There are times when you want to write your experiences, and then there are times when you want to have a writing experience. For the latter, only the finest pen, ink and paper will do. For your paper choice, I would highly recommend you consider an Itoya Romeo notebook. While they are not easy to find and certainly aren’t cheap, they have some of my favorite paper that is truly different from any other paper I’ve used.
First Impressions
I first came across the Romeo notebook in a shop in San Francisco called Topdrawer, which is an American Itoya brand store. They had a sample along with a few fountain pens to test it with. I’m always looking for a good fountain pen friendly notebook, so I gave it a try. I couldn’t believe how smooth the paper felt! I definitely wasn’t expecting to come across such nice paper.
Once I got over my initial shock at how nice the paper was, I took a look at the notebook itself. The paper is noticeably thicker than most notebook paper. The cover design and material is quite classy and attractive. Once you open up the cover, you’ll be greeted with an interesting first page. While it is definitely interesting to look at, I think it can also serve as blotting paper, but unless you tear it out it will only work for the first page of the notebook.
The Details
Let’s take a closer look at this notebook and see what it’s all about.
- Pages: 70
- Paper Weight: 109.2gsm
- Binding: Spiral
- Page Style: Lined (7mm), Dot, Grid, Blank
- Size: A4, A5, B5, B6
Ink-handling characteristics (A table with the following properties can be found at the bottom of this post)
- Sheen: High
- Shading: High
- Bleeding: Low
- Ghosting: Low
- Feathering: Very Low
- Dry Time: High
Other features
- Double spiral binding
- Interesting first page
- Cream colored paper
- Attractive cover design
Actual Use
Let’s start with a discussion about the notebook itself before we get to the paper. As I mentioned, I really like the overall design and feel of the notebook. The graphics on the cover are gold foil and add a nice accent without being distracting. The cover material looks and feels nice. It is stiff enough that you can use the notebook without a hard surface underneath it. Finally, the spiral binding is very nice and allows the notebook to open up very smoothly and lay flat. Other than that, there aren’t really any other features to this notebook.
Now let’s talk about the paper. To say that I love writing on this paper is an understatement. It is silky smooth, but not slick like some papers (I’m thinking of Clairefontaine Triomphe). Writing on it feels incredibly luxurious. It has a light cream color and the lines are a light grey. It has small margins at the top and bottom that are noted by a slightly darker grey line.
This paper handles fountain pen ink very well. About the only drawback it has is that ink can take quite a while to dry, but it does have shorter dry times than Tomoe River. Fortunately, those longer dry times lead to great sheen. This paper also has great shading that is better than what I’ve experienced with Tomoe River.
The weight of the paper makes it very resistant to ghosting. Writing on both sides of a page should not be a problem. Since the paper is fairly expensive, this is definitely a good thing. I did experience a bit of bleeding with heavy applications of super-saturated inks, but almost all of my pens and inks behaved well. I didn’t observe any feathering in any writing samples. In general, you should expect very good performance from this paper unless you use very wet pens with highly saturated inks. Even so, the bleeding isn’t enough to deter me from using this paper with any combination of pen and ink that I want.
Conclusion
I’ve tried out a lot of different fountain pen friendly papers and notebooks and it takes quite a bit to surprise me, not to mention impress me. When I first tried out the Romeo notebook in the store, I was shocked at how smooth it felt to write on. Once I got home and wrote in it some more, I was amazed at how much I enjoyed writing in it every time I sat down and used it.
If you like a lot of extra features in a notebook, the Itoya Romeo probably isn’t the best choice for you. It has no page marker, elastic closure, page numbers, back pocket or index. What it does have is a simple, clean design and amazing paper. The paper is unlike any other paper I’ve used. It is smooth without being slick. Its heavy weight and creamy color make it look and feel extremely luxurious.
In my Tomoe Paper review, I compared it to a sports car. I would compare the paper in the Romeo notebook to a high-end luxury car. No matter which pen you’re using, it glides across the surface and feels wonderful. Writing becomes an elevated experience, even more so than just using a fountain pen. For me, writing in a Romeo notebook is something that I look forward to and savor.
Interested in trying out a Romeo notebook? You should be. They are simply amazing. Unfortunately, they are quite difficult to find. If you’re lucky enough to live in San Francisco, head over to Topdrawer. They don’t always have them in stock and when they get them they sell out fast, so you might want to call ahead. Other cities that have a shop that sells items from Itoya might have them as well. I found them for sale on the the Itoya web site, but have never tried ordering from it. Also, it should be noted that this is not the same notebook as the Itoya Oasis, which can be found on Amazon and is not made with the same paper. No matter where you find it, I hope you get a chance to try one out someday. Happy hunting!
***UPDATE: I was recently in San Francisco and stopped by Topdrawer to see if I could pick up a few more notebooks. They said that if you call and they do have them in stock, they will gladly ship your purchase to you anywhere in the United States. I haven’t tried to order one over the phone yet, but hopefully if you want to try one out you can get one shipped to you and save yourself a trip to SF.***
If you’d like a bit more information about how I test papers and notebooks, I wrote an article about my paper rating system.
Interested in trying this paper before buying a notebook? Head over to my shop and pick up a paper sample pack.
Itoya Romeo Notebook
Fountain Pen Love Overall Rating
Pros: Amazing paper to write on, excellent performance
Cons: Expensive, hard to find, longer dry times
Value Rating: 3.57 Stars, Cost per A5 sheet: $0.21
Who this notebook is for: People who want the best writing experience possible
Upgrade to this notebook from: Life Noble Note or Clairefontaine Triomphe
Upgrade from this notebook to: None that I can think of
Comments 10
Mmmmm. I agree with your assessment. It may even be worth going with a spiral notebook just to get this paper.
Author
Definitely, Stacy. It’s a bummer that you have to fight the spiral, but the paper makes it worth it.
O.K. I am not at all wild about the spiral notebook part, but I just ordered two – one ruled and one squared – both in A5 from Topdrawer. As a paper snob who has favored TR 52gsm for years, this will be an interesting test for me.
Author
You’ll definitely have a different experience than with TR. Hope you enjoy it!
Look what I found, John!!
https://www.amazon.com/Romeo-W-Ring-Notebook-B6-Grid/dp/B072QWMSTX/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?dchild=1&keywords=itoya+romeo+notebook&qid=1623771166&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUFPSjczWVNLNjVBWFYmZW5jcnlwdGVkSWQ9QTAwMjQxNTgyVDZQQVZFS1JGWUUxJmVuY3J5cHRlZEFkSWQ9QTAxOTU5MzEyUTZVUjRLWFZNWjRVJndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3BfYXRmJmFjdGlvbj1jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==
Cannot wait to order one of these bad boys!
Author
That’s great, Dan! I had no idea that Top Drawer sold products on Amazon. Hope you enjoy it!
Thanks for the good review. I LOVE this paper; it’s one of the best fountain-pen papers I’ve found (for my uses, anyway).
Author
You’re welcome, Max. Glad to hear there are other Romeo fans out there.
I’ve been looking for some really good paper for fountain pens. To me, the experience of writing, with shading, sheen, the feel of the nib on the paper, etc., is everything. I was very happy to come across your intensive reviews of so many notebooks. Your reviews are so detailed, I feel more confident when trying out a new notebook, because I at least have an idea of how it will be. I found two Logical Prime notebooks in my desk drawer that I had previously cast aside as being too slick. Because of your review, I tried one of those notebooks again, and was pleasantly surprised to find that despite the smoothness of the paper, it actually seems to have a bit of tooth and is pretty nice to write on. Still in search of the “perfect” notebook, I also ordered an Itoya Romeo A5 lined spiral notebook. If the paper is as good as you say it is, I won’t mind the spiral at all. Thanks for such detailed reviews, John!
Author
Glad you gave the Logical Prime a second try and are enjoying it! I hope you like the Romeo paper. It is definitely unique, but one of my favorites. Happy writing!