A journal for my family to find ...

[Tommaso Santojanni]

Good evening, dear fellow enthusiasts, I seek advice on a journal in which to record my thoughts as memorable occasions unfold within our family life, to be discovered by my wife and daughter after my death.

 

The requirements are as follows:

 

• Approximately A5 size.
• Leather binding, not wrap-around or slip-on, suitable for inscription and the intended purpose.
• Paper specifically suited to fountain pen use.
• No feathering, bleed-through or ghosting whatsoever.
• The highest possible degree of smoothness and glide

 

Clairefontaine and Rhodia would suffice, although something of finer presentation would be welcome, given the purpose.

 

I would be grateful for the guidance or suggestions of fellow enthusiasts.

 

Images and links would be most welcome, if possible! Thank you in advance for your time and expertise. 

 

Tommaso

[lamarax]

As I was perusing the Montblanc site, in order to substantiate my bashing of the brand , I came upon this. Looks close enough to what I think you're describing.

 

And then there's Bottega Obscura. He makes *very expensive* one-offs, and I believe the paper he uses is not particularly geared towards fountain pens, but these are true works of art, and that's coming from someone with bookbinding experience.

 

 

[Tommaso Santojanni]

@lamarax

 

Thank you for your suggestions.

 

The Montblanc journal you mentioned appears suitable, and I must assume that the paper would meet my criteria.

 

Your second suggestion, “Bottega Oscura”, prompted an idea. As I am originally from Naples, where there are many bookbinders, I know one who has rebound old manuscripts for me. I am confident that he could bind leather to Clairefontaine or another appropriate paper for fountain pens, achieving the intended result.

 

May I now ask if you have any recommendations on the smoothest gliding paper brand that will not ghost?

[lamarax]

7 hours ago, Tommaso Santojanni said:

Your second suggestion, “Bottega Oscura”, prompted an idea. As I am originally from Naples, where there are many bookbinders, I know one who has rebound old manuscripts for me. I am confident that he could bind leather to Clairefontaine or another appropriate paper for fountain pens, achieving the intended result.

 

May I now ask if you have any recommendations on the smoothest gliding paper brand that will not ghost?

 

That's a great idea; one I'd pursue myself in your case tbh

 

As for paper... Hmm, I'd suggest Takasago Premium "Bank paper". It has parchment-like qualities (i.e. not only it glides - it skates!) and @ 87.9 gsm, it's thick enough not to show much ghosting. Problem is, if you go with the custom binding solution in A5 format, you'd need A4 loose sheets to fold into 'signatures', and those are difficult to come by* (Yamamoto used to have them, but I'm not sure they still do). Otherwise, Clairefontaine is always an excellent option, as well as Iroful, if you don't mind the slight 'muddy' feeling.

 

[edit] *Alternatively, you could buy several A5 Dominant Industry Takasago notebooks and... just unbind them  

[Tommaso Santojanni]

19 hours ago, lamarax said:

 

That's a great idea; one I'd pursue myself in your case tbh

 

As for paper... Hmm, I'd suggest Takasago Premium "Bank paper". It has parchment-like qualities (i.e. not only it glides - it skates!) and @ 87.9 gsm, it's thick enough not to show much ghosting. Problem is, if you go with the custom binding solution in A5 format, you'd need A4 loose sheets to fold into 'signatures', and those are difficult to come by* (Yamamoto used to have them, but I'm not sure they still do). Otherwise, Clairefontaine is always an excellent option, as well as Iroful, if you don't mind the slight 'muddy' feeling.

 

[edit] *Alternatively, you could buy several A5 Dominant Industry Takasago notebooks and... just unbind them  

Thank you. I appreciate the time taken and the recommendations.

I was unable to locate stock in Europe, as The Art From The Heart, Notable Designs, The Journal Shop, Komadori, and the smaller Etsy sellers all appear to be sold out. I did, however, find the paper in Japan and could ask a friend to post it to me, although I was unable to locate the A4 sheets of that type. Indeed, regards binding, I could ask the binder to glue individual sheets along the spine rather than folding them into signatures, albeit recognising that this method carries limitations in opening and long term durability. My difficulty remains that I have not been able to source the paper in A4. Any ideas where I could find it in A4?

May I also ask what is meant by the so called muddy feeling of Iroful?

[lamarax]

On 1/18/2026 at 11:11 PM, Tommaso Santojanni said:

My difficulty remains that I have not been able to source the paper in A4. Any ideas where I could find it in A4?

 

As I wrote above, it's quite hard to source. You'd have better luck by 'scavenging' ready-made notebooks.

 

On 1/18/2026 at 11:11 PM, Tommaso Santojanni said:

May I also ask what is meant by the so called muddy feeling of Iroful?

 

Do you ski? It's like when the snow has been partially melted by rain   Seriously, I mean the paper has a slight drag/resistance akin to gliding a finger over a glossy plastic, or thick glass surface. Of course, that will also depend on the nib & ink used.

 

I'm not sure if my description conveys precisely the tactile sensation! 

 

[Tommaso Santojanni]

20 hours ago, lamarax said:

You'd have better luck by 'scavenging' ready-made notebooks.

 

I had already searched for a Takasago notebook without success and therefore I conclude that I must now turn to a different paper. After Takasago, does any paper surpass Clairfontaine in terms of smoothness and a glass like glide?

 

 

20 hours ago, lamarax said:

Do you ski? It's like when the snow has been partially melted by rain   Seriously, I mean the paper has a slight drag/resistance akin to gliding a finger over a glossy plastic, or thick glass surface. Of course, that will also depend on the nib & ink used.

 

I'm not sure if my description conveys precisely the tactile sensation! 

 

Thank you for a colourful description, yet it was lost on me, as I do not ski. Dirty and melting snow, by the street edge, is the closest that comes to mind.

[Tommaso Santojanni]

Look what I found ... these are described all to be ghost proof and very smooth glide ...

 

[lamarax]

On 1/21/2026 at 6:31 PM, Tommaso Santojanni said:

Look what I found ... these are described all to be ghost proof and very smooth glide ...

 

All these are nice and well documented if you do a search in these forums... I wouldn't call Graphilo, OK Fools, MD Cotton or Mnemosyne 'glass smooth' though; they're rather 'toothy'. Mind you among those, Graphilo is my all-time favorite paper, but it's not what you've asked for according to your own set parameters. Yu-sari is a good alternative to Iroful, albeit not as susceptible to sheen and shading.

 

I posted a link above to a Takasago A5 notebook, if you care to look closer  

[Tommaso Santojanni]

On 1/22/2026 at 10:46 PM, lamarax said:

I posted a link above to a Takasago A5 notebook, if you care to look closer  

Good evening and thank you yes, I have now seen the link. Apologies for missing it. I ordered one and I shall await my book binder's opinion on the matter.

[alkman]

Papier Plume which is in New Orleans has leather bound Cariglio journals. The paper is smooth and can be ordered blank or lined. They have a few options for leather bindings which are nice. If they don't have something directly in stock, the oweners will work with you.

[Karmachanic]

Amatruda should be able to accommodate your A4 needs  for  your bookbinder.

[Tommaso Santojanni]

21 hours ago, alkman said:

Papier Plume which is in New Orleans has leather bound Cariglio journals. The paper is smooth and can be ordered blank or lined. They have a few options for leather bindings which are nice. If they don't have something directly in stock, the oweners will work with you.

Thank you for your recommendation. These appear to be really nice. If you have personal experience of the Papier Plume notebooks and find that their paper is comparable, at least, to Clairefontaine, I am confident that I will enjoy them. When you mention "smooth" I must assume that you have used them and I wonder if you experienced any ghosting, bleed-through or feathering whatsoever.

 

20 hours ago, Karmachanic said:

Amatruda should be able to accommodate your A4 needs  for  your bookbinder.

In relation to Amalfi paper, I currently use it for my personal stationery; it is not particularly suited fountain pen friendly and, indeed, I am replacing it. But thank you for recommending the shop, that is very close to my home. I am not familiar with it, I shall contact them.

[Karmachanic]

50 minutes ago, Tommaso Santojanni said:

In relation to Amalfi paper, I currently use it for my personal stationery; it is not particularly suited fountain pen friendly and, indeed, I am replacing it. But thank you for recommending the shop, that is very close to my home. I am not familiar with it, I shall contact them.

 

 I'd be interested in hearing the outcome.  Please let us know.  I've not tried it myself, but given its history I find it odd that the paper would not like ink.

[Tommaso Santojanni]

I regularly use Amalfi paper for my personal stationery.

I could show you images illustrating a slight ink feathering. But, far more importantly, it does not offer the degree of smoothness and glide required to be truly pleasant with extra-fine nibs, as per OP. Amalfi paper is exceptional, with undoubted presence and elegance immediately revealed by its handmade manufacture. It was, and indeed still is, used with quills and fountain pens.

My personal perception is less agreeable when written on with "scratchy" nibs like my EF.

[Tommaso Santojanni]

On 1/29/2026 at 3:38 PM, alkman said:

Papier Plume which is in New Orleans has leather bound Cariglio journals. The paper is smooth and can be ordered blank or lined. They have a few options for leather bindings which are nice. If they don't have something directly in stock, the oweners will work with you.

I have just spoken with the shop, where a kind lady informed me that their paper is Fabriano which, if memory serves, does not offer the same degree of smooth glide as Clairefontaine or Rhodia.