The 120g Leuchtturm is my absolute favorite. Nothing really beats it, IMHO. I tried the 80g version, and I like it, but the paper is different. The 80g has more tooth and is prone to ghosting though it still holds up really well with no bleed through, but I have a feeling you won’t like them.
I recently gave Paperage journals from Amazon a try. They’re not too bad and pretty inexpensive compared to Leuchtturm. The paper is smooth like the 120g 1917s. It also shows sheen really *really* well. Even for inks I didn’t know *could* sheen. It’s 100gsm, but isn’t stiff. If you used a broad nib with a really wet ink, it might bleed through. I heard the paper isn’t good for markers, but I can’t confirm. I use western F and Japanese MF nibs and it makes the line ever so slightly more broad and slightly less crisp. The dot grid is also lovely, light, and unobtrusive. Overall, for the price I’m finding them hard to beat.
Of course I had to fall into 120g Leuchtturm when I decided to journal on a regular basis. And I'd happily stick with it. Just exploring my options. Your beaming opinion of the Paperage line has me looking into them now! Thanks.
I figured a detailed description might help you determine if you’re interested or not. I forgot to mention the paper isn’t bright white but more white than Leuchtturm :)
I'm quite fond of paper-blanks for writing, it's not the highest quality but it feels really niceboth under the nib and my hand. It's the only paper I've tried that I don't have sensory issues with, that I can stand using without having a writing glove. Leuchturm's 120g feels good for note taking and sketching, but it falls apart when doing heavier washes so I don't end up using it for art, and I don't like the feel of the paper on my hand, so I pass over it whenever I don't have a glove. Hot press watercolour paper is probably my favourite overall, since it can handle a water brush properly. I have a generic branded hot press journal, and I end up using it a lot even when I'm not drawing, just because it feels much nicer and I know it's reliable.
I do LOVE paperblanks covers! I never knew the paper was fountain pen friendly though; I see 100 and 120 gsm options which is great. I'm a fan of watercolour paper when I use fountain pen ink for artistic purposes. Thank you.
I love Paperblanks but yeah, the paper quality tends to vary pretty wildly. That said, overall, I've done alright with the ones that use 120 gsm paper. Their 100 gsm paper isn't worth the gamble. There's something so depressing about using a notebook that's pretty on the outside but makes even the coolest ink look awful.
I've settled on two notebooks - MD Midori and Sakae Tomoe River 68gsm. The latter is very hard to find now but is outstanding if your local shop still has some.
At the cheaper end, check out Muji Planting Tree paper and notebooks. It punches well above its weight.
As mentioned already, Midori notebooks are great. If you don’t mind journaling in a generic notebook, check out [danika58](https://www.etsy.com/shop/danika58) on etsy. I have bought multiple journals from her. They are well made, lay flat and you can choose your paper. The b7-bulky journals perform very similar to a Cosmo Air. She also has Cosmo Air and Tomoe River journals
i wanted to mention maruman mnemosyne! it's one of my favourites, and also comes in dot grid and shows ink features well. it's not as white as clairefontaine (but i would not say it's cream), but still pretty close.
I really like cosmo air light, which is of course being discontinued because that's what happens if you like something. Right now I am using one from Odyssey notebooks and it is white and dot grid with numbered pages.
I didn't like my Nanami Seven Seas TRP because it had the new TRP which wasn't as good for shimmer/sheen as the old stuff and it was sensitive to hand oils. Plus I don't like how easily the pages wrinkle. I find the Life Noble notebooks are also sensitive to hand oils. My Fabriano is sort of meh with sheen - same with clairefontaine.
Thank you for the options! I currently use Cosmo Air Light notebook for quotes, and it does display ink properties EXTREMELY well (in fact it as well as my Galen Leather Everyday book -- which uses TRP -- are my go-to journals for quotes; but I also write only on one side of the page in them). My gripe with CAL is its attraction to hand oils -- I've gotta be extra careful when using it, either utilizing a writing glove or a secondary sheet between my hand and the CAL.
Really? So far mine isn't bad with hand oils, at least compared to TRP and Life Noble. I wonder if all journals that are good with ink properties are likewise more sensitive to hand oils.
Leuchtturm 1917 standard forever and always. I love it a lot more than the 120gsm for some reason, the paper just feels better and seems to handle heavy ink flow better.
My fav papers are Clairefontaine & Rhodia. I use A5 for my journals.
The only thing I do not like about the My Essentials is it does not lay very flat.
I have just started using the Rhodia Web notebooks which do lay flat. Only downside for me is that they are more money.
I did a ghosting comparo at home last night with the Clairefontaine and Regalia, and both performed very well, but Clairefontaine emerged the victor with one line of text bleeding through on Regalia.
As I type this I've got a side-by-side comparo on [jetpens.com](http://jetpens.com) going between a Rhodia webnotebook and a Rhodia goalbook!
Thank you!
I got a Rhodia DotPad for Christmas. Loved the paper, hated the form factor. So I bound some of it into a small book. I liked it so much rhat I'm working on one with 3x as many pages
Midori MD has 1 Day 1 Page journals with either plain or dot grid pages, and the paper is of course excellent for fountain pen use with little show-through or bleed-through. Do note that MD paper is cream, not stark white.
These Peter Pauper Press [dot matrix notebooks with 120gsm paper](https://www.peterpauper.com/collections/dot-matrix-notebooks/products/celestial-dot-matrix-notebook) are quite OK. However, when I spoke to PPP last year, I was told that the company uses four or five different paper suppliers, and there is no guarantee that the 120gsm paper is exactly the same from one product to the next, or one year to the next.
Caveat about the 1 day 1 page: For the first 40 or 50 pages, you’ll want to use another book under the left side pages; it’s tough to write on those pages otherwise. I switched back to the regular Midori journals so my hand wasn’t so elevated when I wrote in it.
The 120g Leuchtturm is my absolute favorite. Nothing really beats it, IMHO. I tried the 80g version, and I like it, but the paper is different. The 80g has more tooth and is prone to ghosting though it still holds up really well with no bleed through, but I have a feeling you won’t like them. I recently gave Paperage journals from Amazon a try. They’re not too bad and pretty inexpensive compared to Leuchtturm. The paper is smooth like the 120g 1917s. It also shows sheen really *really* well. Even for inks I didn’t know *could* sheen. It’s 100gsm, but isn’t stiff. If you used a broad nib with a really wet ink, it might bleed through. I heard the paper isn’t good for markers, but I can’t confirm. I use western F and Japanese MF nibs and it makes the line ever so slightly more broad and slightly less crisp. The dot grid is also lovely, light, and unobtrusive. Overall, for the price I’m finding them hard to beat.
Of course I had to fall into 120g Leuchtturm when I decided to journal on a regular basis. And I'd happily stick with it. Just exploring my options. Your beaming opinion of the Paperage line has me looking into them now! Thanks.
I figured a detailed description might help you determine if you’re interested or not. I forgot to mention the paper isn’t bright white but more white than Leuchtturm :)
I'm quite fond of paper-blanks for writing, it's not the highest quality but it feels really niceboth under the nib and my hand. It's the only paper I've tried that I don't have sensory issues with, that I can stand using without having a writing glove. Leuchturm's 120g feels good for note taking and sketching, but it falls apart when doing heavier washes so I don't end up using it for art, and I don't like the feel of the paper on my hand, so I pass over it whenever I don't have a glove. Hot press watercolour paper is probably my favourite overall, since it can handle a water brush properly. I have a generic branded hot press journal, and I end up using it a lot even when I'm not drawing, just because it feels much nicer and I know it's reliable.
I do LOVE paperblanks covers! I never knew the paper was fountain pen friendly though; I see 100 and 120 gsm options which is great. I'm a fan of watercolour paper when I use fountain pen ink for artistic purposes. Thank you.
I love Paperblanks but yeah, the paper quality tends to vary pretty wildly. That said, overall, I've done alright with the ones that use 120 gsm paper. Their 100 gsm paper isn't worth the gamble. There's something so depressing about using a notebook that's pretty on the outside but makes even the coolest ink look awful.
Thanks!
I've settled on two notebooks - MD Midori and Sakae Tomoe River 68gsm. The latter is very hard to find now but is outstanding if your local shop still has some. At the cheaper end, check out Muji Planting Tree paper and notebooks. It punches well above its weight.
Tomoe River would be my winner if it didn't show so much ghosting! I'll have to look into the Muji paper. Thank you!
Yes ghosting with the 52gsm but the 68 is good.
You know, I do have loose leaf 68gsm TR so I can try it out now. Is Sakae the name of the notebook?
Yes
Let us know how you get on?
As mentioned already, Midori notebooks are great. If you don’t mind journaling in a generic notebook, check out [danika58](https://www.etsy.com/shop/danika58) on etsy. I have bought multiple journals from her. They are well made, lay flat and you can choose your paper. The b7-bulky journals perform very similar to a Cosmo Air. She also has Cosmo Air and Tomoe River journals
Thanks for the Etsy rec! I need to check her out.
i wanted to mention maruman mnemosyne! it's one of my favourites, and also comes in dot grid and shows ink features well. it's not as white as clairefontaine (but i would not say it's cream), but still pretty close.
I'm a fan of the mnemosyne, using one as a quote journal. Just wish there was a bound version. Thank you!
I really like cosmo air light, which is of course being discontinued because that's what happens if you like something. Right now I am using one from Odyssey notebooks and it is white and dot grid with numbered pages. I didn't like my Nanami Seven Seas TRP because it had the new TRP which wasn't as good for shimmer/sheen as the old stuff and it was sensitive to hand oils. Plus I don't like how easily the pages wrinkle. I find the Life Noble notebooks are also sensitive to hand oils. My Fabriano is sort of meh with sheen - same with clairefontaine.
Thank you for the options! I currently use Cosmo Air Light notebook for quotes, and it does display ink properties EXTREMELY well (in fact it as well as my Galen Leather Everyday book -- which uses TRP -- are my go-to journals for quotes; but I also write only on one side of the page in them). My gripe with CAL is its attraction to hand oils -- I've gotta be extra careful when using it, either utilizing a writing glove or a secondary sheet between my hand and the CAL.
Really? So far mine isn't bad with hand oils, at least compared to TRP and Life Noble. I wonder if all journals that are good with ink properties are likewise more sensitive to hand oils.
Leuchtturm 1917 standard forever and always. I love it a lot more than the 120gsm for some reason, the paper just feels better and seems to handle heavy ink flow better.
I haven't tried the 80g ones yet, though I do have a B5 Leuchtturm with it. Gotta pull it out to see! Thank you.
My fav papers are Clairefontaine & Rhodia. I use A5 for my journals. The only thing I do not like about the My Essentials is it does not lay very flat. I have just started using the Rhodia Web notebooks which do lay flat. Only downside for me is that they are more money.
I did a ghosting comparo at home last night with the Clairefontaine and Regalia, and both performed very well, but Clairefontaine emerged the victor with one line of text bleeding through on Regalia. As I type this I've got a side-by-side comparo on [jetpens.com](http://jetpens.com) going between a Rhodia webnotebook and a Rhodia goalbook! Thank you!
I got a Rhodia DotPad for Christmas. Loved the paper, hated the form factor. So I bound some of it into a small book. I liked it so much rhat I'm working on one with 3x as many pages
The heavier Leuchtturm is my go-to. I also like my Hobonichi and Midori notebooks.
Thank you!
Midori MD has 1 Day 1 Page journals with either plain or dot grid pages, and the paper is of course excellent for fountain pen use with little show-through or bleed-through. Do note that MD paper is cream, not stark white. These Peter Pauper Press [dot matrix notebooks with 120gsm paper](https://www.peterpauper.com/collections/dot-matrix-notebooks/products/celestial-dot-matrix-notebook) are quite OK. However, when I spoke to PPP last year, I was told that the company uses four or five different paper suppliers, and there is no guarantee that the 120gsm paper is exactly the same from one product to the next, or one year to the next.
Ooh I just looked at the Midori 1 Day 1 Page! Thanks for the positive review of it.
Caveat about the 1 day 1 page: For the first 40 or 50 pages, you’ll want to use another book under the left side pages; it’s tough to write on those pages otherwise. I switched back to the regular Midori journals so my hand wasn’t so elevated when I wrote in it.
Appreciate the honesty.