If you have a special someone in your life who is a fan of fountain pens, choosing the perfect gift for them might seem impossible. Pen users and collectors can be quite opinionated about what they like and prefer to use. I know that my wife has a really hard time buying gifts for me, either because I’m very picky …
The Minimalism Art notebook is a faux-leather clad notebook with a feel that is more luxurious than its cost. It is filled with heavy paper, has a good number of options and comes in many different colors. Is this notebook all looks or is it great for use with fountain pens as well? First Impressions The first thing I noticed …
The Kokuyo Campus notebook is a no-frills, fountain pen friendly notebook. Many people also consider it to be a great notebook for anyone who doesn’t want to spend a lot on nice paper. I found some for sale the last time I was in San Francisco’s Japantown and picked one up to try it out myself. Read on to hear …
If you have a variety of different inks and sometimes have trouble remembering what they look like or which are your favorites, you might consider creating a fountain pen ink journal. An ink journal can take on a few different forms. In this article I’ll describe a few different ways to make an ink journal, as well as suggesting some …
You may have noticed that when fountain pen ink gets wet, it can sometimes separate out into different colors. This might happen when you’re cleaning your pens or just playing with some ink and water on paper. The reason this happens is because ink can be made up of different base colors. For example, green ink might consist of both …
When you look online for budget notebook recommendations, one of the most recommended is a Black n’ Red Spiral Notebook. Not only are they supposed to be very fountain pen friendly, but they’re also carried by many different office supply stores, which means that you can usually purchase one in person instead of online. Are they worth all the fuss? …
I recently had the pleasure of taking a long, much-needed vacation in Paris. While I was there, I couldn’t pass up exploring the many different locations around the city that sell fountain pens. I was surprised to find that fountain pens are found in many more places around Paris than just in specialty shops. Most department stores and stationery shops …
If you’ve used fountain pens for any amount of time, you’ve probably heard of Tomoe River paper. If you haven’t heard of it before, it is widely regarded as one of the best and most fountain pen friendly papers around. People love it for many different reasons. One reason is that it is very thin, which means notebooks or letters …
I recently posted a review of the Leuchtturm1917 Softcover notebook and gave it high marks for the paper quality. Specifically, I was impressed with the great shading and lack of feathering or bleeding that the paper showed. Shortly after posting that review, I heard from a few people who had vastly different experiences with their Leuchtturm notebooks. I also realized …
Recently, I have found myself really gravitating towards paper. While a great fountain pen experience requires a good pen, ink and paper, I’ve been focusing on trying out as many different types of paper as possible lately. I feel like many people don’t appreciate just how good (or bad) different papers can be. Because of this, I’m going to try …