Notebook Review: Ayush Paper Fountain Pen Books

Ayush Paper Fountain Pen Books

Do you know what makes me happy aside from fountain pens and ink? Paper. Fountain pen-friendly paper. I don't like seeing my pens and ink feather or bleed on the paper I am using so I make sure most of my pads and notebooks take on water-based fountain pen inks seriously. I prefer notebooks and pads with high-quality paper that will stand up to the wetness of my fountain pens' medium, broad, and stub nibs. I also like writing on either side of my notebooks' pages, so the paper must be really, really resistant to feathering and bleeding.

I came across a paper product on Instagram that claims to be fountain pen friendly and thought I'll give it a try. I learned that the makers of this paper product also sell their own sketchbooks and canvases. Ayush Surana of Ayush Paper from India sent me three of their notebooks produced for fountain pen use and I am impressed at the quality of their 100gsm paper. My fountain pens are happy, too!

I got three Ayush Paper Fountain Pen Books: A4 (blank), A5 (ruled), and pocket (dotted).

Ayush Paper offers the Fountain Pen Books in A4, A5, and pocket sizes. Each Fountain Pen Book size is available in blank, dotted, grid, and ruled pages. I like that Ayush color-coded their Fountain Pen Books according to their sizes. The back cover includes an image of the inside pages to indicate if the notebook is blank, dotted, grid, or ruled.

Each Fountain Pen Book contains 50 sheets of 100gsm natural shade paper that handles fountain pen use very well. 

The back covers of Fountain Pen Books offer a full description of the notebooks and indicate their inside pages.

Unlike some fountain pen-friendly paper brands, the paper used in Ayush Paper's Fountain Pen Books is not too smooth. It feels a little bit like sketch paper, and I like it that way. The paper takes ink well and shows shading, too. I also like that the natural shade paper complements the color of the inks I use in my fountain pens.

The natural shade paper in Fountain Pen Books is not too smooth, but my pens wrote a lot better in it.

I'm glad that Ayush sent me a blank A4 notebook. I am planning to turn these sheets into a couple of stapled pocket notebooks.

He also sent ruled and dotted notebooks. The spacing for the ruled pages is 9mm, and 5mm for dotted and grid pages.

All pages in the Fountain Pen Books are perforated so they can be torn off easily. 

To test the 100gsm paper in this Fountain Pen Books, I used a whole page for some of my inked pens. Ayush Paper is impressive! I used most of my medium to double broad nibs and they all wrote so well.  The paper showed the shading in some of my inks, and I did not see any feathering or bleeding even with my wettest broad and italic nibs.

My medium to double broad nibs wrote so well in Ayush paper and I didn't get any feathering or bleeding. The left photo has my pen and ink tests, and the right photo shows the underside of the test page.

I love writing in this Ayush Paper Fountain Pen Book. It's not too smooth, but my TWSBI fountain pen wrote smoothly in it.

I love Ayush Paper and the Fountain Pen Books! I love the excellent quality fountain pen-friendly paper used in these notebooks. I'm sure they will be perfect for some artwork and ink tests. Do you want to write on good-quality paper and never worry about bleeding and feathering? Get your own FOuntain Pen Books now!

Rants of The Archer thanks Ayush Paper for providing the Fountain Pen Books in this review. Visit their website to learn more about their products. For more updates, follow Ayush Paper on social media:

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ayushpapers/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ayushpaper24/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/AyushPaper
• Pinterest: https://in.pinterest.com/asurana0304/_created/
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrqUu6qj-J5uL1lwvIZyLqA

Notebook Review: LeStallion Ariegeois Ashgray Black A5 Notebook

Ariegeois Ashgray Black A5 Notebook from LeStallion's Equine Collection

"I was always fascinated by the fact that you could take paper and ink and create worlds, images, characters. It seemed like magic."  ~ Carlos Ruiz Zafon

One of my favorite authors said it best. Like him, I have always loved paper and paper products, notebooks, and stationery. I have always been fascinated by paper and how people use it in their daily lives. To me, paper and notebooks are the keepers of my ideas, plans, and activities. They are the guardians of my innermost, most intimate thoughts. 

Again, as a fountain pen user, it's always a happy surprise when I find notebooks with fountain pen-friendly paper. I prefer pads and notebooks with high-quality paper that will stand up to the wetness of my fountain pens' medium, broad, and stub nibs. I like to write on either side of the page, so the paper must be resistant to feathering and bleeding. Nowadays, searching for such products is not a tall order anymore. One of the new notebook brands that I met through Instagram is LeStallion from Sydney, Australia. LeStallion notebooks are equine-inspired, and their Equine Collection has four beautiful, study, well-made notebooks that can also be used for bullet journaling.

The notebooks in the Equine Collection have soft textured faux leather. They are velvety and smooth to touch. LeStallion's logo is imprinted on the lower right corner of the front cover.

LeStallion is imprinted on the notebbok's lower back cover.

LeStallion's Equine Collection has four premium A5 notebooks. They are Ariegeois (Ashgray Black), Galloway (Khaki White), Henson (Desert Brown), and Garrano (Cocoa Brown). These notebooks have 216 numbered pages of 120gsm wood-free ivory paper that handles the juiciest and wettest nibs that I have tested on it with minimal ghosting and bleed. 

The Ariegeois looks sharp with the stylish faux leather cover. It's well-made and sturdy with extra leather thickness, tight string binding, and improved gluing.

I love the color page edging that LeStallion uses in their premium notebooks. I don't see this technique often, and it adds beauty to this notebook's character.

The Ariegeois notebook and its equine paper siblings have all the features that make it the perfect notebook. It has an elegant inside front cover with space for the owner to write their contact details, a built-in Table of Contents to keep track of important contents, a metallic page marker, and a rear folder storage pocket. 

The inside cover page of LeStallion notebooks has space for the owner's personal details.

I like the built-in Table of Contents in this notebook. It's a useful feature for bullet journaling or to simply keep track of the notebook's contents.

The Ariegeois has a brown ribbon marker with a shiny metallic charm.

The rear folder storage pocket is useful in keeping bits and pieces of paper, cards, receipts, and other ephemera.

I tested LeStallion's 120gsm paper in this Ariegeois notebook using a whole page for most of my inked pens. The ivory paper showed the shading in some of my inked pens, and my pens wrote smoothly. There wasn't any feathering or bleeding in my medium and broad nibs except for the board nib in my BENU Europhoria fountain pen.

Pen and ink tests in LeStallion Ariegeois notebook. All pens—except for the bottom one—wrote smoothly and did not feather or bleed.

Here's the back page of the pen and ink test. Except for the bottom pen, all of the other pens did not feather or bleed.

I love this notebook! I love LeStallion's premium notebooks, their overall look, and the fountain pen-friendly paper. I will use it for some serious journaling and this notebook's pages will hold some precious contents. Do you want to write on smooth paper and never worry about bleeding and feathering? Get a LeStallion notebook now!

Rants of The Archer thanks LeStallion for providing the Ariegeois Ashgray Black A5 Notebook in this review. Visit their website and Amazon store to learn more about their products and new brand offerings. LeStallion offers worldwide shipping through Amazon where the Ariegeois sells for US$19.95. For more updates, follow LeStallion on social media:

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LeStallionNotebooks/
• Instagram: hhttps://www.instagram.com/lestallion.notebooks/
• Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.ph/LestallionNotebooks/_created/
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQIrIflAQjk8JSw7aURE89A

Notebook Review: LiveNotes Notebooks by PenGallery

LiveNotes notebooks, Pen Gallery exclusives

When you use fountain pens, it's always a joyous event when you find a paper product that tolerates fountain pen writing. After shifting to using fountain pens for everyday writing, I stopped looking at beautiful and colorful notebooks and pads. I always check the paper quality before buying them. Imagine my happiness when I received Pen Gallery's LiveNotes notebooks! LiveNotes are exclusively produced and sold by the Malaysian store using the well-known fountain pen friendly Tomoe River paper. The series offer notepads and notebooks in different sizes, all with 68gsm Tomoe River paper.

Created especially for fountain pen lovers, LiveNotes are available in the following formats and sizes: Notepad A4, Notebooks in B5, B6, A5, and A6, TN regular refill, TN passport refill, ink diary, and wire-bound hardcover A5 notebook.

LiveNotes Notebook A5 Purple Mangis

Of all notebook sizes out there, the A5 (5.8 × 8.3 inches) is my favorite for writing. My notebooks for journaling, daily notes, work notes, ink diary, and health tracking are all in A5. To me, the A5 size is like a large room with enough space for everything—it's large enough for my notes and doodles. LiveNotes A5 is such a nice notebook because it has 68gsm Tomoe River paper with 5mm dot grid. It's not thick even though it has 64 pages or 16 sheets of paper. It's perfect for diary keeping, junk journals, and bullet journaling. LiveNotes A5 notebook is also available in blue, green, and orange covers.

LiveNotes A5 Notebook in Purple Manggis (mangosteen)

LiveNotes Notebook B6 Green

LiveNotes notebooks are also available in B6 size (4.9 × 6.9 inches). This notebook is smaller than the A5, but larger than the usual pocket-sized notebooks. I haven't tried B6 notebooks before, and I find this bright green one perfect for daily notes and lists, but I want to make it my "quotes journal." I love writing down quotes from famous personalities, books, movies, and even from my favorite Netflix series (Hello, Good Witch!). I'll collect my favorite quotes and write them in this B6 notebook. Similar to the A5 Purple Manggis, this B6 Green notebook has 64 pages of 68gsm Tomoe River paper with 5mm dot grid. 

LiveNotes B6 Notebook in Green

LiveNotes Notebook A6 Pink

This pocket-sized A6 (4.1 × 5.8 inches) LiveNotes notebook is so handy and useful! It's small compared with its A5 and B6 cousins, but it fits into small bags, and can even be an insert inside my A5 notebooks. This notebook is perfect for lists, random notes, and reminders. I have written my list of medications and emergency numbers in this notebook and I'm keeping it in my daily carry. And because this notebook has Tomoe River paper, I can now use a fountain pen in writing down notes while I'm at the grocery or drugstore. Pen Gallery lists this notebook's cover as pink, but my camera interpreted it as orange. Pink or orange, I don't mind as long as it has Tomoe River paper.  

Live Notes A6 Notebook in Pink

I have a number of notebooks with 52gsm Tomoe River paper, and sometimes I still get bad ink bleed or feathering. LiveNotes has 68gsm Tomoe River paper, and writing on it is a different experience. My pens' nibs simply glide on this smooth, luxurious paper. Some of my pens with scratchy nibs wrote smoothly on this paper.

LiveNotes notebooks use 68gsm Tomoe River paper with 5mm dot grid

To test the 68gsm Tomoe River paper in LiveNotes notebooks, I used a whole page in the A5 Purple Manggis to test most of my inked pens. This paper really showed the shading in some of my inks, and all of my pens wrote so smoothly! Even the scratchy ones! 

Pen and ink tests in LIveNotes notebooks' 68gsm Tomoe River paper.

Look! No bleed! Err—Baystate Blue bled. But BSB bleeds on almost anything! 

Of all the 38 pens I tested on this paper, only the Lamy Vista bled because it was filled with the notorious Noodler's Baystate Blue. 

I love all the LiveNotes notebooks and will definitely get some when I use them all. They are friendly to fountain pens, useful, handy, and affordable. The LiveNotes A5 costs ~US$3.14, while the B6 is priced at US$2.90, and the A6 at US$2.31. Do you want to write on smooth paper and never worry about bleed tough and feathering? Get LiveNotes notebooks!

Rants of The Archer thanks Pen Gallery for providing the LiveNotes notebooks in this review. Visit their website to learn more about their products and new brand offerings. offers worldwide shipping. For more updates, follow Pen Gallery on social media:

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pengallery/
• Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/pengallery/

Notebook Review: Maruman Mnemosyne N196A Notepad

Do you know what makes fountain pen users happy? Fountain pens, of course. But do you know what makes fountain pen users happier? Excellent, good-quality fountain pen friendly paper. Paper products come in different types and sizes, and not all are suitable for fountain pen writing. Aside from paper quality, I also consider the size, durability, and availability of a paper product. While most of my notebooks and pads are in A5 size, I'm also using a B6 notebook and notepad from Maruman's Mnemosyne line. I like these B6 notebooks because they are portable and so easy to stash inside my backpack, use for notetaking, and create lists.  

The Mnemosyne range of products is simple, functional, and excellent notebooks from Japan's Maruman Corporation. These notebooks with ultra-smooth paper are all manufactured in Japan using Maruman's original paper. Named after the Greek goddess of memory, Maruman's Mnemosyne has four characteristics: paper (uses original and exclusive Maruman Paper Series for Notebooks), design (simple design, yet very unique), variety (available in a variety of sizes and paper styles), and quality (proudly made in Japan under thorough quality management). I have a couple of Maruman paper products to test, and I chose the N196A B6 Notepad for my first Mnemosyne product review. I like this portable, top-bound spiral notepad that reminds me of steno notebooks.

Maruman created Mnemosyne with a simple design. The sleek black cover is quietly accentuated with the gold Mnemosyne logo.

The Mnemosyne N196A has the following specifications and features:

• Size: B6 | 5 in x 7.5 in 
• Cover material: plastic (front) and thick board (back)
• Binding: top-bound; coated twin ring (black)
• Number of pages: 100 | 50 sheets
• Paper weight: 80 gsm
• Paper type: Maruman Paper Series for Notebooks (MPS-N)
• Page style: ruled/lined; 7 mm
• Page features: perforation; date and title boxes on top of each page
• Other features: environmentally friendly premium paper engineered for smooth writing, acid-free, and works well with fountain pens

Mnemosyne 196 Notepad is top-bound, and the spiral binding is a sturdy coated twin ring that won't snag or easily get deformed. 

The covers and pages of this notebook are cut into semi-rounded corners, which is a nice feature. Sharp page corners fray easily and sometimes cut into palms or hands as one writes. Pulling out the notebook from a bag is also easier.

I like this thick back cover because it's sturdy and gives the notebook stability. I could also use it as a writing surface if needed.

The 196 Notepad's black plastic cover opens to a bright, happy, yellow inside cover page. It is blank, except for the Mnemosyne logo at the bottom. It's a perfect page for some ink art. 

Mnemosyne uses the special Maruman Paper Series for Notebooks (MPS-N) which is engineered for a smooth writing experience. This Maruman-original paper is highly suitable for comfortable writing with different writing instruments such as fountain pens, ballpoint pens, and pencils. MPS-N is acid-free and environmentally friendly as it is made from planted (farmed, I guess) trees. The MPS writing paper is available in different weights—60 gsm, 70 gsm, 80 gsm, and 90 gsm. The MPS-N paper used in Mnemosyne 196 is 80 gsm, which is of higher quality and guarantees no ink bleeding. There is also the MPS-D which is MPS for drawing paper, MPS-W for watercolor, and MPS-C for Croquis, mainly for pencils and sketching.

The Mnemosyne 196 Notepad's pages are ruled/lined in the popular 7 mm spacing. Each page contains  21 lines with each seventh line printed in a thicker weight, dividing the page into three sections. Maruman says that this design makes it easy to organize information. Some people are bothered by this style, but I just fill the page and hardly notice the thick lines—or the page divisions. 

The pages of this Mnemosyne notepad has the popular 7 mm spacing. There are 21 lines on each page, with each seventh line printed in a thicker weight, dividing the page into three sections for easy organization.

At the top of each page are boxes for the date, number of entries, and the title of the entry.

Unlike most notebooks with continuous line ruling, Maruman used dotted lines. The faint gray lines are perfect for writing and notetaking.

The pages in the Mnemosyne notepad are perforated, so it's easy to just tear a page off.

Maruman's MPS-N paper is ultra-smooth and has excellent quality for writing. To test the MPS-N paper, I used various combinations of fountain pens and inks, gel pens, ballpoint, and a Sharpie. My fountain pen nib preference has always been B (broad), and most of the pens I tested have either a broad or stub nib. In the pen and ink tests below, I noticed that most of the fountain pens did not bleed or feather, except for three pens with minor bleeding—two with very wet nibs, and one with a sharp italic nib. I'm still very happy with this notebook's paper despite this minor flaw. I'm glad I saw it so I can avoid using the particular pen and ink combination in this notebook. The paper is also great with the other pens I tested, and the Pilot G2 1.0 just glided smoothly as I wrote. If I were not a fountain pen user, the Mnemosyne + Pilot G2 1.0 will be my perfect paper and pen combo! Now I understand why so many people prefer using Mnemosyne notebooks—the paper is just excellent! 

Pen and ink tests on the Mnemosyne's MPS-N paper. No feathering, just a bit of bleeding, but ultra-smooth paper is perfect for any pen type!

I wrote a full-page using a TWSBI 530 with a medium nib filled with Iroshizuku Asa-gao. The writing experience is extraordinary! The pen just glided on paper while I wrote.

Mnemosyne notepad, fountain pen, blue ink. Lovely, useful combination.

The Mnemosyne 196 B6 is an excellent notepad/notebook that is well-built for writing. The front and back covers are strong and thick enough to protect the pages inside and be a writing surface if needed. This notepad is portable and can easily fit into backpacks, computer bags, or handbags. The 80 gsm MPS-N paper is excellent for writing, and it's fountain pen friendly. Get one for your pens!

Learn more about Mnemosyne notebooks from the Maruman website or follow them on social media:

• Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/maruman.usa/)
• Twitter (https://www.instagram.com/maruman.usa/)

My deepest gratitude to Maruman USA for sending the Mnemosyne N196A B6 Notepad in this review.

Notebook Review: Buke Owl Dot Grid Journal

It's always a joy finding beautiful notebooks with good quality paper that takes fountain pen writing really well. Getting them from local sellers? That's a godsend! I first heard about Owl Dot Grid Journals in our local fountain pen group, and later read good reviews from bullet journal enthusiasts. As I'm a broad and stub nib user, I got very curious about the notebook's 160gsm paper. I connected with Calligraphy Source, the local sellers of Owl Journals in the Philippines, and I got a yellow notebook to review a few days later.

Owl Bullet Journals are made by Buke Notebook, and they are available in the Philippines through Calligraphy Source in black, peach, turquoise, and yellow covers.  I was surprised by the yellow Owl Journal when I received it, but I like the lemon yellow cover and it makes me think of happy things to write on it.

The lemon yellow Owl Dot Grid Journal by Buke Notebook.

The Owl Journal's band has a surprise! The backside of the band has some handy tools that one can easily stash in the notebook's back pocket. There is a line weight guide, a protractor (measuring instrument for angles), and a paper compass.   

The Owl Dot Grid Journal is available in A5 size with a supple, silky, fine PU hardcover. Each notebook has 160 pages (80 sheets) of 160gsm ultra-thick bamboo paper and an expandable inner pocket in the inside back cover. It also has a matching elastic band, ribbon pagemarker, and pen loop. This notebook's pages are Smyth sewn (thread-stitched) and lays flat when open for easy writing. 

I love the lemon yellow cover of my Owl notebook. I can't remember having a yellow notebook before.

The Owl logo/branding is embossed in gold on the front cover. I hope it won't be scratched off later.

The logo of Buke Notebook is imprinted on the back cover.

The Owl Journal is thicker than most A5 notebooks because of its 160gsm paper. But the PU hardcover is supple so the notebook still lays flat when open.

The matching elastic closure of the Owl notebook is firm and strong to hold the covers and pages together.

The Owl Journal has round page corners. No sharp, pointed corners that get frayed and worn down easily.

The pages of this notebook are thread-stitched so they are secure and will not fall off the binding easily due to use.

The yellow Owl Journal has a matching ribbon pagemarker, just like its matching elastic band and pen loop.

The pen loop in this notebook is a nice touch. It keeps a pen handy all the time.

The inside cover page of the Owl Journal is blank. I was looking for the usual space to write my name and contact details. This is perfect for sketches and some ink art, though.

The Owl Journal has an expandable inner pocket attached to the back cover. 

Buke Notebook's Owl Dot Grid Journal has 160 pages (80 sheets) of 160gsm Ultra paper. Buke Notebook claims that the Ultra paper is excellent for fountains pens and ink, and does not show any feathering and bleeding. The dot grid in this notebook's pages is the standard 0.5x0.5mm spacing. The dots are printed in light gray so they are unobtrusive on the page while writing.

The Ultra paper used in Buke journals is excellent! To test the paper, I tried writing on it using my inked fountain pens, some gel pens, and a ballpoint. I learned the 160gsm paper is smooth but it's not too shiny, and it tolerates most of my fountain pens which all wrote beautifully. I did not see any feathering, and only minimal ghosting and bleeding. I also noticed that when I tried the paper in this notebook, all of my pens wrote smoothly, even the scratchy ones. 

Is the 160gsm paper in the Owl Notebook really good? It is!

I also tried a combination of ink art and text and I did not see any feathering or bleeding.

Buke Notebook's Owl Dot Grid Journal is a well-made notebook. It has a sturdy cover to withstand daily use, and strong binding to keep the pages together and avoid falling out. The matching cover, elastic band, page bookmarker, and pen loop is a nice touch, but this notebook's paper is the winner. The 160gsm Ultra paper is smooth, and perfect for journaling, calligraphy, note-taking, sketching, drawing, and painting. Get one for your pens!

The Owl Dot Grid Journal in this review has been provided by Calligraphy Source for review purposes, where it retails for PhP495.00. To purchase one for yourself, visit their online store: https://calligraphysourceph.com/