Cheap Notebook With Surprisingly Good Paper (Studio Media)

[smk]

Just thought I would share my 'find'. These notebooks are available in Dollarama for $2 around here (Toronto) and take fountain pen ink beautifully. The texture is smooth and while there is show-through, there is literally no bleed-through. Both sides of the paper can easily be used.

 

I found some where the margin line is a bit lighter (more orange than red) and it felt like the paper on these was not as smooth as the ones with the red margin line. I'm not sure if this applies to all or just the 2 or 3 notebooks I have sampled.

 

This is what the notebook looks like:

 

 

A page of writing with various inks (the page is white, the lighting is just poor where I took the pics)

 

 

... and the reverse of the page above:

 

 

- Salman

[AustinMalone1999]

Wow! That is great! I hope the quality is consistent.

[LeonW]

Beautiful handwriting.

[AustinMalone1999]

If it can handle flex like that doesn't it make you wonder why Clairefontaine/Rhodia is so expensive?

[smk]

LeonW - thanks for the compliment.

 

AustinMalone1999: I hope the quality is consistent too. I have tried 3 notebooks but all were purchased from the same store. I should try a couple from another store just to see if they are the same. You are right about the flex writing, I was expecting some feathering too - the flex samples in walnut and black were written with a dip pen which left ink standing in place until it dried.

 

I was really impressed with how it took Alt Bordeaux (second from the top) which was in an MB with a flexible nib - the 'a' near the top is written with that pen. The paper took it without any problems. My Rhodia notebook doesn't take flex writing, particularly with that ink, nearly as well.

 

The paper is really thin and the notebooks come only in the one ruling and binding shown. I have no problem with thin paper, I quite like Tomoe River (which is just as thin if not thinner). The spiral binding is quite annoying but then I'm happy to have 250 sheets for $2 that allows me to practice with whatever pen+ink combo I like.

 

The paper is smooth enough to allow for comfortable Spencerian at speed.

 

- Salman

[BullFly7]

Beautiful handwriting. Love it. Will have to look into those for sure.

[Green Ink]

Your handwriting is quite elegant. My favorite is how you wrote "Walnut Ink"!

[smk]

Thank you BullFly7 and Green Ink.

 

The 'Walnut Ink' part is written in the Copperplate style with an oblique dip pen fitted with an Esterbrook 358 nib. My handwriting is closer to how I wrote 'Yama Budo' and 'Alt Bordeaux'.

 

- Salman