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Are you looking for an affordable fountain pen friendly journal that does not cost an arm and a leg? What about a beautiful leather cover for the journal? Here are my recommendations based on my obsessive research for the past 6 months. TOP JOURNALS Rhodia Webnotebooks (A5 size) - These are the most highly rated notebooks by fountain pen aficionados. However, at $20 - $25 a book, these are just a bit too rich for my low budget. If you want to buy 2 at a time, JetPens has them at 2 for $38 with free shipping (see http://www.jetpens.com/search?q=%22Rhodia+Webnotebook+-+Black+-+5.5%22+X+8.25%22+-+96+Sheets+-+Lined%22).Pro Art Sketchbooks (5.5 X 8 size) - I found these to be the best bang for the buck at about $7 from Amazon. You can get them even cheaper at DickBlick if you buy many to average out the shipping charge or go to their brick and mortar store and avoid the shipping charge altogether. Did I mention they are fountain pen friendly??!! There is no feathering or bleed-through even with my Noodler Konrad Flex Nib pen (about a medium nib). This paper also worked well with my Lamy Safari extra fine and Hero 626 fine nib pens. There is a very slight texture but no sheen for the paper. Ink drying time on the paper is just a few seconds. You can definitely write on both sides of the page without worrying about bleed-throughs. The cover is very plain with some texture so I highly recommend a journal cover (see the next section).TOP JOURNAL COVERS Renaissance Art - You can measure the exact dimensions of your journal and have a custom-made journal cover for $35 to $48 depending on the style of leather you desire (see http://www.renaissance-art.com/catg96/category.aspx). I ordered the $10 leather samples to check out the quality of their leathers. They are thick and beautiful! I have no doubt that they'll last me a lifetime. When you place an order, Art will refund you the $10 sample charge so it's worth it to check out the leather samples before ordering your cover! Oberon Designs - Oberon Designs offers handmade leather refillable journal covers with beautiful designs (see http://oberondesign.com/journal-covers/oberon-journals.html). This is my review of their Cloud Dragon journal (http://www.amazon.com/Oberon-Design-Dragon-Refillable-Journal/product-reviews/B009YJNMD0/ref=sr_sp-btf_cr_text_1_5?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1). Each cover comes with a blank journal. However, this journal is not fountain pen friendly with significant feathering. Thus, I used a gel pen with this journal. Once I used up this included journal, I replaced it with the fountain pen friendly Pro Art Sketchbook.RECOMMENDATIONS Depending on your preference, I have suggestions for three different types of users: Budget Beginner - If you are just starting out on a very limited budge, you can just buy the Pro Art Sketchbook for $7 and skip the journal cover.Paper Snob - If paper is of utmost important to you, you can go with the Rhodia Webbie with or without a journal cover.Leaving Options Open - For me, I bought the Oberon Designs Cloud Dragon and switched out their journal which was not fountain pen friendly with the Pro Art Sketchbook. Now, I have a beautiful leather journal that I can refill with either the Pro Art Sketchbook or the Rhodia Webbie. I may get a Renaissance Art cover for traveling as I love its rustic look and the nearly indestructible leather.​

I decided to buy an Oberon Design Journal cover, and I have to say that it looks awesome! much better than in the pictures. It looks a lot more sturdy than I was expecting too. Just wanted to put this out there.