of these notebooks and cut them to my taste? That seems a bit silly to me. I would rather buy a bigger quantity of the paper these company source. I know they usually produce the paper themself and don't sell it separately but is there an option to buy loose sheets of paper that have similar properties? I would also like to have blank paper so I can print them myself. What I found is just cheap printer paper or the really expensive paper where 50 sheets cost about 20 bucks. Especially Clairefontaine Notebooks are great for their price. They are almost the cheapest option in Germany. So if anyone has an idea how to get to this paper? Thanks in advance. Sebastian

This year Lamy is celebrating "50 Years of Lamy Design". They have created several limited edition items and one is the Lamy Notebook and Logo M+ ballpoint gift set. These are already sold out and we have them in stock and available now. Lamy Special Edition Gift Set - Notebook & Logo Ballpoint PensRetail: $25.00

A while back I had seen the journals folks were making on here so I decided to make my own and that turned out pretty well. However now I see the Midori style notebooks that people are making and now I can't resist having one. I want to attempt to make my own though as I always like to try to learn new things and make anything i can on my own as it is more rewarding and feels more personal. I have spent the majority of the day looking up places to get leather for this project but there are so many places and so many types of leather that I figured it might be easier to ask advice from someone that has already made their own. From what I found the Midori Travelers Notebook uses 2.5mm thick leather or 5/6oz. That is all I really have to go of though, so I am hoping someone could let me know where they bought their leather if they made one and what leather to buy. I am on a budget since I went back to school for an IT degree and it doesn't let me work many hours, which is another reason I am trying to make my own as a Midoris notebook cost $40+ and that just is not justifiable to me on my budget. Thanks!

Dear All, I never thought I would review a notebook or any paper for that matter, but this journal changed my mind. From the moment I put the pen to the paper, I was very impressed. Very smooth writing and quite a heavy paper. I'm not going to write the review in the journal because as much as I want to share my thoughts on this, I'm not willing to sacrifice even a page. I'm terribly sorry but I shall be selfish on this matter. I will of course show you a writing sample. I'm using two different pens and two different inks in the pictures, the red ink being Rober Oster Signature Fire Engine Red in a Jinhao 599 with F nib, the black ink being Rober Oster Signature Black in a Pilot Prera M nib. No feathering, no bleed through, some show through but it is minimal. I think that if you were using bolder nibs you may get more show through but unless it's a really wet pen I should think any bleed through would be minimal. As an example, the Pilot Prera with M nib I'm writing with is quite wet but there was no bleed through. Definitely fountain pen friendly, but someone else will have to judge that regarding broader nibs. Unfortunately I don't have any to test it with, my collection being limited thus far to F and M nibs. SPECS: Name: Debden Professional Journal Page Size: 140mm x 203mm Lined: Yes Ruled: No Country of Origin: Singapore Cover: Imitation Leather Pockets: Front for papers, rear to hold notebook itself PENS / INK: Pen/Ink 1: Jinhao 599 F Nib / Robert Oster Signature Fire Engine Red Pen/Ink 2: Pilot Prera M Nib / Robert Oster Signature Black FEATHERING: None BLEED THROUGH: None SHOW THROUGH: Minimal FOUNTAIN PEN FRIENDLY: Yes, at least with my pens. ENJOYABILITY: Very pleasant, smooth paper to write on, feels quite thick and heavy PICTURES: How it looks: http://imgur.com/r5J6jlT.jpg http://imgur.com/Ea634xg.jpg http://i.imgur.com/7asXP4h.jpg Writing Sample: http://i.imgur.com/A297K9Y.jpg http://i.imgur.com/AR4n08y.jpg http://i.imgur.com/dmp3pc8.jpg Any Bleed-through? http://i.imgur.com/PsfKmWi.jpg Nope. Hope that you guys find this useful, have a great day! Cheers!

Does anybody know if acid-free paper is used in this Muji notebook, http://www.muji.us/store/stationery/notebooks/high-quality-easy-open-notebook-a5-dot.htm ) The paper is listed as 5% recycled, which would normally suggest not, but I've seen other papers with more recycled content which have nevertheless been acid-free. I've attached a photo of the label for anyone who might read Japanese. Thanks! (In case the website isn't clear, the notebook is 96 sheets, dot grid, cover in the usual brown thin cardboard, white tape on the spine, thread-bound in signatures, item 4549337193741.It's also listed elsewhere as "Muji Thread-Binding Notebook." Apparently there was also an A6 size made at some time, I'm not sure it's still available. There was also one with similar features done in a black cover, but I believe the paper is different.)

hey there! Here is a link to my Youtube video about the Nuuna notebook Superstar design. I still have to find a way to post pics here but I will, promise. I really think it is quite FP friendly and though heavy and fairly expensive (around 27 euros here in France) it definitely is a nice support for a bullet journal type of thing! https://youtu.be/ZENgYFsr7gw Have yourself a very nice weekend! john

Hello and welcome to the Quick Review of the Staples Sustainable Earth Sugarcane Paper Notebooks. As you know, Staples Sugarcane (Bagasse) paper is well known amongst fountain-pen users as an economical alternative to more pricier notebooks and papers such as Rhodia. Although by no means superior, it fulfills every criteria for general-purpose writing. Note: These notebooks were purchased from a Staples store as of April 14, 2014. http://i.imgur.com/xkfTHaj.jpg http://i.imgur.com/r45preH.jpg http://i.imgur.com/P9WEWW4.jpg http://i.imgur.com/jajrKyc.jpg http://i.imgur.com/xuCyOZ9.jpg For the up close scans of the sample page: Obverse: http://i.imgur.com/IgV0Pl7.jpg Reverse: http://i.imgur.com/3Z29fsE.jpg Covers are made of heavy weight kraft paper. Paper content is 80% sugarcane fiber, unsure of the remaining percentage. Unsure if acid-free and lignin-free. Paper is as thin as tracing paper, but not nearly as fragile and easily torn. The pages are lined (7 mm apart, College Ruled) and perforated with a 22 mm margin on the top. The big blobs you see on the page is the result of me doing a police siren impression while holding a loaded TWSBI Diamond 580. When writing there is little feedback (in fact with a Pilot Prera it was pretty glassy). Absolutely no feathering and no bleedthrough when writing at a normal speed (don't keep the nib on paper if you're pausing). Writing on the back is feasible if you don't mind the slight show of the other page. For both the 9.5 in. x 6 in. and 11 in. x 8.5 in. notebook, there are 100 sheets (200 pages). Both come with a page of pockets in the front (also kraft paper), one pocket on each side (2 pockets) for inserting torn-out pages or pages from somewhere else. At the time of purchase the 9.5 in. 6 in. notebook costs $3.99 and the 11 in. x 8.5 in. $4.99 excld. tax. That's it for this review, hope you enjoyed and if you have any questions or comments feel free to ask! Good Morning, Good Afternoon, Evening and Night!

Hi notebook lovers and users! Here is my latest video review of 4 of the notebooks from the Repunation series by a Turkish maker called Happily Ever After (and they do make original stuff). Here is the link : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQxIF6e_Ffk Hope you like it. John

Hi, This is my first post here though I have been reading a lot of reviews and talks as I was bed stricken the last months. I'm a stationery lover and this is my video review of the X17 which in my opinion is one deal of a notebook since it has both the advantages of the Midori leather notebook and the comfort of your regular A5 notebook. Paper is not very fountain pen friendly but there is no showthrough, it is just that I like my pages smooth. The notebook itself though is gorgeous. Here is the link to the video since I don't know how to put it there : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54ehCgOsbO4 I hope you'll like it as much as I did. Also I love the fact that they are a small family size company. John

For the last few years I have been using Ryman Softcover (medium) notebooks for journalling. They come in soft-touch hardback covers in a range of colours, and feature elastic closures, a page marker, a folding pouch at the back, and 192-pages of cream/off-white paper with ruled lines 7mm apart. Their paper is not coated & smooth like Rhodia/Oxford Optik, so is slightly absorbent, but is still reasonably resistant to show-through and feathering, and has not suffered from bleed-through (at least not with my pens, which are all ‘Medium’- or ‘Fine’-nibbed). i.e. my experience of these notebooks is that they are cheap Moleskine clones, and with the bonus that the paper in them is fine for use with fountain pens To clarify, the paper in the ones that I have bought to-date has been fine for use with my fountain pens... All of the Ryman journals that I have bought have had 80gsm paper in them. The last time I nipped in to my local Ryman to buy a new notebook for journalling, I noticed that their paper had been changed to 70gsm paper. I didn't like the sound of that, and so got the staff to look in the stock room to see if they still had any that had the 80gsm paper. I ended up buying the shop's last two notebooks with 80gsm paper. Not in covers of the colour I wanted, but I can live with that as long as the paper is satisfactory. Why am I posting this? Because I am now running out of space in my last remaining notebook, and will need to buy a new one soon. So: I would like to know whether any FPN-ers have used the newer versions of these notebooks with the 70gsm paper. If you have, please will you tell me whether the thinner paper can still cope with fountain pen inks? Or is there now a horrible amount of show-/bleed-through? If your experience is that the 70gsm bleeds through, then I would like to ask you for recommendations for notebooks with paper that does not suffer from ink bleed-through. Preferably with lines that are 7mm (or 8mm) apart. I have previously considered the Rhodia Webnotebook, because I love how the white paper in their No.13 pads handles FP inks. But there is one snag for me - I noticed that the lined version of the ‘webbie’ has lines that are only 5mm apart. I use my journals for Cathartic Ranting, so my handwriting in them is often very messy and quite large. My experience with 5mm separation (in a Leuchtturm 1917 dot grid) is that the amount of space between the marks is not large enough for my Ranty handwriting I have also found the paper in the two Leuchtturm notebooks that I have (one dotted, one lined) to be less FP-friendly than the 80gsm Ryman notebook paper. I found its coating/finish to be too glossy/slippery for FP ink. Admittedly, that was a couple of years ago. Has the paper in the Leuchtturms become more FP-friendly since then? I would appreciate, dear Reader, any advice that you can offer me. Cheers, M.

I bought the narrow version of the Creme Brulee. I decided on this one over an official Midori Traveller's Notebook because it has more than one elastic band inside, at least according to the pictures. And then I bought a few addons from my favorite place, Goulet Pens.

So my new Chic Sparrow notebook showed up the other day. I'm still waiting on a few more inserts so I can finish arranging it. But overall it's great, I can't believe I waited this long to buy something like this. http://imgur.com/fpngallery/nSIVf

This is a brief review of the 17:18 Series of Bible Journals. Each journal contains a portion of the Bible that allows you to read and write the text guided by the verse numbers. The left page provides room for notes while the right page is for the text. The paper is FP friendly and I have encountered no bleed through. The binding is stitched and does lay flat making it easy to write in. There is one black ribbon marker. Generally there is plently of room for each verse but a few times there was not. The first writing sample below is from a TWSBI 580 1.1 stub, with Noodler's Navajo Turquoise. The second is a fine nib and I think Purple Martin if I recall correctly. Overall a very nice journal for writing out scripture and making notes on the text.

My kickstarter project: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/paperandsuch/simply-plain-journal-sketchbook-for-artists-creati' class='large blue awesome' target='_blank'> Simply Plain notebooks » Ends 21 Oct 2015. Thank you for looking!

This is a short review of a A5 sized MD notebook. I have also replicated the content with some additional pictures in my blog, as the images are/will be reduced to a small thumbnail after a short-while by the image hosting service. Below is a link to the same: Midori MD Notebook Review After falling in love with my MTN and the entire ecosystem part of it (Some of the ecosystem elements and their use are most eloquently covered by Pavoni in this post.), I wanted to have the same fountain pen friendly paper, sans the panache of an MTN. And it’s closest cousin seemed to be an MD notebook. I went for a A5 sized one, as it was quite readily available. PRESENTATION (6/6) The entire package rests within a polyethylene plastic wrap, and a tracing paper enclosure keeps you happy with the very process of unravelling. There is a bottom band of blue branding wrapped over the notebook, which covers essential product specifications/branding in English and certain things in Japanese. http://i1302.photobucket.com/albums/ag127/soniknitr/MD%20Notebook/md%20004-pres_zpsimpj0jp5.jpg MD ELEMENTS (6/6) The notebook is thread-stitched and a weaved cloth is glued along the outer-spine, perhaps as an embellishment for a classical literary look. You would feel at ease, to write on a MD Notebook, as it remains completely open, thanks to the stitching. Clever! A ribbon/bookmark can be found in the middle, and I feel it is quite well-thought of, in case you choose to mark something essential. The cover is made up of card stock usually meant for business cards, post cards or catalogue covers. On the front, it carries the branding of ‘MD PAPER, Made in Japan’, in a subtly embossed format. As an ecosystem refill, a clear PVC cover is also available for each of the notebook sizes, in case you are planning to use a particular size regularly. http://i1302.photobucket.com/albums/ag127/soniknitr/MD%20Notebook/md%20007_zpspcyizqpy.jpg There are four stickers to label your notebook. http://i1302.photobucket.com/albums/ag127/soniknitr/MD%20Notebook/md%20008_zpsg1cxy2bt.jpg The inside cover has a box of particulars with a bit of MD branding. http://i1302.photobucket.com/albums/ag127/soniknitr/MD%20Notebook/md%20010_zpsqixbbaqv.jpg PHYSICS OF IT (6/6) – RELATIVELY SPEAKING Quite a compact one with dimensions - L(21 cm) X W (14.8 cm) X H (1.1 cm), it does get a bit wider and shorter, than a standard parker A5 notebook or even an MTN. It has 88 leaves with square grids (of 0.5 cm) on both sides. http://i1302.photobucket.com/albums/ag127/soniknitr/MD%20Notebook/md%20012%20dimension_zpsjuv4kq7z.jpg ECONOMIC VALUE (6/6) It cost me a pretty decent USD 9 with some combined shipping from Japan. I ordered it online on Rakuten global. OVERALL PERFORMANCE (5/6) I love the understated looks of the notebook. A Pelikan fine nib glides along the paper with a wet line although it takes around half a minute to dry. I did observe a minute amount of feathering and a decent show-through after writing on the first page. http://i1302.photobucket.com/albums/ag127/soniknitr/MD%20Notebook/md%20015_zps94mvpqqw.jpg Unlike the MTN refill paper, these pages are quite thin and the show-through is visible on the other side of the page. Although from a personal context I feel that you can write on the other side too, but YMMV. http://i1302.photobucket.com/albums/ag127/soniknitr/MD%20Notebook/md%20016_zpsawmj9km7.jpg I hope you enjoyed this short review and it helps with your next notebook purchase. Best, Sonik