Muji Notebooks And Paper

[Aurko]

I have used Muji notebooks and stationery and the minimalistic design appeals to me, and the paper is cheap and affordable, while still being great fountain pen paper. It's very easy to personalize the covers with stamps, stickers, etc. and in my experience, the cheapest recycled notebooks tend to have the best paper for fountain pens. The following is a link to the website, provided as a reference for the second poll question. I have no affiliation with Muji, beyond being pretty happy with their products and I am wondering about other people's experiences with them.

http://www.muji.us/store/stationery/notebooks.html

 

Edited the poll to allow for mixed feelings on Muji paper.

Edited May 19, 2014 by Aurko

[xwingrox]

Darn it. I picked up a load of Muji notebooks (non-recycled paper) during my latest trip to Hong Kong. Almost every single notebook I bought preformed poorly with my fountain pens While not horrible, there was visible feathering that was very noticeable with every ink but Noodler's Black. I really wanted to like the ones I bought and I'm at least glad that you are enjoying the Muji recycled paper notebooks. Hope this brings awareness to the difference between the paper types.

[avlisyar]

I use MUJI notebooks and Loose Leaf paper all the time

since finding their store in NYC. I have had good luck with

all their products so far. I tend to use Broad Stubs and Italics

with a range of inks including BSB with no feathering and

very little show through. Combine that with the prices and

I am very pleased.

[Nonsensical]

Only some Muji notebooks are FP friendly. You can usually tell by feeling the paper.

[Aurko]

Maybe it's my inexperience showing, but I've had a bit of trouble telling by feel for Muji specifically. I got lucky as I bought a few of each notebook available. I discovered that the recycled paper performs the best, with no feathering or bleedthrough. All of the others felt smoother, but had some feathering. However, none of the papers had any bleedthrough; even with 6mm pilot parallel nibs there was minimal bleedthrough (and with the recycled paper, no bleedthrough). However, I still do use the other notebooks because of how quick they dry. I've found that handy on the go. The recycled paper takes a bit longer to dry, but is definitely the best of the lot.

 

To be honest, I did not expect the recycled paper to perform the best, but I'm sure the other notebooks were made with other purposes in mind. They certainly feel smoother than the recycled paper. At some point I plan on putting up a little review of each notebook and paper available in the Muji's in NYC.

[crbrown]

I bought one of the $1.50 recycled books last week and have put Noodlers, Iroshizuko, Rohere & Klingner and Montblanc on it and they have all worked well, no feathering to the naked eye, only slight bleed through on very wet sections like a wet flex. I was very impressed at the quality of the cover as well as the paper. I would recommend it anytime for a cheap quality notebook.

[Algester]

there's FP friendly Variant you will know this it has a textured cardboard cover is spiral bound and has a band

next another FP friendly variant is a plastic covered note pad similar to Rhodia with a pocket inside it

they are about 70-100 gsm believe else just look at the labeling for these words 万年筆 (Fountain Pen in Japanese/Chinese)

 

another FP friendly basic variant is a black cardboard spiral bound notebook its cheaper than the FP friendly variants take note Made in Japan part the indonesia doesnt hold well

 

The rest are very bad...

Edited May 19, 2014 by Algester

[Plume145]

No option for OMG love it!! lol. Seriously have not had a bad one. The design is great because it is so liberating, you can personalize to your heart's content with no ugly logos to deal with. The materials lend themselves well to that, too, nothing tricky to glue or pierce or whatever. Love them.

 

The passport notebooks (blank pages, burgundy or navy covers) are a fantastic alternative to the midori refills for the Passport sized TNs. Smooooth paper, totally gorgeous color. If I listen close, I can hear my FPs purr when I make them write on this paper.

[senzen]

I've only tried one but it worked fine; I have four of their fountain pens which have never failed and in general I really like everything Muji, except their website's inability to accept payment from outside the US even when delivering to the US.

[Aurko]

No option for OMG love it!! lol. Seriously have not had a bad one. The design is great because it is so liberating, you can personalize to your heart's content with no ugly logos to deal with. The materials lend themselves well to that, too, nothing tricky to glue or pierce or whatever. Love them.

 

The passport notebooks (blank pages, burgundy or navy covers) are a fantastic alternative to the midori refills for the Passport sized TNs. Smooooth paper, totally gorgeous color. If I listen close, I can hear my FPs purr when I make them write on this paper.

 

I would really like their passport sized, but I've noticed that they tend to have minor feathering. Was this bad luck on my part, or do you have that problem too?

[Algester]

some of the Muji paper are just real bad so it's also important to take note where the paper/product is made from due to the fact Muji has a lot of outsourcing outlets I have the brown cardboard ones and the inks I have on a Lamy F spread like... yeah Spread... so much so my Lamy F looked like a B

Leftside is a Sailor Lecoule right side Lamy F

http://i.imgur.com/MEB1yPC.jpg

 

This

http://i.imgur.com/HAHz4rU.jpg

 

is FP friendly again the sources of the images come from the other side of the globe

Edited May 22, 2014 by Algester

[mm1624124]

I love the whole concept. Sing praises to the glory of muji. So far, the paper has been, by today's lowered standards, about B+. It will feather or bleed through depending on how much ink is laid down and on the ink.

On the economy side it's A+++. I periodically stock up on B5 notebooks. Just tried the A6 ones recently. They seem to have the same paper as the B5s.

[mAnuscript69]

I've had good experiences with Muji notebooks, specifically the spiral-bound A5 with blank recycled paper and the "easy open" hard cover A5 notebooks with dot grid paper. No bleedthrough, no feathering and the paper is pretty smooth. I wasn't expecting much out of recycled paper as they're usually pretty bad but at the price I thought I'd give it a shot. Unless you weigh aesthetics heavily, I'd say these notebooks are great value for fountain pen users.

[aawhite]

I once tried Muji paper and was not happy with it.

 

However, here in Melbourne, I purchased 2 Combine notebooks for $ 2.80 from Daiso, each with 40 leaves (80 pages). The notebooks are made in Japan.

This has good quality paper. I found no feathering, no bleed through with inks like Visconti, Diamine, Montblanc in pens from wet medium to double broad nibs.

[ScottieDarin]

I have some experiences with MUJI paper

The notebooks that said Made in Japan work well with fountain pens, only have minimal show through. Writes smoothly with various brands of fountain pens, mostly F nib, for though I often write in English, Chinese is my mother tongue, and it is rather difficult to write Chinese traditional characters with anything broader than a F nib in limited spaces.

The notebooks that are said to be made in other countries aren't fit for fountain pens. You can usually tell the difference by the feel of the paper. The smoother ones are made in Japan.

[Plume145]

 

I would really like their passport sized, but I've noticed that they tend to have minor feathering. Was this bad luck on my part, or do you have that problem too?

I don't remember any feathering, but if it's minor I probably wouldn't because I used mine on the go a lot, and I'm less exacting then.

 

Also, bear in mind the biggest nib I would have used is a medium to medium-broad ball-tip. No broad/double broads, no italics, none of that. If you need it for that it could really change things. But I still think these are worth a try.

 

also worth a try: a store called Tiger. They're mostly (only?) available in Europe - the company is Danish originally I think, operating elsewhere through a franchise system. Their stuff is cheap - think Ikea prices rather than dollar stores - yet the quality and especially the design are frankly astonishingly good, many things you'd find priced twice that elsewhere and still flying off the shelves. For instance, two three-packs of small memo notebooks, cream blank paper and stitchbound, around a passport size, are 2 euro - in Greece, which has horrendously high VAT on just about everything money could buy. In particular, the place is a must-visit for anybody who likes to customize their stuff, because the styling is sober and self-effacing like muji so it's a perfect base for just about any alteration or decoration you could conceive.

[Oldtimer]

there's FP friendly Variant you will know this it has a textured cardboard cover is spiral bound and has a band

next another FP friendly variant is a plastic covered note pad similar to Rhodia with a pocket inside it

they are about 70-100 gsm believe else just look at the labeling for these words 万年筆 (Fountain Pen in Japanese/Chinese)

 

another FP friendly basic variant is a black cardboard spiral bound notebook its cheaper than the FP friendly variants take note Made in Japan part the indonesia doesnt hold well

 

The rest are very bad...

As I am researching cheap FP friendly A6 notebooks and looking to find again a spiral bound notebook as described by you that I have not found again. I realize it is a MUJI; which has been so good with my FP's , on which I also write with stubs. So now I know, but haven't seen them again anywhere. I think I bought them cheat at TARGET, maybe. They have a band an a colored spine that duplicates on the margins of each page. What a find!

[bluebellrose]

Darn it. I picked up a load of Muji notebooks (non-recycled paper) during my latest trip to Hong Kong. Almost every single notebook I bought preformed poorly with my fountain pens While not horrible, there was visible feathering that was very noticeable with every ink but Noodler's Black. I really wanted to like the ones I bought and I'm at least glad that you are enjoying the Muji recycled paper notebooks. Hope this brings awareness to the difference between the paper types.

You should have brought your pens with you and your inks. My local Muji has tester notebooks. So far it looks like the unbleached ones and the recycled notebook are fp friendly but that's because they are made in Japan

[inkypete]

I buy their A5 refills and binders and have had very good experience so far. I did buy a packet of B5 last time and it was not quite as good but still ok. Will be near a Muji in a week or so and will grab a couple more and also try a notebook or two. So far generally I have been pleasantly surprised by the quality and very happy with the value. Try their binders too - excellent.

[bluebellrose]

I buy their A5 refills and binders and have had very good experience so far. I did buy a packet of B5 last time and it was not quite as good but still ok. Will be near a Muji in a week or so and will grab a couple more and also try a notebook or two. So far generally I have been pleasantly surprised by the quality and very happy with the value. Try their binders too - excellent.

don't forget to bring fountain pens with you! Your muji may have tester notebooks for testing in the customize my notebook stamp section. At least mine does