Plotter Review

Plotter came onto the stationery scene in 2017 and introduced a new ring-binder system for people to use. Born in Japan, it’s no surprise that the paper used by Plotter works works with fountain pens. How well does it handle fountain pens? That’s what I’m here to find out. I’m not going to review or comment on the actual Plotter system, but I will at least touch on the different size and insert options that are available.

First Impressions

The Plotter refills I have purchased to use in sample packs are the A5 Memo Pad, so that’s pretty much my only experience with Plotter refills. They make a good first impression. The orange cover looks great and has a nice orange-peel finish. Plotters font and design choice really compliment their overall aesthetic. The paper feels nice and smooth and has a greenish-ivory tint that is similar to Midori MD but is lighter.

This insert shows how the notebook might be used

Here’s some of the info on the cover

Each notebook comes with holes for the Plotter system

The Details

• Pages: 160 (80 sheets)
• Paper Weight: 60 gsm
• Binding: glue/ring
• Page Style: Lined, Dot, Grid, Blank, Other
• Size: A5, other non-standard sizes

Ink-handling characteristics (A table with the following properties can be found at the bottom of this post)

• Sheen: Average
• Shading: High
• Bleeding: Very Low
• Ghosting: High
• Feathering: Very Low
• Dry Time: High

Other features

• Proprietary ring-binding system
• Variety of different paper layouts and tools
• Glue binding makes for easy page removal

Each sheet has the type printed on it for reference

Actual Use

Although Plotter says that their refills can be used as standalone notebooks, I personally wouldn’t recommend it. They have a front and back cover, along with a glue binding that is fairly sturdy, but with prolonged use I’m pretty sure they would just fall apart. The pages are meant to be easily removed, and they are. With that being said, what are they like? They open and lay flat pretty easily, which is important since they are meant to be used in a ring binder. There is no table of contents or anything like that in the Memo refills, just paper. There are many ruling options for the Memo refills:

• Plain (blank)
• 2mm Grid (both white and blue paper)
• 5mm Dot Grid
• 6mm Lined
• Chart Grid (with 4mm grid)
• To-Do List

The notebooks lay flat very easily

The pages tear out easily

Speaking of many options, Plotter also offers a variety of size options. The A5 is the only standard size available. The others are all smaller than A5. You can see all of the size options on Plotters site. Again, I won’t offer any thoughts on the size options since everyone has different needs. It looks like the basic lined and grid layouts are available in all sizes.

The dot grid layout has bold dots on each side and in the center

Here’s a better look

So what’s the paper like? I really like it. It handles fountain pens really well. Sheen is average and shading is high, so your inks will look great. Ghosting is a little higher than I would like, though, and dry times are high. Still, with no observed feathering or bleedthrough, it’s a solid paper.

Plotter writing test: Front

Plotter writing test: Back

Conclusion

If you’re looking for a notebook system, Plotter would be a great option to consider. I personally don’t currently have a need for a binder system, so it’s not going to become my new paper of choice, but it’s nice to know that it exists. I really like all of the different layouts and sizes that are available in the Plotter system. I can see why so many people are big fans! The paper handles fountain pens very well and shows off inks quite nicely.

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.