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So this is a bit odd being on an international forum, but as a South African, I am truly unaware as to where to purchase proper, decent quality journals or paper. The best 'name-brand' I have found is moleskine, but the quality is a hit and miss with their work due to them sourcing from different places. Then if I had to import myself, I end up paying $60-$90 for a $18-$24 notebook. (quo vadis, Rhodia). Are there any South Africans on the forum that would be able to assist me in trying to find anything that comes close to the Rhodia, Quo Vadis, etc? No stationary shops I can find stocks anything. Went as far as getting my friend in book distribution to call all her suppliers and her customers...nothing. No clairefontein, nudda. They have not even heard of the names. Any help would be appreciated. Or any place overseas which offers free shipping to this side of the world would suffice. Customs+shipping comes to $40 o.O

This is an ongoing bleed-through comparison test between ten different commercially available notebooks. This test will continue as long as there is interest in it and pages remaining in the current set of test notebooks. Method This is a simple test, and will involve three steps: 1. Every time I fill a pen with ink I will write the names of the pen, nib size, and ink in ten different notebooks. 2. I will assign each entry a score indicating the severity of bleeding based upon predetermined thresholds. Absence of bleed-though is scored with a checkmark. Bonus points will be given for each additional page side where ink is present. A plus sign indicates that the ink has bled onto the subsequent sheet and the number following it indicates the number of sides bled onto. e.g. an ink that bleeds ink onto the next sheet will get a +1, an ink that bleeds through that same second sheet will get a +2. 3. Points will be tallied at the end of each round to a cumulative total, and the leaderboard will be updated. Lower numbers equate to higher bleed-through resistance. Objectives 1. To determine what notebook paper, of those tested, has the best resistance to bleeding. 2. To see how the same ink appears and behaves on different paper. 3. To see what inks do well on otherwise bleed-prone paper. Qualification Notebooks must meet the following qualifications: 1. They must have at least 30 ruled lines to accommodate ten sets of two written lines with one blank space in between each entry. 2. They must have side wire binding with perforated pages. Ten notebooks take up a lot of workspace and wire binding is ideal as it allows notebooks to fold back on themselves into single stacks of paper. Having detachable pages is only important for ease of scanning. Two exceptions were made, as noted below, because these examples were deemed too important to be excluded due to format. 3. The cost of notebooks must not exceed $12.00 CAD including shipping if applicable. This includes instances of sale prices and promotions. In cases where notebooks were obtained free of cost the price would reflect the lowest price found online. The Contenders Scoring Notes 1. I have debated whether to post a scan of the back of each page but have decided against it. We all know what bleed-through looks like. It would be twice the work in scanning and uploading, and in many cases there would be very little or nothing at all to show on the opposite side of the page. Also this is a comparison between notebook paper and not a focused review of one particular product, and so the empirical aspect takes precedence over individual peculiarities. Refer to the scoring examples for an approximation of bleed-through severity. 2. The white sticker at the top of each page is to provide a standard white balance to each example. 3. The Maruman Mnemosyne notebook is the only B5-size notebook, chosen because there are thirty lines per page, and a larger A4 notebook would have many more lines than needed 4. The Clairefontaine and Black n' Red Casebound notebooks are the only ones without perforated pages. Additionally, the Black n' Red Casebound notebook is the only one without wire binding. This is because neither was locally obtainable in a perforated wirebound format. 5. Two Black n' Red notebooks were chosen because, examined side-by-side, it's very obvious that they have different paper. The paper made in Poland is significantly smoother by touch. 6. The show-through on Staples Sustainable Earth is strong enough that what bleed there is may not be noticed without close inspection. However hidden or understated, bleed will still be counted and scored in full. 7. The Polish Black n’ Red notebooks bleed mostly at the printed lines. Line bleeding is not omitted or counted partially in the overall score and no separate score will be given discounting it. ROUND I Scorecard Standings: 1. Clairefontaine - 0.0 2. Cambridge - 0.5 T3. Rhodia 80gsm - 1.0 T3. Staples Sustainable Earth - 1.0 T5. Black n' Red (Germany) - 2.0 T5. Maruman Mnemosyne - 2.0 T7. Five Star Heavyweight - 7.0 T7. Hilroy - 7.0 9. Black n' Red (Poland) - 9.5 10. Staples Notes - 16.0 Cumulative Bleed-Through Score By Sample: Sample 1 - 0.5 Sample 2 - 8.0 Sample 3 - 1.5 Sample 4 - 8.5 Sample 5 - 8.0 Sample 6 - 1.0 Sample 7 - 8.0 Sample 8 - 6.0 Sample 9 - 1.0 Sample 10 - 3.0

Here I leave you some of the notebooks, "Venvstas Bohéme Montmartre" made in Paris, in our atelier in Montmartre. Crude leather and carbon fiber. http://www.venvstas.com/copy-of-accessories

During a recent trip to Montréal, my wife and I stopped at Papeterie Nota Bene* (http://nota-bene.ca), which has the best selection of FP friendly notebooks I've ever seen. It's a very cool shop, and I highly recommend it. Anyway, we found a Clairefontaine notebook we've seen nowhere else. It's designed for science/lab use. These are A5 notebooks with Séyès ruled paper and blank sheets as well. They can be seen on the Clairefontaine site here: http://www.clairefontaine.com/subcategory-en-031033-laboratory-work-drawing-books.html Does anyone know of a United States seller for this particular notebook? Thanks! Christopher

Hello Fountain Pen Network! As I mentioned in the title I am a journalist who is moving on to college in the fall. As a journalist, it is very important for me to be able to handwrite quickly, accurately and legibly. But unfortunately up to this point I have struggled with this endeavor because my handwriting is so terrible. I can usually read it, but for others it is typically borderline illegible. Below I have attached a sample of my writing so you can see just how bad it actually is. What's worse is that my handwriting is bad in both print and cursive. I'm pretty sure I'm applying to much pressure with my grip and on the paper but I'm not sure what else I really do wrong. What do you guys recommend I do to improve my hieroglyphics/chicken scratch into something that is legible and pretty? I have also been looking into some different pens and notebooks to buy for classes in the fall. In high school, I used whatever pen I could find to write in my beloved Moleskine or the four plastic covered Mead Five Star Wide Ruled notebooks in my bag. For college, I would like to step it up a bit so I have been looking at some different pens, namely the Uni-Ball Signos and the Pilot Metropolitan, and also some different notebooks like the Rhodia Wirebound A4 and the line Maruman Mnuemosyne in A4 and B5. What do you guys think of these choices, especially considering I am a poor college student? For the pen should I be using a fine, medium or bold tip? Will a fountain pen make my handwriting better? Any pens and/or notebooks you guys would recommend for my stated goals?

The L!FE Stationery Company has specialised in the production of superior-quality hand-made paper. The correspondence paper and the notebooks have gained popularity for their timeless design, and the paper offers a quite unique writing sensation - Japanese paper at its best! They are hard to find so we decided we needed them in our Boutique. Now available ! Happy writing ! Catherine. http://www.sakurafountainpengallery.com/en/boutique/new-l-fe-notaboekjes-amp-papier

It is not my goal to become a Japanese store but I added the Midori notebooks and TN's in the Sakura Fountain Pen Boutique ! They are gorgeous to look at, they have a great feel and they are super to work with. I hope you like them too ! Catherine http://www.sakurafountainpengallery.com/en/boutique/notebooks-amp-paper

I introduced Field Notes memobooks in the Sakura FP Gallery. It just seemed fun to have these little US made notebooks in Belgium. They owe their existence to a tradition of promotional memo books distributed to American farmers over the last hundred years by seed, tractor and agriculture companies. Todays “Field Notes” are everyday companions and they fit in a tuxedo, a greasy leather jacket, ski or even your jungle outfit ! http://www.sakurafountainpengallery.com/en/boutique/new-field-notes-notaboekjes-amp-papier I hope you enjoy them too ! Catherine.

I'm thinking of making some Tomoe River pads and/or notebooks? What would you like to see here in the UK and in Europe. Open to suggestion. A4? A5? Pads? Bound notepad? Let me know your thoughts..

Hi, I'm John Sparegrave from France. I've been using notebooks and pens of various format for years now. I use my notebooks and leather notebooks to organise my life, follow my health issues, write and sketch and I just love the feel of pen on paper. I recently started a channel on Youtube (which is here https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCodLxM-o4WuzqrEUQAyh2zw ) and plan on writing a blog which is all about writing and writing materials. I've been reading you guys for quite some time now, and it just felt natural to join. Best regards, John

A short video containing information regarding Filofax notebooks!

A Quick & Dirty Report Dropped into a Staples today to pickup a few of the Made in Bazil composition notebooks, but none left. Last year I bought a stack of them, and I only needed a couple more. Guess the students got them all. There was a pitiful excuse for a composition notebook (one) with a plastic cover, cleverly designed to slip and slide on whatever surface you choose to write upon - and made in Egypt. I looked at everything on the shelves and picked up a Staples Sustainable Earth Sugarcane-based Notebook (wire-bound). The small size - 9 1/2 X 6 inches. What attracted me to them is that they have HARD thick covers and an insert with a pocket on each side. I can write on this in uncomfortable positions sitting in a meeting with no table, standing. Much stiffer cover than the composition notebooks. And equally sturdy wire binding. The printed material does not even mention it, but the pages have fine perforations - also sturdy, so they do not tear unless you tell them to tear. And the paper worked well with PR Midnight Blues in a TWSB Eco (f): no feathering, spread or bleeding. Show through? Yes, but not so much that I expect it to prevent me from using both sides. Negatives? Cost - $3.95 US. Wire binding makes it not as easy to put side by side on a shelf, if that is important to you. Eco-y kraft paper-looking cover, if that would bother you. I think it will grow on me. Anyone else have these notebooks in this or the larger size? How do you like them after using them for a while?

Like it says in the title, how many notebooks are you using at any given time, and what are you using them for? I tend to keep two notebooks going at once-- A catch-all personal notebook, and a catch-all work notebook. I like an A5 sized notebook for the personal notebook, and lately that's been Leuchtturm1917. For the work notebook, I like something slightly smaller than A4-- A folded sheet of letter-sized paper should fit comfortably inside, but A4/Letter is just too big. Right now, I'm really enjoying a TWSBI large sized notebook. Right now, I'm actually keeping three notebooks. The third is a handwriting practice notebook, as I'm trying to improve my penmanship.

I'm not sure if this is okay, if not, please notify and I'll remove. For fountain pen paper lovers, Massdrop currently has a drop for 3 Quo Vadis Journals for a great price. Ends in 4 days (Thursday September 24th, 2015): https://www.massdrop.com/b…/quo-vadis-habana-large-notebook… A Product Announcement 2015-09-19&utm_term=Community - Writing - MAU (Active)

Good morning all. I bought a new notebook today, having filled my last one over the past few months. I tend to do my writing in college-ruled composition notebooks (gasp! shock! horror!), because more expensive notebooks are intimidating to me; I always have the fear that my words won't live up to the page, whereas my comp books are... Well, I'm not "ruining" anything by writing in them, if the stories don't turn out well. But today I'm having a serious attack of Blank Page Syndrome staring at the virgin book. Does anyone have any "rituals" they do with new notebooks? Particular words, or symbols they always doodle, or marks they always make? Is everyone as afraid of new notebooks as I am? ~Miz Black Crow

So I bought a couple of Eames Notebooks, which are made by the UK printers Whitbread and Wilkinson. They're well-made and pretty, but ink reacts in this odd way with the paper: First of all, the pages are blue and lined in white. I think the pages may be completely covered with ink because when I write with certain pens, the line breaks up. But with certain OTHER pens - same ink, mind, the line is smooth. The width of the nib doesn't seem to be a factor. It's this mysterious, individual interaction of nib, ink and paper. Anyone wish to theorize?

I might have missed it, but I don't think that Paperblanks gets a mention here too often. No affiliation, just a little shout out for a brand that I use very regularly and am very happy with. I know that the early ones could be slightly dodgy with fountain pens, but that is now thankfully corrected. I love the look and feel of them and have never had any show through or bleed issues, but I was wondering if they are only available in Europe (hence the lack of mention here)?

I wanted to buy some muji notebooks, hearing that the notebooks are FP friendly. The problem is that there are two types of notebooks. The recycled and plantation notebooks. Which ones are better? Plantation Paper: http://www.muji.us/store/stationery/notebooks/plantation-paper-ring-note-b5-5pcs-set.html Recycled: http://www.muji.us/store/stationery/notebooks/recycled-paper-note-double-ring-b5-plain-80.html and http://www.muji.us/store/stationery/notebooks/recycled-paper-note-7mm-a4.html Thanks!

Just wanted to share an excellent customer-service experience I had with Baron Fig. I ordered a limited-edition journal and some pocket notebooks. Everything arrived quickly and well-packaged, but the journal had dot-grid paper rather than the blank paper I ordered. I sent an e-mail from the company's website about the issue, and they e-mailed back right away, apologizing, telling me to keep the wrong journal and saying they would send a replacement by priority mail. Two days later, a package arrived with the correct journal, some extra pocket notebooks and a handwritten note of apology. Mistakes happen, of course, but Baron Fig went above and beyond the call of duty to make everything right. No affiliation to Baron Fig, just a very happy first-time customer.

... that suit these requirements? 140 x 90 mm ( 5.5 x 3.5 inches)coloured paper ( anything but white)usable in a "Raydori"

i have a daily diary, a notebook for to-do's and a monthly planner, all are about 5x8 i am trying to find some kind of slipcase or wrap that i can keep all three in to carry them around along with a pen or two any ideas of what might be available or even makeable would be appreciated thanks! ian

I found a small stash of journals on sale at my local Office Depot for $1 each marked down from $4.99 that are just as FP friendly as the Walmart notebooks recently discussed here. About the length of a pen, 160 lined pages. Item #757-397 and #757-388. They had a few more but I only purchased three of those (two different ones of the first in cat prints, one of the second in owl print) because they had elastic band closures. They had others in metallic owl print, coffee mug print, and ones without elastic band closures. I figured if they weren't FP friendly I could use them as gifts, but now they're ink testing journals. Just wanted to give a shout out about them. May or may not be clearanced out in your area, but it seemed like it was part of their end of school season clearance.

Just a quick post for anyone who lives in the vicinity of Manchester in the UK. Fred Aldous in Stevenson Square sells a huge array of quality notebooks, including Field Notes, Rhodia and Leuchturm. All different sizes and paper types (dots, grids, lines, plain). Paperchase used to be my 'go to' shop, but I have found the selection becoming narrower over the past couple of years. I also prefer non-lined paper, which seems to be difficult to source on the high street. However, I have now found a haven of paper-based loveliness and its only a 15 minute walk from home for me. Their website is http://fredaldous.co.uk and they are also on Twitter @fredaldous and the whole range of social media channels. Leonie

Hi, I was wondering if anyone has tried the Word. notebook? I found a mention on the-gadgeteer.com, and took a look. Similar to Field Notes, but with different covers and paper. Designed and made in the USA. The pages are set up for a unique planning system. Take a look. I contacted the company to ask about the FP friendliness of the paper, and they responded immediately saying "Not yet, but coming soon!" So, worth keeping an eye on. http://the-gadgeteer.com/2014/05/28/word-notebooks-are-feeling-a-little-blue/ http://www.wordnotebooks.com/ Hey, what do you know? Here's a review. http://www.gourmetpens.com/2013/05/review-word-lined-notebooks-swedish-camo.html

Hi, Does anyone have any experience with using nuuna by brandbook notebooks? They look pretty good, the paper quality seems good (90 or 120 gsm depending on range). But as the discussion in the Leuchtturm thread shows paper quality is not the be all and end all. I'm thinking about getting either one of their Punk notebooks or the Beach one.