I started testing some of the Diamine Inkvent inks (circa 2021). The funny little shape was a little unusual to use and I probably would need some time to figure out the best way to utilize the space. But then I noticed that the writing looked like it was feathering.

So, I decided maybe I needed to compare these Midori cards to. those, pardon my bias, the gold standard of ink testing cards.  Since the Diamine Inkvent inks have specific details on the bottle about the ink qualities, I knew I might be missing some of the nuances of the inks. Garland was listed on the bottle as “shimmer and sheen” and Seize the Night was listed as “standard”.

On the ducky cards, I see the shimmer but the potential sheen does not show at all. On Col-o-ring paper, the poppy pink/red sheen is very visible. Also, the dip pen writing didn’t bleed on the Col-o-ring paper.

The Seize the Night color shows some yellow/greenish sheen on Col-o-ring but just looks like a deep plummy purple on the Midori Ducky paper.

While I had fun trying the ducky cards, I feel safe that people will still prefer Col-o-ring cards, especially if Diamine  continues to release the Inkvent calendars that we all wait all year to swatch!

Phew! I was afraid I was going to need to find a new job!

The post Paper Review: Midori Flash Cards Ducks appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.

This is a 16-month planner, with a block layout, which helps me easily visualize how the dates and days (and holidays!) occur each month.

At the very front there is a 2022 Yearly Schedule spread for noting important dates throughout the year, and at the back there are several lined pages, perfect for jotting down important notes or things to transfer to the next year.

Of least use to me, but terribly charming, the end of the calendar is full of subway maps of Japan!

The paper in the planner cover is made of cardstock, and reinforced by a plastic slipcover that protects the planner itself. The paper is Midori paper, somewhat thin (you can see gridlines through from the opposite side) but still handles fountain pens beautifully with no bleed through.

I should also mention that “Ojisan” is the lovable character who appears on many pages with his unique appearance and unforgettable behavior. This year’s theme is carefree living and Ojisan starts his year with a steamy pot of tea. What could be more perfect for a girl who loves, knitting, tea and planners?

The post Planner Review: Midori 2022 Pocket Diary Slim- Ojisan appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.

I had mentioned Paperblanks to someone recently and it led me back  to their website to discover that they now list the paper weights they use and noticed that they listed 80gsm, 100gsm and 120gsm paper stocks. Clearly, it was time to give Paperblanks another look.

I ordered one Flexi Midi notebook (approx. 5 x 7 “) with 100gsm paper. The cover featured artwork by Catrin Welz-Stein whose work I am enamored with. I also ordered a hard cover Midi notebook with 120gsm paper. Included in my order was a free A7 sized Paper-Oh lined notebook which is part of Paperblanks contemporary line and featured a metallic grey wave texture on the outside.

Upon further research, the Paper-Oh line is only available in 80gsm and 100gsm papers (when shopping on the Paperblanks site, select “more filters” to reveal the paper weight options if you are specifically looking for the heavier weight.

So, let’s start reviewing the notebooks.

Oceania Diamond Rosette Midi Hardcover Notebook

The Oceania Diamond Rosette Midi ($18.95) Notebook in Hardcover is beautifully embossed with antiqued gold foiling and a textural look though the cover is actually a matte soft-touch wrapped paper hardcover notebook.

The hardcover Midi version of this notebook includes a black elastic closure which I don’t particularly like how it looks with the antique centered design. But its nice that its been included.

The back cover includes a gusseted pocket for miscellany and a red satin ribbon bookmark that is cut and sealed on the end so it doesn’t fray. The book includes 144 pages.

The Oceania notebook features the 120gsm and this is what I wanted to try. The paper is a soft white ivory (which is very difficult to photograph correctly) and I purchased the blank version. The only other option was lined.

I tested several “everyday” fountain pens and a small assortment of felt tip and gel pens. They all performed beautifully.

Writing on this paper provides a little tooth and texture and feel velvety to write on. The Midi size also hits that sweet spot between an A5 and A6 size. I really like it.

From the reverse side of both pages, there was no bleedthrough and no showthrough either.

Wordscapes Flexi Midi Notebook

The Wordscapes “Free Your Mind” Midi Flexi  ($15.95) Notebook is the same size and the hardcover Midi but features a more flexible “softcover”. The design printed on the cover is done in the same way as the Oceania notebook — soft touch matte but this cover features a more contemporary, vintage-inspired illustration by Catrin Welz-Stein. The illustration is accented with gloss varnish and some metallic details on the figure’s dress.

This notebook also features a light, printed edge painting that reminds me of marbling. It’s very subtle and might be missed if I hadn’t looked closely. It would have been nice for the edge painting to be a little more bold to be more evident.

The secretary pocket in the back of the Flexi notebook is not gusseted and the Flexi notebook does not include an elastic for closing the book.

The Flexi notebook features more pages than the hardcover notebook — 176 pages vs. the 144 pages in the hardcover. The paper is also only 100gsm instead of the 120gsm option in the hardcover.

Compared to the velvety texture of the 120gsm paper, the 100gsm paper seems a bit smoother, silkier. I enjoyed writing on it despite knowing that it was more likely to bleed or showthrough. The advantage of the lighter weight paper is that a guide sheet is much more easy to see under the blank pages.

The lighter weight paper becomes evident with more showthrough and a little bleedthrough with heavier ink applications like the music nib and the broad brush pens. It’s not awful and if you use a lot of fine nib fountain pens and a mix of ballpoint, gel and other tools, you might not mind the lighter paper.

Paper-Oh A7 Yuko-Ori Lined Notebook

The Paper-Oh A7 Yuko-Ori Metallic Grey ($4.21) Lined Notebook was included in my order as a bonus and it gave me a chance to see and try the lined paper without investing in a third notebook. The Paper-Oh line is more contemporary looking and feeling with the textural paper cover and a “perfect binding” rather than the wrapped paper covers (hard of soft) of the traditional Paperblanks line.

Included in the tiny notebook was a paper bookmark which I could not figure out how it was meant to be folded and a little brochure about the development of the Paper-Oh line.

The Yuko-Ori notebook appears to use the same 100gsm paper as the larger Midi Flexi notebook. However, the paper seemed to behave a bit differently with inks. I believe this was a result of the printing necessary to add lines to the paper. The lines are very thin and printed in a light brown so they are very subtle. If I needed a lined notebook, this is the kind of lines I’d want. However, the alteration to the paper as a result of the lines is a bit of a disappointment. I may be reading more into the paper than was there. Maybe it’s just a slightly different paper?

The inconsistencies in the way the fountain pen ink adhered to the paper turned out to be difficult to capture in a photo so I guess it’s not as bad as I am making it out to be.

Conclusions

In the end, I am more inclined to stick to the blank pages to avoid any additional issues, especially with the 100gsm paper. The 120gsm paper may stand up to the printing process better. If anyone decides to try the heavier paper with lines, please let me know if you run into any issues.

I am glad I tried Paperblanks again. I am 100% sold on the the 120gsm paper and I do like the unusual Midi size. I look forward to trying more variations of the Paperblanks notebooks in various sizes.

DISCLAIMER: The items included in this review were purchased by me and I was not compensated to write this review. Please see the About page for more details.

The post Notebook Review: Paperblanks 100gsm & 120gsm appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.

A few years back, Pebble Stationery came out with the Australian company’s first limited Glacier Edition pocket-size notebook. Its latest limited edition has the same icy theme: The Antartica Edition (two notebooks for US $12.99). 

I was surprised to see yet another chilly design, but no less delighted. Containing Tomoe River paper, Antartica “features a glistening white cover to represent the light reflected on the continent’s icy surface.” The worst thing about this lovely notebook is trying to photograph its shimmering cover, holographic gilding and spot foil! Please forgive me for not capturing its full beauty, but I grabbed a sunny day on our deck and did my best. It’s one of those notebooks that you have to see with your own eyes in bright light to fully appreciate.

The 3½ -by-5½ inch notebook contains 80 pages of 52 gsm Tomoe River paper printed with a pale gray, 4mm dot grid ruling. The light blue thread that binds the notebook matches the inside covers. Hardest to photograph is the holographic silver ink used on the subtle cover branding, the map of the continent on the back cover (including a tiny penguin and whale), and gilt edges rarely seen in softcover notebooks. Antartica and Glacier are a lovely complementary pair with the same understated elegance and subtle shimmer.

Many readers of the Desk are probably familiar with Tomoe River’s performance with fountain pen ink. Although it is amazingly thin, the paper resists feathering and bleeding, even with the juiciest nibs. When I asked, I was assured that the paper is the original Tomoe River that we know and love. I made a test sketch with my favorite fire hose, the Sailor 1911 with a Naginata Fude de Mannen nib filled with Pilot Iroshizuku Yama-budo ink. I also scribbled with a variety of pens and even pencils. 

As expected for such thin, translucent paper, the reverse sides show ghosting but only bare traces of bleeding where ink was applied heavily. 

It’s a gorgeous pocket notebook and a welcome addition to the growing but still small selection of small notebooks containing Tomoe River. (I was going to refrain from mentioning this, but I make my bread and butter catching typos: I wish Pebble had paid as much attention to proofreading as they did on all the beautiful details this notebook exhibits.) 

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

Tina Koyama is an urban sketcher in Seattle. Her blog is Fueled by Clouds & Coffee, and you can follow her on Instagram as Miatagrrl.

The post Notebook Review: Pebble Stationery Co. Antartica Edition appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.

I purchased a pack of Egret paper (A5, 80 sheets for $10) from Alex at Shigure Inks several weeks ago and have only now been able to post a review. Shigure is sold out of this paper at the moment, but make sure to sign up for a restock notification so you can grab a pack!

Lennon Toolbar is only known to me as an ink company so far, and I was very curious to test their paper. Any company that loves ink should make paper that is great for that ink. Egret paper comes in two sizes – A5 and A4. The 80 sheets of loose-leaf paper are packaged in a cardstock-weight envelope.

The packaging is minimal – perfect for protecting the pages though.

Egret paper is the same tone as the Tomoe River paper from Sakae (the top notebook in the pile below) and slightly whiter than Cosmo Air Light paper (the notebook on the bottom is CAL from Musubi).

The paper itself has a very interesting texture. Egret paper is toothy – it slows down the pen stroke when writing. I would compare it to how a microfiber cleaning cloth seems to grip your hand if you brush it.

Egret paper also feels rather soft – somewhat like an old cotton t-shirt.

Here’s the reverse side of the same page:

Due to the toothy feel when writing, shading is amazing on this paper and dry times are faster than usual.

The paper also shows off sparkly ink beautifully.

The toothy texture does have one downside – when writing too quickly, some nibs may not keep up.

Strangely, with each of these tests, I didn’t specifically test for sheen!  I did go back and add a sheen test at the bottom of the page, using Bungubox Sweet Love Pink. This ink sheens on most paper but not all. I added 5 drops of ink to the paper, spread it out a bit, and allowed it to dry. So, Will It Sheen?

The only sheen was a thin halo around the ink blob.

As a side note, the ink can be seen on the reverse side of the page, but absolutely no ink bled through.

Lennon Tool Bar Egret 65g – A5 Blank 80 Sheets

DISCLAIMER: I purchased this item with my own money. Please see the About page for more details.

The post Paper Review: Lennon Toolbar Egret Paper appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.

One of my favorite Tomoe River retailers has long been Nanami Paper. The online store offers a focused inventory that includes notebooks, loose-leaf paper, paper pads, and some paper accessories. With supply issues of Tomoe River paper during pandemic lockdowns, the staff looked for other paper sources; this search has recently led to an introduction of Zen paper.

I obtained a small sample of Zen paper from Nanami – each sample sheet seems to be 1/3 of a sheet of A5 paper from a notebook. Nanami states on their site that their Studio notebooks using Zen paper will soon be available and I assume from this sample that A5 will be one option.

The ruling on my sample is a 4mm grid of light gray lines – each line is a dotted line which helps it fade into the background.

Below is my first test of Zen paper. The dry time for Robert Oster Ocean here was just a tad over 30 seconds. Cosmo Air Light paper clocked in at 35 seconds for the same. TR timed 43 seconds.

You can see above how the bright pattern behind the paper shows slightly. Below is the reverse side of the page (with other paper behind to block the bright tropical fruits.

The top of the TR paper below is using the same Robert Oster Ocean ink. Shading is about the same for both options but the haloing of the ink is more pronounced on the Zen paper. By haloing I am referring to the way each letter looks outlined by a slightly darker color.

With the same ink on CAL paper, I saw no haloing but much more shading.

I used the same 6 inks on the rest of the testing. Bungubox Sweet Love Pink ink shows very bright on Zen paper, but with no real sheen. Athena Eternal Blue sheens bright pink on CAL and Tomoe River and sheens a muted pink on Zen. Sailor Manyo Haha shades dramatically on the Zen paper, more so than on CAL or TR, but the purple and green colors did not show on this test. Sparkle from Robert Oster Rose Gold Antiqua was best on the Zen paper – both more visible and richer color. Pen Saijiki would only show sheen when I layered on lots of ink.

You can see below that ink did start showing through the page, but only when multiple layers of ink were applied.

My last test used Robert Oster Antelope Canyon which shades amazingly on CAL paper. On Zen paper, the result was pleasant shading but not dramatic. The shading was similar to the results from TR paper.

Below is the message on Nanami’s homepage regarding the new Zen paper. I don’t know how long this will be offered, but I am certain all handwritten letters would be appreciated!

NOTICE: The Studio Note is almost here! We expect it to arrive in early June. It is made of a new paper we found which is very similar to Tomoe River paper. We are calling it “ZEN” paper. It is 52 gsm and about the same color white as the “white” Tomoe River. If you’d like to try a sample sheet, as well as a sheet of the “New” Tomoe River, please send a self-addressed stamped envelope to:

Nanami Paper
Att: Samples by Mail
P.O. Box 17422
Irvine, California 92623-7422

If possible, please use a typewriter or fountain pen in your letter to us. There’s no special reason, other than I love to see stuff like that!

___________________________________________________________________

DISCLAIMER: All of the items included in this review were purchased by me or were provided for free when I sent a self-addressed, stamped envelope to Nanami Paper and is available to anyone who does the same. Please see the About page for more details.

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The world of paper manufacturing has been an uncertain place lately. There have been changes. There have been rumors. There may have even been lies. Or little fibs. Intrigue at least. So I was sent out by the Well-Appointed Desk on a mission to uncover the truth as far as possible.

Some questions we were asked:

I know there’s a lot of gossip around the end of Tomoe River 52 gsm. First, they were changing manufacturing locations but now I’m hearing they are discontinuing it completely. What’s the story?

Tomoe River 52 gsm paper is highly prized by many fountain pen users. The paper is incredibly thin and light, yet fountain pen ink doesn’t bleed through the page (well, it can if you really try). The coating on the paper allows characteristics of fountain pen ink to show up that are lost on other paper varieties. Sheen, shading, and multi-chromatic properties are greatly enhanced.

In 2020, rumors started up that the manufacturer of Tomoe River paper, Tomoegawa, had changed the manufacturing process of their 52 gsm offering without making the change public. Although the company denied this at first, Tomoegawa did release information confirming the changes. Unfortunately there was not a good way to distinguish the two batches at first, however, this was remedied by adding an N suffix to the paper code.

Is it just the 52 gsm that’s going away or the 68 gsm too?

As the fountain pen community was starting to move forward from this incident, a new rumor started to circulate that Tomoegawa would cease the manufacture of all Tomoe River paper, 52 gsm and the heavier 68 gsm. According to this post by Sakae TP, the company is no longer manufacturing products with Tomoe River paper “due to the discontinuation of the base paper product”. The document showing the discontinued items includes both the 68 gsm and 52 gsm notebooks.

According to Tomoegawa, they have been making Tomoe River paper for the last year at a loss due to increases in the price of wood pulp. At first the loss was small but increased steadily. Once the machines needed repair, the decision was made to discontinue the paper production.

I am sad to say that yes, the rumor is true. Tomoe River paper has come to an end as of December 2020 and the paper that now exists is the last.

 I’m having trouble finding any Tomoe River at all. Are people hoarding it?

I have noticed several retailers have sold out of most Tomoe River products. I’m sure this recent news has increase sales of the paper as individuals who fell in love with TR paper try to calculate how much is needed for a lifetime supply. I have been guilty of stocking up a few extra notebooks.

However, I don’t believe even die-hard fans of Tomoe River paper will be able to exhaust the current supply too quickly. Stock is also low due to overseas shipping. Delivery times are getting better as the world emerges from Covid lockdowns, but freight deliveries still face delays.

Most retailers have an option to be notified when they restock their inventory. If you are having trouble finding Tomoe River products, sign up with one or more stores to receive these notifications. Don’t panic.

What’s your best advice for alternatives?

Here is where I can bring good news. The problems we have seen with Tomoe River paper over the last two years has encouraged the search for new paper that would bring out the best in fountain pen ink. New paper types are supposedly being developed by several groups.

The best answer I can give to this question is that paper exists already that is great for fountain pens. However, no other paper behaves exactly like Tomoe River paper. What is the feature you most love about Tomoe River paper? If it is the shading, try Cosmo Air Light. If it is the sheen, take a chance with onion skin paper. If it is how the paper enhances the ink, grab some Bank paper. Perhaps you just want to pour out a bottle of ink on a page without ink bleeding through. Is so, try the new washable paper from Traveler’s. If you love the extra long dry time of Tomoe River paper, try Yupo brands. This last one may not ever dry, however.

I know you like the Cosmo Air Light but what else do you recommend?

Nanami Paper has announced a new paper in notebook form that they call ZEN paper. You can even request a sample of it by sending in a self-addressed stamped envelope! Sakae Technical Paper Company is looking into alternative papers as well.

Musubi has been ahead of the curve on this front, having released folio notebooks with Cosmo Air Light paper and Bank paper. They still have stock of Tomoe River folio notebooks as well (Musubi has confirmed that their current stock is the original, pre-2019 TR paper).

Yamamoto Paper has a collection of 18 types of specialty papers in one notepad. I highly recommend this to individuals seeking new paper adventures! Their paper pad can be purchased directly on their site or from many popular retailers. Shigure Inks, Dromgooles, Pen Boutique carries Yamamoto notepads and several kinds of loose leaf paper.

Graphilo paper does an excellent job holding up to fountain pen ink. Midori MD paper and Midori cotton paper are wonderful with fountain pen ink as well and are becoming more widely available. Onion skin is interesting to use with ink and is unique in the texture department. Curnow Bookbinding and Leather makes A5, Traveler’s size and Passport sized notebooks made of a variety of papers including onion skin.

Traveler’s put out several new types of notebooks this year – the B-sides and Rarities collection – that includes a non-Tomoe River paper that is fountain pen friendly. I plan to review that very soon.

The great news about this change is that many groups are looking for suitable replacements. New paper types are being created. Notebooks are being made with a greater variety of paper. The fountain pen world is full of innovative and driven people who will not rest until the right paper or papers have been found and the Well-Appointed Desk will be here to keep you informed about new products and reviewing those products.

We have written this post to be up to date as of June 3, 2021 and have made every effort to only repeat information from the actual manufacturers. We will update the blog with further information as it becomes available. 

The post Jesi answers all your questions about Tomoe River appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.

The biggest distinction between Announcements envelopes and Baronial was that announcement envelopes originally had square flaps and baronial had pointed, triangle flaps. At some point though, envelope converters and paper companies made it possible to get envelopes with either square or pointed flaps. 

There are several other envelope categories like business envelopes (the Classic no. 10 envelope holds a sheet of US letter paper folded in thirds), catalog envelopes, remittance, coin, etc. and, depending on the source you use, these envelopes can have square flaps or pointed flaps. Of course, you can have custom envelopes produced with different flap shapes and a different size but that just muddies the waters when talking about the standard options and the arcane naming systems. 

The European “A” size is based on the paper size and the original uncut sheet of paper that was used. A-size paper starts with a full sheet at 841 x 1189mm (33.1 x 46.8 inches). When cut in half on the long edge those two sheets are considered A1, an A1 cut in half becomes two sheets of A2. Once an A2 sheet is cut in half to become A3 (297 x 420mm or 11.7 x 16.5 inches), the sheets become more manageable sizes and comparable to US ledger sized paper (11×17”). Then that sheet is cut to create the European A4 or standard letter-sized sheet (210x297mm or 8.3×11.7”). The sheet is continually cut in halves to the A10 measurement which creates tiny pieces of paper just 26x37mm or 1×1.5”. I can’t imagine that paper companies or mills find that size needed very often. I seldom see mention of stationery paper smaller than A6 or A7.

So, if you ever find yourself wondering who in the world would be selling A2-sized cards and envelopes and thinking “that sounds enormous!” Consider the likelihood that it is an American vendor referencing the A-size based on Announcement envelopes and not the A-size based in European paper sizes. 

The post What’s Up With “A” sizing? appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.

If you missed Part 1 of my review of the Stonehenge Legion Mini Artist Pad Sampler Set, you might want to start there. Part 1 gives an overview of the whole collection and includes a review of seven papers. Today I’ll cover the remaining papers.

Although six pads in the sample set remain to be tested, it’s complicated. The papers are Yupo Translucent, Yupo Medium, Yupo Heavy, Stonehenge Colors, Stonehenge Kraft, and Stonehenge Aqua Coldpress Black. The pad of Stonehenge Colors, however, includes five tones – Natural, Warm White, Cream, Fawn, and Pearl Gray – so you’ll see tests of a total of 10 papers. To further complicate matters, Natural, Warm White and Cream are fairly close in color, and since the individual colors are not identified in the sample pad, I had to guess based on somewhat ambiguous images found on various retailers’ sites. As if that weren’t enough, the Warm White included in the Colors set is slightly different from the standalone Warm White that I showed in Part 1! Note to Legion: I would have appreciated having the paper names printed directly on the sample sheets.

On one side of most samples, I tested student-grade Van Gogh watercolors, a Winsor & Newton Watercolor Marker, a Sakura Koi Coloring Brush Pen, and a Caran d’Ache Museum Aquarelle pencil. (I placed a small piece of graph paper beneath half the Yupo Translucent sample so that the degree of translucency could be seen.)

On the reverse side, I used a Pentel Pigment Ink Brush Pen, my Sailor Naginata Fude de Mannen fountain pen with Pilot Iroshizuku Yama-budo ink, a Staedtler Mars Lumograph H graphite pencil, a Tombow Mono 100 6B graphite pencil, a Caran d’Ache Luminance colored pencil, and a Faber-Castell Polychromos colored pencil. 

For Aqua Coldpress Black, I picked out some especially opaque media to see how they popped: two colors of Caran d’Ache Museum Aquarelle pencils, a Sakura Gelly Roll gel pen, a Caran d’Ache Fibralo metallic marker, an East Hill Tombstone white brush pen, a Prismacolor Premier pencil, and Uni Posca Paint Markers. (I didn’t have any gouache paints to test, but I bet they would be cool on both black and Kraft.)

First, some thoughts on Yupo: It’s the weirdest “paper” ever. A synthetic material, Yupo is “recyclable, waterproof and tree-free,” according to Yupo. It’s closer to plastic than paper. The most experience I’ve had with Yupo is the Field Notes Expedition notebook, which I use to sketch in the rain (yes, of course, I do). I usually use a soft graphite pencil, which skates silently on that completely frictionless surface and looks as almost as dark as a Sharpie!

Other materials behave just as surprisingly. Since Yupo doesn’t absorb moisture at all, watercolors and other wet media sit on the surface until they dry, which can take a long time (a few hours for some of my tests). I’ve seen some watercolor painters create fantastic effects by taking advantage of this unique quality. But some materials will never dry, like gel pens, and can be rubbed off months later.

The Pentel brush pen’s pigment ink looks rich and solid. On the other hand, the Koi coloring brush pen looks flat and dull. The most surprising effects came from the two colored pencils I tried. The soft, wax-based Luminance could barely be applied; the pigment felt like it was simply sliding around. The oil-based Polychromos, however, had much better results. The best thing to do with Yupo is to try it with as many media as possible! It will likely surprise you, no matter what you use.

After Yupo stole the drama show, all the other samples behaved exceptionally normal by comparison. Although weights were not given on any of these samples, the Aqua Coldpress Black and Stonehenge Kraft feel like 140 pound. The Colors are lighter (I’m guessing about 90 pound). 

The Black Coldpress has a strong tooth similar to its white counterpart (reviewed in Part 1). All the Colors have a much lighter texture that feels the same as the Lenox Cotton and White (Part 1). 

Overall, the subtle tooth on the lighter papers (Lenox Cotton, Warm White and White in Part 1; Kraft and Colors in Part 2) is probably what stands out as most distinctive about the Stonehenge Legion collection. It’s smooth enough not to cause problems with fountain pens, but it also has enough tooth to make pencilers happy. At least, this penciler: I’m looking forward to using the 9-by-12-inch pad of White I just bought for a colored pencil class I’ll be taking soon.

DISCLAIMER: The item in this review include affiliate links. The Well-Appointed Desk is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon. Please see the About page for more details.

Tina Koyama is an urban sketcher in Seattle. Her blog is Fueled by Clouds & Coffee, and you can follow her on Instagram as Miatagrrl.

The post Paper Review: Stonehenge Legion Mini Artist Pad Sample Set, Part 2 appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.

Tomoe River has been a paper that is loved by the fountain pen community due to the unique interaction between the paper and ink. Ink shows incredible shading and sheening properties on Tomoe River paper and the paper can take a large amount of ink before bleed through is an issue. New Tomoe River paper is manufactured in a slightly different way and the comparison between the two does show differing properties (although the pros and cons of this change are debated).

Since the announcement that the manufacturing process of Tomoe River paper was changing, the interest in new paper types has increased dramatically as stock of the older version of Tomoe River paper dries up. This interest has driven an increase in notebooks using a variety of paper types.

Musubi recently released a notebook using Cosmo Air Light 83gsm paper.

The exterior of the notebook is covered in a light colored cotton and matches the other notebooks in the Musubi lineup of Tomoe River paper and Bank paper notebooks. Each notebook is a slightly different neutral color.

The Cosmo Air Light folio notebooks are available in blank, 7mm lined ruling, and crossgrid paginated. my Cosmo Air Light is the blank notebook (blank is best!)

As with all of the Musubi folios, the notebook is only branded on the lower right corner of the front cover.

Musubi CAL lays flat and stays open to your page although new notebooks might need a bit of encouragement at first.

The Cosmo Air Light paper has a very slight color – somewhere between white and ivory. It was hard to notice this color during use.

I tried to test many different characteristics on this paper – bright colors, shading, showing multiple ink colors, sparkly inks, sheening inks. Above is the front side of my testing page, below is the back of the same page.

There is a slight bit of show-through with Cosmo Air Light 83gsm, but very little. The camera actually picks up more show-through than what is seen in-person. Sheen is another piece that is hard to show here – it is quite high in-person.

To show this comparison a bit more clearly, I ran the same tests on a Musubi Tomoe River folio.

Above: Front side

Below: Back side

Cosmo Air Light paper:

Cosmo Air Light paper with watercolor, front (above) and back (below)

Tomoe River paper:

Musubi Tomoe River paper with watercolor, front (above) and back (below)

Cosmo Air Light paper is thicker, less show-through, doesn’t wrinkle as much with water, and shows brighter colors than the Tomoe River paper. I did notice that the back side of the Cosmo Air Light paper appeared shiny after the watercolor had dried:

The back side of the paper with watercolor was still great for writing – the shininess didn’t affect the quality.

After the writing and watercolor, the pages only showed slightly when the notebook was closed – no major wrinkling even with the water.

To wrap up the comparison, here’s a short list (TR for Tomoe River, CAL for Cosmo Air Light):

Size: TR A5, 384 pages; CAL A5, 208 pages

Price: TR $35; CAL $25 (approximate pricing from Singapore currency)

Paper weight: TR 52gsm; CAL 83gsm

Sheen: More from CAL

Shading: Crisper shading from CAL

Color brightness: Slightly brighter on CAL

Multiple ink colors: More from TR

Shimmer: Equal

Show-through: CAL has significantly less

Watercolor: Brighter colors from CAL, easier to blend on TR

Water resistance: CAL superior

Smoothness: CAL has more tooth, TR smoother

I love this new Cosmo Air Light folio. Downsides include number of pages – TR has nearly twice the number of pages, although the CAL does reflect this with a lower price. CAL also shows ink as crisp – very crisp. This could be good or bad – to me it is just different.

I am incredibly impressed with the quality of this new folio and the paper. I do mourn the loss of traditional Tomoe River paper, but at the same time, I’m very happy that this change is motivating new notebooks. I have expanded my daily notebook pile to include a Cosmo Air Light folio and I expect to replace it as soon as it fills up – I’ll also be expanding ink reviews to cover the ink on CAL in addition to TR. This new paper won’t take the place of TR in my heart, but I couldn’t be happier with the quality of the new Cosmo Air Light notebook. Thank you so much, Musubi!

Another thank you is due to Musubi as well. They recently contacted the Well-Appointed Desk to ask if we would give a new Cosmo Air Light notebook to a reader of the blog! In order to enter to win, leave a comment with your favorite feature of the new CAL paper. Details and rules are listed below.

DISCLAIMER: The item in this review was purchased by me and no affiliate links are provided in the post. Please see the About page for more details.

TO ENTER: Leave a comment below and leave a comment with your favorite feature of the new CAL paper. Play along and type in something. It makes reading through entries more interesting for me, okay? One entry per person.

If you have never entered a giveaway or commented on the site before, your comment must be manually approved by our highly-trained staff of monkeys before it will appear on the site. Our monkeys are underpaid and under-caffeinated so don’t stress if your comment does not appear right away. Give the monkeys some time.

FINE PRINT: All entries must be submitted by 10pm CST on Monday, April 5, 2021. All entries must be submitted at wellappointeddesk.com, not Twitter, Tumblr or Facebook, okay? Winner will be announced on Monday. 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.

The post Paper Review and Giveaway: Musubi Cosmo Air Light Notebook appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.