Miquelrius Notebooks Are Perfect For Fountain Pens
04/28/2013Some 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.
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Miquelrius has been one of my favorites since graduate school time. In additional to the paper quality, the whimsical designs often catch my eyes. It does have a series of notebooks that are made with recycled paper, and surprisingly, they take fountain pens well too.
Thank you for a nice read!
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You are most welcome and thanks for the feedback on the recycled paper. I had wondered about how well it would stand up to fountain pen ink. Now I know it’s worth buying.
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Please, could you provide a photo or link to which reference is it? Miquelrius has lots of pads…
Shangching, surprising to be good for fountain pens a recicled paper! Can you put here the reference?
Thank you both 🙂
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The back of the notebook reads “Item #42236, Md Nbk Hemisphere 4 Subj”. The cover is black opaque polypropylene and it has a black spiral binding. I did not see it on the US website so it might be a product exclusive to Target and available only in stores.
I bought a Miquelrius notebook a number of years ago and the paper was just as good with fountain pen ink as is the recently purchased one. The only objection some folks might have is that the paper is thin so writing is visible through it. Ink doesn’t bleed through so the paper meets my criteria for usefulness.
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Thank you, I’ll try to find using that reference 🙂
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Hi Papish,
It seems that Miquelrius no longer carries the notebook I currently have, but there are similar ones, like the one shown here: http://www.shopmiquelrius.com/servlet/the-531/100-pct–Recycled-Notebook-MR/Detail
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Thank you for sharing other option 🙂
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I’ve been using & loving Miquelrius notebooks for years – since before I started using fountain pens. The fountain pen friendliness is a wonderful bonus!
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Hi Beth! It seems wrong to say I remember your first Lamy but I do. 🙂
Since you have experience using Miquelrius with writing implements other than fountain pens, may I ask are there any that don’t work well on this brand of paper?
M
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[…] Miquelrius notebooks are perfect for fountain pens (so says Inkophile) […]
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I was just wandering the aisles of my local stores looking for fountain pen friendly notebook paper. I needed something that would be slightly more economical for morning pages, but still nice enough for other functions. The Miquelrius made my short list so it’s nice to read a good review. :0)
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Depending on your choice of ink and pen, there might be some show-through. I have some notebook paper from Staples that was manufactured in Brazil that is inexpensive and performs well. So that would be another economical option. Black n’ Red costs a little more but performs even better. Staples Arc notebooks are good as well. Good to have choices, eh?
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I wish I would have bought several too. Target is out and not sure if they will get more till the new school year. Let me know if you find them online or at a store. I live the spiral easy to turn the pages. Nothing is just the right size for purse and all my personal and business tasks.
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