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.

Let me explain. This version of the Noble Note is filled with graph paper. But not just any graph paper, some of the tiniest graph paper we’ve seen: 2mm light gray graph. It was perfect for sketching out knitting charts, which often appear as small grids of stitches that create patterns in knitwear.

The notebook has a cardstock cover that comes in multiple colors, though the version we reviewed is white. It contains 100 sheets of white paper all with that beautiful 2mm light gray grid, thread bound so it can lay flat.

First test: is the paper fountain pen friendly? A resounding yes.  I tried fountain pens, pencils, fine liners, brush pens, gels and rollerballs. The only ink that gave me a lick of trouble was a Sharpie and, oh, those Sharpies. The paper is fairly thin so there was a bit of ghosting, but outside the Sharpie, zero bleedthrough.

Second test: can I accurately create a knitted chart? Took me three tries (brain is a little slow today) but yes! I think I found my new design notebook!

DISCLAIMER: Some of the items included in this review were provided to us free of charge for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.

The post Notebook Review: Kleid x Life Noble Note A5 White appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.

We can hardly believe it but Field Notes is celebrating the release of it’s 50th quarterly edition this month! Though 50 is traditionally the “golden anniversary,” Field notes opted instead for bright red covers with silver ink, flyleaf colors reminiscent of past editions, and a special die cut.

For our 50th edition we wanted to go back to basics, but as usual we couldn’t leave well enough alone,” said Jim Coudal, cofounder of Field Notes. “So while it looks simple, we’ve incorporated little nods to techniques and materials we’ve featured in the past, and then we created the ‘Subscriber Anniversary Desk Ledger’ to go along with the 3-Packs, and that, I think, is the most complicated, and most fun, thing that we’ve ever made.

Each three-pack of notebooks is filled with silver graph grid paper (48 pages per notebook).

There’s also a bonus for annual Field Notes subscribers (including brand new ones): a retrospective book, the “Anniversary Desk Ledger,” filled with historical details, trivia and wisecracks.

One of the things we love most about the Field Notes editions is the  video that they put together for each edition, and this “behind the scenes of a short video” is no exception:

Congratulations to Field Notes – here’s to another 50!

This limited edition set is part of Field Notes’ Quarterly Edition Series, which is available individually or as a year-long subscription that includes two packs of each quarterly release, as well as frequent bonus or exclusive items. Annual subscriptions are $110 including shipping in the U.S. (For all other countries there is a one-time $20 shipping charge that covers the full year.)

The post News: Field Notes 50th Quarterly Edition! appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.

My father-in-law who passed in 1988 used a variety of fountain pens which we just uncovered in the attic. The pens have not been used in probably 35 to 40 years. Can you recommend a site that would recondition the pens? These pens have a rubber bladder Which would need to be replaced. Thanks.

If you know what brands, some repair people specialize in certain brands and will have parts on hand for that particular brand. For example, Martin of MartinsPens51 specializes in lever fill, button fill, Parker Vacumatics, Sheaffer snorkels, Touchdowns, and PFM’s, Osman Sümer in MontBlanc, Sheri in Sheaffer and Ron Zorn at Main Street Pens started on Vacumatic-filling (Parker Vacumatic, Sheaffer and Parker “51”) pens, Aerometric Parkers and Sheaffer Snorkel and Touchdown pens but does handle other pens.

There are many other repair people — too many to list here but any web site for a pen show will often list vendors which often includes many repair people.

Rob asks:

Hi: I see references to beginner fountain pens and next step fountain pens, but what is an expert fountain pen? Is it based on price? Performance? I have not come across a suitable explanation. Thanks in advance for your help.

I don’t know that anyone would call them “expert” but there are some advanced level pens.

Some pens will not resonate with a fountain pen user until they’ve had some experience with pens. Sometimes this can be pens with flexible nibs (or just a little more bouncy like a Montblanc), pens that utilize a more complicated filling system or pens made of particularly unique materials (urushi, casein, etc). Advanced or Expert-level fountain pens can be 21K instead of 14K gold nibs as well. Then there’s pens that just fall into the top tier price points because they are limited edition and designed for a specific fan base (the Writer’s Series from Montblanc).

Any one of these attributes can make a pen significantly more expensive and difficult to find. Many of these characteristics would be lost on a new user who hasn’t had extensive time with a lower-priced pen to be able to appreciate or care for these more finicky or collector-level pens.

Liz asks:

My perfect notebook, which has eluded me my whole life: A4 (or 8.5×11), quad ruled but with bigger squares (4 to the inch), spiral-bound at the top (not the side), and of course, high-quality paper. The options at Clairefontaine and Rhodia are so so close, but the grid squares are too small and they literally cramp my style. As a result, I’ve been settling for the crappy paper of Top Flight’s Silverpoint Quad Planning Pad, which makes me sad. Is the perfect notebook for me out there somewhere? Willing to shell out big bucks for it if it does …

My first thought was to get a custom pad made from Blank Slate. They are not spiral bound but that’s easy enough to fix with a trip to a local copy shop that can put a spiral on a pad for a few dollar. Your requirement, 4 square to the inch, is approximately 7mm, if that helps in your hunt.

Amy asks:

I found a number of old pens in my desk and would love to use some of them again, but am having trouble matching pen refills. The first is an Anson twist up pen (chrome with gold accents?). The ink in it is labeled Mitsubishi Pencil Co., LTD Japan UBR-7P. A quick search did not come up with anything that matched or even really looked like it. Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thank you!

I would recommend trying the RefillFinder app to try to find a comparable match. If that doesn’t work, there may be a newer refill from Uni Mistubishi available through JetPens who stocks the largest variety of Japanese refills.

The post Ask the Desk: Repairs, Refills, and Expert Fountain Pens 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.