Back when he did the Philly Pen Show walkthrough in January I was on the hunt for a new notebook. I’m getting ready to change jobs (I start a new one on March 6th!) and I wanted to treat myself to a new notebook to store all those first few weeks of information in. You know, where they turn on the fire hose and inundate you with information you’ll need later but just can’t absorb all of. So here I was blithely watching Mike walk the pen show floor when he came upon Odyssey notebooks. And that Pompei Marine Life? I was smitten.

I chose the 300 Page A5 Cosmo Air Light Notebook, with the Pompei Marine Life cover ($34) because those sea creatures (artwork by Flaroh Illustration) are AMAZING.

The notebook is A5 size (8.25 x 5.625″/21 x 14.5 cm), weighing in at a hefty 423g. Though it’s not lightweight, it packs a lot of pages!

The cover is printed cardboard and the inner illustrations are beautiful as well with their Greek theme. Inside are 300  numbered pages of 83gsm Cosmo Air Light paper in an off-white color. I was super interested in trying this notebook out because I haven’t sampled Cosmo Air Light paper yet. While I love Tomoe River, I often find it’s too thin for my liking, so I was interested to try out a slightly heavier weight notebook. The paper is really interesting – it’s super smooth and just a bit toothy. On my wider nib pens (Kaweco B, Pelikan F) the ink is really wet, but it seems to dry quickly. I didn’t find any feathering, but the ink definitely spreads a bit. Even my Kaweco with the F nib isn’t a super thin line.

That said, there’s a bit of show through but no bleeding and the opposite side of the page is super useable (I get distracted if I can see too much of the previous page through the paper).

While I love the cardboard cover and it seems sturdy, I’ll likely slip it into one of my notebook covers (maybe my Roterfaden Taschenbegleiter?) to keep it from getting too banged up.

I’m excited to start a fresh new job with a fresh new notebook.

P.S. Next week I’ll tell you about the new pen I bought!

DISCLAIMER: I purchased the notebook above from Odyssey Notebooks with my own funds for my own use. Please see the About page for more details.

The post Notebook Review: Odyssey A5 Cosmo Air Light Notebook appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.

Then, the books come in three ruling options: dot grid, graph and steno style. The dot grid is a smaller-than-usual 4mm spacing, the graph/grid is a traditional 5mm and the Steno (lined paper with a rule down the center of the page) is a wider 6mm though not as wide as US and European “wide-ruled” papers.

All three notebook rulings are printed in a light grey but the 4mm dot grid is the least visible. If you are looking for a very subtle ruling, the 4mm dot grid is a good option, though narrower than most. If you need slightly more visible ruling, the graph/grid is much more visible as is the Steno.

Finally, there are actually three different paper types: Tsuru Tsuru (the smoothest option), Sara Sara (the in-betweeen) and Zara Zara (the toothiest option). Luckily, to save any additional confusion, the Perpanep series is currently only available in A5 so that is one factor you don’t have to consider at this point.

Each notebook in the line features a simple, grey cardstock cover with a cheesecloth binding  and comes wrapped in a lightweight cellophane cover to protect the book. Printed in white on the cellophane cover is the symbol associated with the paper texture. Each Perpanep notebook  features 120 pages.

When viewed from the edge, the Zara Zara (toothy paper) notebook is a bit thicker than the Sara Sara or Tsuru Tsuru.

Thanks to the overwrap binding, all three notebooks easily lay flat when open and the cardstock covers, while not heaavy will allow the covers to be folded back as well, especially if the cello overwrap is removed.

The Perpanep Tsuru Tsuru

The paper in all three books is a soft white. The Tsuru Tsuru is absolutely the smoothest of the three and reminded me of Rhodia paper though I think the Tsuru Tsuru paper is not as glassy as Rhodia. With Rhodia, I sometimes feel that my pens “get away from me” if the nib or ink is super silky. With the Tsuru Tsuru, I noticed very little resistance as I was writing but I didn’t feel like I was losing control of my tools either. The smoothness would be extremely appealing to anyone who prefers extra-extra fine nibs or fiber (felt) tipped pens as the paper has little friction.

There was little to no show-through or bleed-through with the Tsuru Tsuru paper.

When using broader nibs like a music nib, there was a little squeak or feeling of squeaking when I wrote (think of the squeaky clean feeling after washing your hair… except on paper).

Pencils were difficult on this paper as there was no surface texture for the graphite to grab onto.

I’d recommend the Tsuru Tsuru to anyone who prefers extremely fine tipped pens or felt tip style tools.

The Perpanep Sara Sara

Using the Goldilocks metaphor for this paper, the Perpanep Sara Sara would be the “just right”. The Sara Sara paper is still very smooth but has a bit more texture than the Tsuru Tsuru.

I noticed that the Sara Sara performed particularly well with ballpoint and rollerball (liquid ink) pens. The smooth with just a little texture allowed the roller balls to roll easily, particularly with the extra fine tips that sometimes get fibers trapped in the roller mechanism on toothier paper.

Fountain pens performed extremely well whether the nib was extra fine or extra wide. There was little evidence of bleed- or show-through.

I’d recommend the Sara Sara to just about everyone as the paper seems to accommodate most pens easily. However, if you frequently use roller-style pens like rollerballs or ballpoints (liquid or oil-based inks) then you will be particularly pleased with the Sara Sara.

The Perpnep Zara Zara

While noticeably toothier than the other two paper offerings, the Zara Zara is not nearly as textured as, say, a Col-o-ring card. It is pleasingly textured if you find your pens running away from you.

Again, bleed- and show-through were not an issue.

Because of the texture of the paper, gel pens performed best on this paper as the texture slowed the super-slick, gel ink down just a bit. Pencils also performed particularly well on this paper.

Fountain pens worked well but the toothier texture allowed the ink from wider nibs to settle into the paper a bit more than the other Perpanep papers. With my smaller handwriting, this meant that the counters on some of my letters filled in, more so than on the other papers.

I normally favor toothier stocks as they often help slow down super slick pens but thanks to the availability of the Sara Sara paper, the Zara Zara is best for people who use gel pens or pencils most often. I wish there was a blank paper option of the Zara Zara as I would use it for pencil sketching.

Conclusion:

When I initially saw the wide range of options with the Perpanep notebooks, I was hesitant. If I didn’t choose the right paper or the right ruling, the notebook might just sit. Luckily, all the the papers are good with most everything I threw at them but there was definitely a preference of paper-to-tools with each model of the Kokuyo Perpanep line. While I think you’ll appreciate any of these notebooks, being aable to choose your combination of paper and ruling means it will be a pretty likely you’ll get a notebook you love.

The Tsuru Tsusu is best for extra fine nibs and felt tip pens but not recommended for heavy users of pencils. The Sara Sara is most compatible with a wide range of tools. If you are looking for a notebook that will work with whatever pen or pencil is at hand, then the Sara Sara will work best, especially wider fountain pens. And finally, the Zara Zara is the most textured and will work best with pencils and gel pens but will still accommodate. wide range of tools.

As for the rulings, I like the very light 4mm dot grid — it provided guidance without being distracting or overwhelming lighter ink colors. If 4mm is too small for you, the 5mm graph/grid is the next best option and if you need a little more writing room or really like Steno, then the Steno ruling is excellent.

DISCLAIMER: The items included in this review were provided free of charge by JetPens for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.

The post Paper Review: Kokuyo Perpanep A5 Notebooks appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.

Before I get into that mouthful of a notebook title, Archer & Olive is a female-owned, 100% vegan company that sells journals & notebooks, markers & pens, and some accessories. Their vision is to provide folks with a way to plan their lives, tend to their mental health and explore creativity. All the products are vegan, and packaged in minimal, environmentally conscious packaging. Shipping was quick – I ordered and had my new notebook within a few days.

The Night Sky Neapolitan notebook is an A5, hard cover journal with a canvas covering. Thew cover is a dark navy and has the big dipper printed on it in gold foil. The journal is available in other color/graphic images as well.

Inside the front sheets are plain and give way to the star of the journal: the paper. The Neapolitan is so called because it has sections of white, black and kraft paper all featuring dot grid, bound together in one notebook. The paper is advertised as 160 GSM, ultra thick and perfect for pens, markers, fountain pen inks, paint – whatever you can throw at it. The journal contains 160 pages.

They weren’t lying about that paper. It’s super smooth and took several fountain pen inks and their Acrylograph markers (stay tuned, Ana will have a review of these soon!) with ease. There wasn’t even any show through on the opposite side of the pages, even with that acrylic marker! I will need to invest in some white gel pens for the black sections of the book, but I think I’m set for the rest.

Other fun details are the ribbon bookmarks (one has a little ampersand charm), the elastic band to hold the book closed, a pocket at the back for storing small bits and pieces and a pen loop. I’m going to be taking some classes shortly and I’ve decided this will be the notebook for all my notes related to that.

The journal is a bit on the pricey side for every day use, but if you’re looking for a nice notebook to store your thoughts or sketches, this one seems really well made and I’m excited to dig in!

DISCLAIMER: The items included in this review were purchased with my own funds. Please see the About page for more details.

The post Notebook Review: Archer & Olive A5 Night Sky Neapolitan Dot Grid Notebook appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.

H. C. Marks (@HCMarks) on Twitter asked “do you know of any stencils with which to draw ruled lines in blank notebooks?”

I have something so much better, at least in my humble opinion. I use a sheet of lined paper that I tuck under my blank page to create perfectly straight lines that are there. But not. Using a guide sheet does not require any prep time. Just slide the sheet behind your current page and start writing.

Using a guide sheet with a blank notebook gives a lot more flexibility. You can sketch and free form on some pages and then use the guide sheets when you want to write. It also means that you get the line spacing you want instead of what the manufacturer decides is best. Write larger? We have a guide sheet for that. Prefer graph paper? We got you covered? Want to mix it up depending on the pen you’re using? That’s where guide sheets really shine. Way more flexibility.

Guide sheets are great with letter-writing pads too.

Harry’s request could not have been more timely as I’ve been planning to make up a few different line widths to share with readers so that you too can try this. The sheets have pretty thick, dark lines (but not as dark as the NEW Bold Lines edition! See below!) that can be seen through most standard writing paper. I’ve tested these sheets in my Rhodia Uni Blank for several weeks.

I have created paper guides in 6mm, 7mm, 8mm and 10mm lined plus 5mm and 10mm graph paper. NEW! I’ve added 5mm and 6mm dot grid to each size.

(I hate to have to make this clarification but these guide sheets are FOR PERSONAL USE ONLY. If you need custom sheets printed for your next product, email us!)

The NEW All-in-one PDF document includes the following:

• A4
• US Letter
• A5
• Field Notes size (in a 3-up layout that will fit on standard US Letter or A4 paper)

Print out your favorite line width spacing on a laser or ink jet printer. One copy of the guide sheet can be kept in each of your favorite notebooks and should last for a long time. If you print the guide sheets on heavier weight paper or card stock it can double as a blotter sheet, pen primer or to protect the next sheet from pesky bleed through.

You can still print out individual sheets if you prefer. The links are still available here:

US Letter Size (8.5″x11″):

• 6mm Lined – US Letter.pdf
• 7mm Lined – US Letter.pdf
• 8mm Lined – US Letter.pdf
• 10mm Lined -US Letter.pdf
•  5mm Graph – US Letter.pdf
• 10mm Graph – US Letter.pdf
• All Guide Sheets – US Letter Sized

A4 Size (210 x 297mm or 8.3″ x 11.7″) ADDED Feb. 3, 2015:

• 6mm A4 Lined.pdf
• 7mm A4 Lined.pdf
• 8mm A4 Lined.pdf
• 10mm A4 Lined.pdf
• 5mm A4 Graph.pdf
• 10mm A4 Graph.pdf
• All Guide Sheet – A4 sized.pdf

A5 Sizes (148 x 210mm or 5.83×8.27″):

• 6mm A5 Lined.pdf
• 7mm A5 Lined.pdf
• 8mm A5 Lined.pdf
• 10mm A5 Lined.pdf
• 5mm A5 Graph.pdf
• 10mm A5 Graph.pdf
• All Guide Sheets- A5 sized

Field Notes Sized (3.25″x5.5″) UPDATED Feb. 3, 2015:

• 6mm Field Notes Lined.pdf or 6mm Lined 3-up.pdf
• 7mm Field Notes Lined.pdf or 7mm Lined 3-up.pdf
• 8mm Field Notes Lined.pdf or or 8mm Lined 3-up.pdf
• 10mm Field Notes Lined.pdf or 10mm Lined 3-up.pdf
• 5mm Field Notes Graph.pdf or 5mm Graph 3-up.pdf
• 10mm Field Notes Graph.pdf or 10mm Graph 3-up.pdf
• All Field Notes Guide Sheet.pdf
• All Field Notes Guides Sheets – 3-up layout.pdf

These new sizes have been trimmed down width-wise so there’s no overhang in your pocket notebooks. I’ve also added 3-up layout on a US letter sized sheet.

Field Notes “Dime Novel” Edition

• Field Notes: Dime Novel Edition Guide Sheets.pdf (5 pages, includes lined, grid and DOT GRID on US Letter sized sheets. Should print fine on A4 as well just be sure to adjust your printer setting).

Latest Variation, Bold Lines A5-sized:

I had a request for an A5 version with darker lines so that the guides would be visible through heavier weight paper or would be easier to see. I created the Bold Lines Edition in A5 to start with all the same lined, graph and dot grid as our found in the new All-in-one PDF, just with a heavier black line to improve viewing. Please give me feedback and let me know if you find them useful.

Tips for printing guide sheets:

If you don’t have a PDF app on you computer, I recommend Adobe Acrobat Reader. When printing, be sure that you choose to print at 100% (or “actual size”), do not choose the “fit to paper” option. I ran the lines to the end of the template to maximize guides. Your printer might trim the edges a bit.

If there’s interest, I can make up other sizes as well. Just let me know in the comments what you prefer.

Other Options:

Stalogy Templates :

Stalogy offers templates  in B5, A5, B6 and A6 sizes that fit into their notebooks or any other books of similar size.

Leigh Reyes of My Life As A Verb has created her own A5-sized Journal Guide templates which feature some various custom page layouts . She offers four different formats to download and hopes to make plastic versions in the future.

Ink Journal offers some additional downloadable guide sheets to fit Field Notes-sized and standard Midori Traveler’s Notebooks. They offer bullet journal templates, lined, dot grid and script practice sheets as well as their ink collecting template. These work great with their Tomoe River paper journals.

UPDATES:

1. 11/9/14 Added 5mm and 10mm grid and true A5-sized.
2. 2/3/15 Added A4 and revised Field Notes sizes, added 3-up layout for Field Notes.
3. 8/23/2016 Added links to Leigh Reyes A5 Journal Guides and Ink Journal’s Free Resources
4.  9/24/2017 Added FN Dime Novel Edition formats
5. 10/27/2019 Added Bold Lines A5 edition and All-in-one PDF with Dot Grid
6. 10/11/22 Added Stalogy template links

The post Our FREE Downloadable Guide Sheets: Turn a Blank Notebook into a Lined Notebook appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.