Mixed Results With A Mead Comp Book

The test scan tells the tale of the fountain pen ink and the Mead Composition Book. The smooth paper ought to behave better but the performance is about what you would expect from a low-end product.

At 100 sheets/200 pages, the show-through and bleed-through limit use to one side so it isn’t exactly a bargain. Still the low amount of feathering with some inks means this comp book has its uses.

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The designs for the cardboard covers are simple if youthful and the college ruling will work well for most writers. The dimensions are 9.75 x 7.5 inches and will lay flat after a little use. The notebook comes with a stitched binding concealed by a cloth strip which is typical for any composition book.

My comp book was made in Vietnam in 2012 so another run might have different properties. For $1.50 at Target stores, you just might find a slot for it in your paper arsenal.

It’s Getting Old At Inkophile

Can you believe it? Inkophile is five years old today. You thought it was older? Yeah, it seems like it has been around forever. The number of page views per month has more than doubled in the past year and I hope that indicates a sizable increase in the number of people who have grown to love fountain pens as much as it represents repeat visits from my steady followers. A larger community will expand the marketplace and in turn increase the available products. That would be a very good thing.

Looking back at new acquisitions this past year, the Platinum Century B nib and the Platinum #3776 music nib were very welcome additions to my collection and handily won slots on my top five pens list. Noodler’s Purple Martin was a surprise addition to my favorite inks while Stillman & Birn moved onto my favorite journals list. The Epsilon and Zeta Series are good with pens while the other journals are lovely with watercolors, not that you can’t mix them up any way you want. For lined paper that works well with fountain pens, the Miguelrius notebook is getting a lot of use. Two inexpensive finds at Staples were the Arc Collection and the filler paper from Brazil. Both made fast friends with a variety of inks.

None of this discounts some of my continuing favorites like Rhodia and Clairefontaine paper, Levenger True Writers, Namiki Falcon soft fine nibs, my Waterman Carene stub from Leigh Reyes, Noodler’s Black Swan in Australian Roses, Diamine Mediterranean Blue, J. Herbin Lie de Thé, or Montblanc Racing Green plus so many others.

My other favorites are Inkophile visitors. Without you, this blog would have been put to rest a long time ago. You are the best!

Most viewed Inkophile image:

Related Inkophile links:

• Platinum Century B
• Platinum #3776 Music Nib
• Noodler’s Purple Martin
• Stillman & Birn
• Miguelrius
• Staples Arc Collection
• Staples Filler Paper
• Rhodia paper
• Clairefontaine paper
• Levenger True Writer
• Namiki Falcon SF
• Waterman Carene stub
• Noodler’s Black Swan in Australian Roses
• Montblanc Racing Green

Do You Have A Signature Ink?

There is little in life that is more unique than a signature. Unlike fingerprints that are immutable from birth, we get to choose the color by which we are best known as well as the design (signature) by which we are most easily recognized. As testament, my parents have been gone many years but I can still picture their signatures quite vividly. So much else has faded but not that.

Using a real pen with real ink to sign documents may eventually go the way of the dodo bird. Until then, what do you choose in all of inkdom to make your signature memorable? If I had a bottle, Pendemonium‘s Noodler’s Legal Lapis would be mine. In its absence, Noodler’s Ottoman Azure or Diamine Mediterranean Blue will do.

Noodler’s Ottoman Azure with a Brause dip nib and Diamine Mediterranean Blue in a Platinum #3776 Music nib doodled on Clairefontaine GraF it 90g Sketch paper. It has a slightly rough surface well suited to pencil sketching but a little less ideal for pen use. I like the way ink skips over the paper and enjoy the break from perfection found with more fountain pen friendly paper.

Miquelrius Notebooks Are Perfect For Fountain Pens

Some brands of paper accept fountain pen ink without hesitation. Miquelrius is one of them.

Never heard of this company? According to the website, “Miquelrius is a family company whose origins go back to 1839 in Barcelona, Spain.” Its products are available at a variety of retailers but the plain black cover might not stand out on crowded shelves or turn up in an online search. At the price point, it’s worth seeking out and the scan shows why.

This white paper is more lightweight than Black ‘n Red or Staples Arc but show-through and bleed-through were non-existent even from my Namiki Falcon SB gusher. A variety of inks and nibs produced clean margins and no feathering. The 6.5 x 8″, spiral bound, 140 sheet version can easily be written on both sides yielding 280 pages. The edges are colored-coded blue, red, green, and gray for four-subjects should you be so organized. Retail prices vary but I purchased mine on sale at Target for around $4 a few months ago. Now I wish I’d bought a stack of them.

The paper is very smooth. Resistance is absent and makes the paper ideal for long sessions. The number of pages per notebook is significantly greater than comparable products. That’s value for money I appreciate. Line-spacing is 7mm or just over a quarter inch which is fine for most people and suitable for those who write large like me.

The thin-ish paper has a quirk that I like but won’t suit everyone. Pages that have been written on can be seen through an unwritten page. I find that rather charming in a vintage way. In use, it wasn’t off-putting at all but instead made me rather pleased that I’d filled up so many pages. For a writer, that’s a good thing.

In addition to a simple black polyproplyene cover with the MR logo, Miguelrius notebooks come in a variety of patterns though only a few were available at Target. All of those were too cutesy for my taste but they do change offerings from time to time. The next batch might have one that would be just the thing. These notebooks come in several sizes and with different numbers of pages. Some are bound while others are spiral with micro-perforated pages that are hole punched. There are grid versions as well as lined. If you order online, check the specs to ensure you get exactly what you want.

Links to explore: Miquelrius, Target, Barnes & Noble, Amazon.

Links From Pens To Fish To Cursive

Don’t even try to connect the dots but do enjoy this fresh batch of links…

• Word. Notebooks (According to a company rep, the printer says the paper is FP-friendly.)
• Writer’s Bloc Top 10 Fountain Pens
• New Rhodia Products in 2014
• Siamese Fighting Betta Fish
• Wonder Pens in Toronto
• Kate Gladstone on mandating cursive in North Carolina schools
• Edison Pen Company: Learn How To Tune Your Nibs

Moleskine Paper Meets Ink And It Ain’t Pretty

When it comes to stylish, portable notebooks, it’s hard to top Moleskine. However, there is no doubt the paper does not work well with most fountain pens and inks. There are exceptions and that is part of the frustration of loving Moleskine. There is no predicting what will work and what won’t. The scans tell the tale.

This particular Moleskine Reporter has been my testing site for several years and a few pen and ink duos work well enough in it. In fact, ink following along the occasional paper fiber doesn’t bother me. Even the Apica 6A10, my daily journal for many years, does that here and there. It’s the fuzzy outlines I don’t like. If a retailer wants to donate a more recently manufactured Reporter, I would be happy to test the latest paper. Otherwise, these results stand as the best I can produce in a Moleskine.

Not that your favorite pen and ink won’t be fab in these notebooks. Just be prepared to make adjustments, perhaps, going so far as to use something other than a fountain pen. In fact any writing instrument, save a chunky Sharpie or a fountain pen, will work just fine. Bleed-through might be an issue since the paper is very thin, but clear writing on one side is virtually assured.

Caveat emptor, fellow inkophiles.

From Paper To Ink For Your Sunday Links

“Flaneur” is easily my new favorite word…

• Journaling Arts: Review of Stillman & Birn’s Zeta Paper
• James Yu and Magical China Inner painting world
• JustDaveyB: Sailor 1911 Medium Maroon/Gold inked with Pilot iroshizuku murasaki-shikibu
• mantisandme: Oh, Flaneur—
• The Missive Maven: International Geek Girl Pen Pals Club
• Ed Jelley: Lamy 2000 Fountain Pen – Handwritten Review