Teri from Peyton Street Pens was sweet enough to send us tons of items for review and giveaway in her last package. Today we’ll be sharing some of our thoughts (and a few items you can win) on Ayush Paper.
Ayush Paper is an Indian company that creates a variety of sketchbooks, canvases and office supply products including a line devoted to fountain pen friendly paper. Specifically, I played with the A5 Fountain Pen Book ($8.00). This spiral top-bound notebook comes with 50 sheets (100 pages) of 100 gsm paper that is a soft ivory. The notebook measure 5 7/8 x 8″ (148-203mm), and each page is perforated at the top for easy tearing. The book comes in dot, grid, plain or lined formats (mine is lined, at approximately 9mm spacing).
So let’s talk about this paper. It’s advertised as fountain pen friendly and promises no feathering or bleeding. It is designed to work with flex nibs and sheening inks, and aims for minimal show-through. It also boasts quick drying times.
I’d say the paper lives up to these promises nicely. I tested it with a variety of fountain pens (plus brush pens, a pencil, various gel and rollerball options) and save for ye olde Sharpie, I had no bleedthrough, no feathering and only minor ghosting on the opposite side. Further, we tested a few ink swatches and nothing bled through! We threw in a few Colorverse inks to check out the sheen (it’s not bad) and it was only those bottle cap swatches that had any bleedthrough at all.
The paper is ever so slightly toothy to the fingertips, but feels smooth to the nib. I have to say, I hadn’t tried this one before and I’m excited to keep using this notebook.
So let’s get to the part where you get to try it too! Peyton Street Pens generously sent us two notebooks for giveaway.
GIVEAWAY: One lucky winner will win two notebooks.
I’ve left them wrapped in the packaging but will send them out to you with some stickers!
TO ENTER: Leave a comment below telling us about your favorite paper! (Play along and type in something. It makes reading through entries more interesting for me, okay?) One entry per person.
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FINE PRINT: All entries must be submitted by 10pm CST on Friday, August 13, 2021. All entries must be submitted at wellappointeddesk.com, not Twitter, Tumblr or Facebook, okay? Winner will be announced on Monday. ONE winner will be selected by random number generator from entries that played by the rules (see above). Please include your actual email address in the comment form so that I can contact you if you win. I will not save email addresses or sell them to anyone — pinky swear. If winner does not respond within 5 days, I will draw a new giveaway winner. Shipping via USPS first class is covered. Additional shipping options or insurance will have to be paid by the winner. We are generous but we’re not made of money. US and APO/AFO only, sorry.
DISCLAIMER: The items included in this post were provided free of charge by Peyton Street Pens and other vendors for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.
I will always be partial to the original Tomoe River white, blank paper especially in the Nanami Standard A5 and the Hobonichi purple grid pages. I also really enjoy Maruman Septcoleur notebooks; they are very reasonably priced and super convenient (not to mention come in great colors). I have just recently received a Cosmo Air Light NB but haven’t gotten to try it out.
Clairefontaine is my favorite paper. The only drawback is going to Paris to buy it.
This is not very original but I love Rhodia and Clairefontaine papers.
I love tomoe river paper and I hope the issues with tomoe river are not long lasting.
Spiral top A5 is my jam! And, yes, paper: I like Life, Midori, Graphilo, Tomoe… I like lined, because it is nostalgic for me, but dot grid and grid are good too. (Blank is scary.)
Tomoe River is my go to paper but I’d love to try something new.
My favorite is Washi paper but can’t seem to find it anywhere. Maybe this would be a great substitute.
I know the paper isn’t anywhere considered to be “great” or even “good” by some people’s standards, but I love writing in my Field Notes. It is always with me and the paper has held my daily thoughts for years now. So, for nostalgic reason that paper is my favorite.
I like the Tomoe River paper the best. I like using broad & Stub nibs to get the sheen and glitter out of inks.
My DH (dear husband) just bought some of this paper at the DC Pen Show. I would love to have some, too!
My favorite paper for FP writing is Rhodia. I guess whatever they use in the Meeting Books is pretty nice. Not sure of the weight, etc. THanks for the giveaway!
My everyday go-to are Black + Reds, but I also enjoy Rhodia, Clairefontaine, and Leuchtturm (although I like the B5 notebook better than the A5–I think they may use a different paper?)
I’m a big fan of Tomoe River in the 68gsm. I use it daily. I’m also a fan of both Mnemosyne paper in their notebooks and notepads and the Conifer papers, a Taiwanese company. I just grabbed the Cosmo Air Light notebook from Galen Leather at the DC show. So I’m looking forward to trying that considering TR manufacturers will be halted.
Oooh, those Ayush pads look terrific!
I don’t really have a current favorite paper; I’m working in a Leuchtturm hard-bound A5 BuJo notebook, and using a spiral-bound A4 Rhodia grid notebook for classes, but I’m still looking for the ultimate dot-grid, A5, hard-bound, FP-friendly notebook with white paper. Everyone needs a goal, right?
I’m still a newbie to the world of fountain pens but so far I really like Midori paper, and I’m playing with Rhodia and Mnemosyne, too! I’ve read wonderful things about Ayush…. Thanks for the giveaway!
I actually bought an Ayush pad from Peyton this year when buying a few pens from them. Immediately fell in love with the paper and ordered all of the other types from Federalist Pen & Paper and use the for work every day. Very happy with the quality/price!
Tomoe River makes inks look soo good, but I just started a Mnemosyne graph notebook. It’s so far nice to write in and is a landscape set up which I hadn’t used before and really like!
Right now I still like Tomoe River paper but I also like a toothier paper as well (makes me feel fancy).
I like Tomoe River paper. I like using broad and stub nibs so the sheen and glitter from inks shows the best.
I like Midori paper because it works for both fountain pen and pencil.
Clairefontaine remains my favorite paper, after many years.
I’ve tried others, but keep returning to my first paper love.
I love my Tomoe River Galen leather journal but use other nice papers as well for letters-even Oxford spiral notebook paper that stands up well to fountain pen ink and can be acquired for about $.25 this time of year when school supplies are on sale. I got some today
Favorite paper is, no surprise, tomoe river paper
At this point cosmo air light is my favorite but who knows maybe this one will get some love at the top!
Midori MD has a great balance of characteristics.
I like the paper that is made with pulp trampled by unicorn hooves. It’s very hard to find. I usually have to settle Tomoe River. Sacrifices.
I like Tomoe River paper. I like using broad and stub nibs so the sheen and glitter if inks shows the best.
thank you for your reviews. I just bought a couple of Oasis notebooks thanks to one you mentioned. It’s always a great pleasure to read you.
My DH (dear husband) just bought some Ayush paper at the DC Pen Show – I would love to have some of my own!
Right now, it’s Tomoe. But, that can change any day!
Tomoe River…change my mind
I’m a watercolorist at heart so all my favorite papers tend to be 100% cotton watercolor paper. But I also enjoy sketching with my fountain pens so I love trying different fountain pen friendly papers. Thanks for the chance at a giveaway!
I don’t really have a single favorite. though the one I have been using the most lately while writing letters is the Pelikan pads that they sent with the 5th anniversary Hubs.
though I also like Leuchterm 1917 notebooks, with the dot-grid
I absolutely love Midori Cotton. It handles ink and pencil well and has a nice tooth.
I am still experimenting with papers, so it’s hard to say. Part of it depends on the situation and what I am doing. Kokuyo tends to be a brand I rely on a lot. I tend to write out a lot of my articles and speeches by hand before typing them and the campus loose-leaf sheets are great for this. For my Levenger planner I print out my own bullet journal templates and Kokuyo even has an A5 printer paper that works well with fountain pens. I use a variety, but that is one brand that gets more frequent use for my everyday tasks.
My favorite paper remains Tomoe River especially Seven Seas Crossfield, Café Note A6 and B6, and the discontinued Café Note pocket edition. Haven’t tried the newer TR formulation.
I don’t have a lot of experience with different papers yet, but I do love a good watercolor paper!
Definitely Tomoe River. Nothing matches the sheen on that paper.
Clairefontaine is my favorite paper. Always willing to try something new.
I’m a crinkle-loving, ink-popping, Tomoe River die-hard. Always on the look out for new FP options!
I love the paper in Maruman notebooks !
I know it’s not a popular opinion but the Moleskine Leather Notebooks use 100gsm paper that I am in love with. You need to be since they are quite pricey, though you can buy the Pro versions as well. Midori MD paper is a close second for me. I hope at least one person will try the 100 gsm Moleskine paper based on seeing this post. I had gave up on Moleskine years ago too but I got one of the Leather Notebooks as a gift and have not looked back. Hope you will too.
Currently I’m enjoying Mnemosyne
My favorite paper is my grandfather’s office stationery. My grandfather died in 1961, he was a doctor in downtown Brooklyn, NY. I acquired the paper while helping my father clear out my grandparent’s apartment in the summer of 1977 after my grandmother passed away. The paper is an odd size 7-7/32″x10-1/2″ and has a watermark “Coupon Bond, 100% Rag. I have a little less than a ream since I cherish it and use it sparingly. It is a slightly heavy weight with a “tooth” like no other paper I have ever experienced. The paper is a pleasure to use with fountain pens and will take a light watercolor wash the colors of which show up in a unique tone. I am not a “paper-holic” or hoarder, I am a paper appreciator. Thanks for allowing me to reminisce.
Outside of the standard Tomoe River Paper, I recently was able to try Yamamoto Chiffon Cream and it might not be impressive in terms of showcasing an inks properties, but it feels and looks amazing. I was really impressed with it (and ordered a notebook of it). Cosmo Air Light is definitely on my radar now as well.
I’m not a fountain pen user, so as long as the paper works well with gel pens (the Signo line being my favorite), I’m happy. As far as that goes, my favorite paper was in the Norcom composition books made in Brazil. It’s smooth, thin, but show-through is minimal. I say “was” because, unfortunately, I don’t think these are available anymore. But I have a stash of about six-eight which should hold me for a while.
My favourite paper…. It used to be Tomoe River, and Cosmo Air Light maaaaaaay have edged it out? I did a bunch of ink testing with some of the various papers that I have, and I was REALLY pleased with how it performed!
I am using Clairefontine paper now to record the books I have read. I would love to try a new paper.
I love white TR, of course – but now that I’ve tried Cosmo Air Light, my crisis mentality about TR has completely abated – it’s velvety textured like Clairfontaine but not so slick (some of my pens don’t like Clairfontaine), and things look nice on it. I hope there will be scads of products using Cosmo Air Light in the future, like the A5 loose sheets I’ve hoarded up in TR.
Rhodia with any of my Kaweco fps…
For me, Mnemosyne rules them all.
My favorite paper is Tomoe River Paper. I use it mostly for letters. Lately when I put ink in a pen, I try it out on Tomoe.
I’m waiting on an order to try Cosmo Air. I suppose we are all waiting for the next great paper.
Wow! As a calligrapher, I would really like to try this paper! I’m off to see if they offer it in larger sheets. Thanks for the quality review!
I am still on the hunt for that perfect paper. I’ve tried and liked many, but are they perfect?
This paper sounds really excellent sizes. Thanks for the giveaway
Bought a couple of Ayush pads at the DC pen show after hearing about them. I really love the way they handle the ink. Now my daily driver. I bought the A5 book and I’m using it as a reporter’s notebook for now but having to tear out sheets is a bonus.
My favorite paper is Tomoe River. I’m desperate to find a new paper before my TR stash runs out. I’m eager to try both the Ayush and Cosmo Air Light & see what I think of them.
Favorite paper. Still searching. Looking for not too heavy, not too light that works well with any writing instrument. Could this be it?
Tomoe River will be tough to replace, but the Maruman paper is also really, really, really good.
Midori MD is my current favorite. Paired with a Sailor nib, it provides the perfect amount of feedback for me.
I don’t really have a favorite paper – I’m just learning about the different kinds of papers. But my office does spring for Levanger writing pads, which have nice heavy duty paper and very stiff backer boards and are very smooth. I’m looking forward to trying other papers..
So far the best paper I have is better resume paper with high cotton content. Also acquired some Hilroy dot paper that was on clearance at Staples, bought all they had left. Also use some notebooks that were gifted to me, journal style paper in vinyl cover books.