Last week I stopped by a charming gift and coffee shop, Marie et Cie, for a Café Americano and a stroll through the lovely gifts and household items. Amongst the stacks of candles, books, greeting cards, and journals, I found a journal I’d never seen before from a Canadian company called Cartolina Cards. Drawn to the lively cover art though expecting the usual mediocre paper, I picked one up for inspection.
Cartolina Note Book
On the back amongst other bits of information, I discovered that the 4 x 6″, 64 page, blank book is made from 100% recycled paper and printed with soy ink. The cover design was created by graphic designer and company founder Fiona Richards. Wow, is she talented! All four designs carried by Marie et Cie are fresh, colorful and a welcome change from the usual black covers most journals sport. An online search revealed nine designs to date. At $4 per single book or $12 for three, they are priced competitively.
The paper banner across the front is removable so all that remains is the word Notes. Actually I wish that was also removable since it looks like a small sticky note and detracts from the cover art. Placed at an angle and off-center might make it fit the design better but this is not a big quibble.
Cartolina Note Book Full Cover
Remember my expectation of “the usual mediocre paper”? Amazingly, the heavy paper is extremely fountain pen friendly. What a surprise! Not one of the first eight inks and pens I tested feathered or bled, not even a hint under magnification. There was a very tiny amount of feathering with a very wet Waterman 52V loaded with Waterman Blue Black ink but that pen feathers on lots of brands of paper. So that’s not an issue for me.
Cartolina Ink Test
The unlined paper does not have a super smooth surface like Clairefontaine but has more the texture of an Apica 6A10 though white like Rhodia. In a larger size, I would enjoy it for drawing. This is the first Canadian paper I’ve tried and I am duly impressed.
Unfortunately, the build quality isn’t exciting. The card stock cover is decent for card stock but not really durable. The cool white paper is attached with only two simple staples that you can see in the second image. The size is good for travel but the journal just isn’t sturdy enough for the abuse it would receive in my handbag. Besides I wouldn’t want to damage the cover art so this journal will remain safe on my home desk out of harm’s way. Actually I would do that with it anyway just to enjoy the beautiful cover art.
With some careful bending, the journal can be made to lay fairly flat but not nearly as flat as a Moleskine cahier. With my large writing, I might turn it sideways making a 6 x 8″ surface and write from top to bottom. Since there was virtually no show-through with my test inks, this option would suit me better.
The Cartolina Note Book has some market penetration in the U.S., Australia, England, and Canada. Plus there is at least one online source at greetQ and it is currently offering free shipping on orders of $30 or more. Or you could watch for them at small stores and gift shops in your neighborhood. You might get lucky like I did. Better yet, make your own luck and ask your favorite local paper shop to stock them. Inkophiles need paper, too.
More at StyleAtHome.com.
