Jump to content

Not To Judge A (Note)Book By Its Cover But...


squink

Recommended Posts

Ah, Paperblanks... Suitability for fp can sometimes be dodgy but evidently I cannot resist the covers: haulage below. I maybe, quite possibly, have a problem. Nah.

 

Anyone else?

 

fpn_1487614019__paperblanks.jpg

 

P.S. Apologies, the one below the Safavid (which is under the blue Monet mini) is actually a Peter Pauper Press, not Paperblanks. (I'm not affiliated with either company.)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 12
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

  • squink

    3

  • abstract49

    2

  • sharonspens

    1

  • LizB

    1

Having too many journals/too much paper is only a problem if you have too much which is not FP friendly. I've seen Paperblanks discussed but have never used it. Widen your search and find the exotic covers which tickle your fancy but which contain great FP paper. When you have an assembly of those niche offerings, post here, you'll be the toast of FPN. Better yet, commission TM Lee (I am a happy customer) and get the best of both worlds. He'll produce the 'one off' cover you never knew you always wanted, and fill it with paper fit for your pens. (Don't ask me how I know this, and yes, I need more shelf space myself).

 

Best

Dr. C

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have questions. I have never used Paperblanks books/papers until very recently, although I have seen much discussion in several FPN discussion threads.

 

Recently, I received a traveling journal (if my fellow participants are reading this, they will recognize me), a Paperblanks journal; very pretty cover, well bound, pretty nice overall. However - and this is a big however - I tried several pen/nib/ink combinations, and I found that pretty much everything but the driest ink, stingiest flowing feed, narrowest nib I tried bled badly.

 

So, then, the questions: Is there a great variation in the papers used in Paperblanks journals; are some more fp friendly than others? What experiences have others had with various journals?

 

Ta -

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've found Paperblanks to be quite friendly to my pens in the medium (A5) size. A larger 8 x 10 I tried bled terribly.

"how do I know what I think until I write it down?"

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm not really sure what drives Paperblanks paper quality (or suitability for fp). My sampling has been too few to say anything definite but I can say it has violated both the magic year 2008 (they switched to a more fp-friendly paper then, apparently) and the smaller sizes (viz., the minis have the worst fp paper) "rules" - for instance, that Claude Monet unlined mini has been nothing but consistent and very pleasant with a variety of different pens (though I favor F nibs) and inks but an old large/ultra Old Moroccan (unpictured) bled like a carotid. In other words, huge variance.

 

I haven't yet tested their most recent offerings among the ones I have - the Nova Stella and the special edition Shakespeare (which is the maroon one beneath the Nova Stella).

 

However, I do also gladly use ballpoint, gels, and other random pens - quelle horreur? - so, not a total dealbreaker for me, though understandably not expected to be the case for all FPN folk!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Pertaining to only cover design, I vastly prefer Peter Pauper Press notebooks. I don't like Paperblanks, I hate the fold-over covers. I prefer the elastic band or nothing. Plus Peter Pauper Press has nicer cover images in general, I think.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I like the covers on Paperblanks, but the metal clasps like on the Grolier Ornamentali are totally useless, with pretty weak magnets. I've read that people pop them off. The paper on the Grolier is so so. I recently used one of the mini Silver Filigrees and it seems to be fountain pen friendly, and have a Quantum Mini on the way, it looked spectacular at B&N but it was damaged so I'm waiting for one from Amazon. Not that I need any more journals with like 2 pages written in it... I'm a little bit of a junkie.

 

Regarding Peter Pauper, I ordered my daughter the Celestial Journal and I was like "Wow!" when it arrived. Now I really wanted one. The color and gold foil on the sides makes it pop. That's one where the pictures on Amazon don't do it justice. Anyhow I didn't as not to have her start scrawling in mine in case she spotted it lying around. I ended up getting "The Universe" - very antiqued late-mid 1800's looking. Idiot me I didn't check to see how FP friendly they are and haven't used it yet. (If it's not, well I have a Lamy Scribble, Uni Kuru Toga and a Parker 51 pencil)

Inked: Aurora Optima EF (Pelikan Tanzanite); Franklin Christoph Pocket 20 Needlepoint (Sailor Kiwa Guro); Sheaffers PFM I Reporter/Fine (Diamine Oxblood); Franklin Christoph 02 Medium Stub (Aurora Black); Platinum Plaisir Gunmetal EF (Platinum Brown); Platinum Preppy M (Platinum Blue-Black). Leaded: Palomino Blackwing 602; Lamy Scribble 0.7 (Pentel Ain Stein 2B); Uni Kuru Toga Roulette 0.5 (Uni Kuru Toga HB); Parker 51 Plum 0.9 (Pilot Neox HB)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I can't resist the covers either, but I've restricted my purchases to planners (the small week at a glance ones). They've worked well for me, but I should add that all of my pens are extra fines and fines. YMMV.

I've been on a quest to see if I could commit all Seven Deadly Sins in a single day. Finally, it dawned on me I shouldn't try for the One Day Wonder Prize for all seven in one day. It's simply out of any question as you can't commit decent sloth while busily ticking the other six off your crowded "to do" list. -- ViolinWriter

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I like the covers on Paperblanks, but the metal clasps like on the Grolier Ornamentali are totally useless, with pretty weak magnets. I've read that people pop them off. The paper on the Grolier is so so. I recently used one of the mini Silver Filigrees and it seems to be fountain pen friendly, and have a Quantum Mini on the way, it looked spectacular at B&N but it was damaged so I'm waiting for one from Amazon. Not that I need any more journals with like 2 pages written in it... I'm a little bit of a junkie.

 

Regarding Peter Pauper, I ordered my daughter the Celestial Journal and I was like "Wow!" when it arrived. Now I really wanted one. The color and gold foil on the sides makes it pop. That's one where the pictures on Amazon don't do it justice. Anyhow I didn't as not to have her start scrawling in mine in case she spotted it lying around. I ended up getting "The Universe" - very antiqued late-mid 1800's looking. Idiot me I didn't check to see how FP friendly they are and haven't used it yet. (If it's not, well I have a Lamy Scribble, Uni Kuru Toga and a Parker 51 pencil)

I wanted to get a Peter Pauper recently, but not sure how well it works with FP. Does anyone have any experiences with it?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have questions. I have never used Paperblanks books/papers until very recently, although I have seen much discussion in several FPN discussion threads.

 

Recently, I received a traveling journal (if my fellow participants are reading this, they will recognize me), a Paperblanks journal; very pretty cover, well bound, pretty nice overall. However - and this is a big however - I tried several pen/nib/ink combinations, and I found that pretty much everything but the driest ink, stingiest flowing feed, narrowest nib I tried bled badly.

 

So, then, the questions: Is there a great variation in the papers used in Paperblanks journals; are some more fp friendly than others? What experiences have others had with various journals?

 

Ta -

 

hhhmmmmmmmm

"There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self." Earnest Hemingway

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I wanted to get a Peter Pauper recently, but not sure how well it works with FP. Does anyone have any experiences with it?

 

Just one - in "Arabesque." I like it overall but it is of course a lot more absorbent than something like Rhodia. Feathered quite a lot with some bleed-through using De Atramentis Bach in a Platinum Kawazawa M (very much a medium). Namiki black in a Pilot Elite 95s had a tiny (almost unnoticeable) bit of feathering. But Noodler's Bad Black Moccasin in the same pen is doing beautifully and I've been happily using this combination. The paper is fairly thick/heavy too and I really like the unobtrusive ruling (composed of faint gray microdots). My only gripe is that the cover flap cracked in one spot the second or so time I opened it but perhaps that was a fluke.

Edited by squink
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I love Paperblanks, but agree that they seem to use a vast range of papers. I have an ultra 2017 diary which is great (and I use wide italic nibs and fat bold gushers), and the older Japanese Lacquer ones have been fine too (also have in ultra size). The smaller diaries definitely have thinner paper, but still now too bad with fps. I see they have a new design coming out soon too.

 

My one experience of a Peter Pauper notebook has left me with the view to never buy them again. Pretty, but awful paper.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now


  • Most Contributions

    1. amberleadavis
      amberleadavis
      43844
    2. PAKMAN
      PAKMAN
      33494
    3. Ghost Plane
      Ghost Plane
      28220
    4. inkstainedruth
      inkstainedruth
      26624
    5. jar
      jar
      26101
  • Upcoming Events

  • Blog Comments

    • Shanghai Knife Dude
      I have the Sailor Naginata and some fancy blade nibs coming after 2022 by a number of new workshop from China.  With all my respect, IMHO, they are all (bleep) in doing chinese characters.  Go use a bush, or at least a bush pen. 
    • A Smug Dill
      It is the reason why I'm so keen on the idea of a personal library — of pens, nibs, inks, paper products, etc. — and spent so much money, as well as time and effort, to “build” it for myself (because I can't simply remember everything, especially as I'm getting older fast) and my wife, so that we can “know”; and, instead of just disposing of what displeased us, or even just not good enough to be “given the time of day” against competition from >500 other pens and >500 other inks for our at
    • adamselene
      Agreed.  And I think it’s good to be aware of this early on and think about at the point of buying rather than rationalizing a purchase..
    • A Smug Dill
      Alas, one cannot know “good” without some idea of “bad” against which to contrast; and, as one of my former bosses (back when I was in my twenties) used to say, “on the scale of good to bad…”, it's a spectrum, not a dichotomy. Whereas subjectively acceptable (or tolerable) and unacceptable may well be a dichotomy to someone, and finding whether the threshold or cusp between them lies takes experiencing many degrees of less-than-ideal, especially if the decision is somehow influenced by factors o
    • adamselene
      I got my first real fountain pen on my 60th birthday and many hundreds of pens later I’ve often thought of what I should’ve known in the beginning. I have many pens, the majority of which have some objectionable feature. If they are too delicate, or can’t be posted, or they are too precious to face losing , still they are users, but only in very limited environments..  I have a big disliking for pens that have the cap jump into the air and fly off. I object to Pens that dry out, or leave blobs o
  • Chatbox

    You don't have permission to chat.
    Load More
  • Files






×
×
  • Create New...