The "Write" Paper For Your Favorite Pen

Seeing how your writing will look in a new notebook can determine which pen you'll want to grab. So to help make that decision easier we decided to test out a few different pens, and even a good old #2 Pencil, on 4 of our favorite journals. 

From left to right: Pilot G-2 07 Pen, Moleskine Classic Cap Roller Pen, Fountain Pen, Jelly Pen, Sharpie Fine Point, #2 Pencil, and Uni-Ball Pen.

Harborview Leather Journal and Islander Leather Journal 

Our Harborview and Islander leather journals are made by hand, one at a time in our Martha’s Vineyard workshop. Rustic and elegant, each journal is unique and is available in twelve colors.

Front

The paper inside both the Harborview and Islanders is lined in a crisp ivory laid finish and, like most of our journals, is fountain pen friendly. Most of the pens we used, as well as the pencil, wrote nicely and only with the Uni-Ball Pen did we see ink spreading.     

Back

The back of the pages shows very little bleed through, except for the Sharpie Fine Point, which we expected and saw on all of the journals we were comparing. 

 

Classic Moleskine Hardcover Notebook

An essential tool for writers, artists, students and professionals, a custom Moleskine notebook will become your constant companion. Choose from lots of cover colors, page styles, and sizes.

Front

All Moleskine journals contain acid free paper and come in a choice of Ruled, Plain, Squared (seen above), or Dotted pages. The quality of the paper is thin, which isn't great for fountain pens or any of the rollerball pens (Pilot G-2 and Uni-Ball), if you want to write on the back. 

Back

But Moleskine has gone ahead and taken care of that by introducing their own Classic Cap Roller Pen, which doesn't bleed through. Pencils also work very well, so it's no surprise these notebooks have become the go-to choice for so many creatives. 

 

Paperblanks Journal

Paperblanks journals are crafted to look like silk, embroideries, or leathers, but when you look closely, you'll see that they are actually reproductions of these elegant materials.

Front

These journals contain a beautifully smooth, high quality paper that is acid-free and made only with sustainable forest pulp. As well as being fountain pen friendly, the paper held up well to most of the other pens and pencil. Similar to what we saw on the Islander, there was some ink spreading from the Uni-Ball Pen.   

Back

This paper seemed to hold up the best. There was barely any bleeding through to the back of the pages, except for the Sharpie again. 

 

Leuchtturm 1917 Notebook 

Leuchtturm 1917 notebooks are manufactured with the highest quality materials and construction. With a blank table of contents and numbered pages, the details within these notebooks are sure to keep you organized.

Front

The acid-free, bleed-proof and fountain pen-safe paper comes in a choice of Ruled, Squared, Dotted, or Blank pages. The high quality, 80 gsm paper, is extremely smooth and works well with most pens and pencils.

Back

Again with this paper we saw the same thing as with the others, in that the Sharpie and Uni-Ball were the two standout pens that bled the most.