Thursday Drops: Fountain Pen Friendly Paper and Landscape-Style Notebooks

One of my favorite developments in the pen community over the past several years has been the proliferation of the “landscape-style” notebook and notepads, particularly since this design allows you to work with a notebook below your keyboard. We carry fountain pen friendly, landscape-style notebooks in a variety of formats, including lined, grid, blank, and even a weekly undated planner. I’m currently using a combination of the WMS & Co. Planner Desk Pads and Midori MD Writing Pads for most of my own everyday writing!

For more on fountain pen friendly paper brands, and suggestions on high-quality paper in general, be sure to check out this page, which is periodically updated. The T.G.S. Curated Shop is an authorized retailer of all brands sold.

1. Write Notepads Landscape Notebook. The original landscape-style spiral notebook that we first started carrying three years ago. Available in a lined format, with six different color options. (Pro Tip: If you prefer a dot grid ruling, the standard Write Notepads Spiral Notebook can simply be turned sideways and used in landscape format.)

2. Write Notepads Weekly Planner. Track or plan out your week on two pages, with no dates so that you can use the “calendar” as often or as infrequently as you need. Featuring the same excellent fountain pen friendly paper as all Write Notepads products!

3. Maruman Mnemosyne Notebooks. We recently brought in more of Maruman’s excellent Mnemosyne line, and not only is the paper exceptionally fountain pen friendly, but the grid-ruled notebooks come in landscape format.

4. Midori MD Paper Pads. Both the A4 and A5 Midori MD writing pads can be used in landscape mode, and the pads even come bound on two sides for maximum durability.

5. Traveler’s Company Spiral Ring Notebooks. The B6 version of this notebook contains 100 sheets/200 pages of blank Midori MD paper in landscape format.

6. WMS & Co. Planner Desk Pads. Another exceptionally handy option for those of us who enjoy an undated planner or a scratch pad that’s organized in a weekly layout. The paper is quite good, and these desk pads come in both full-size and a slimmer format specifically intended for under-keyboard use.

7. WMS & Co. Standard Desk Pads. These larger blank desk pads and notepads contain up to 285 pages of thick writing paper, perfect for jotting notes or brainstorming. (Note that the colored paper is more appropriate for pencils and non-fountain pens, as it’s coated.)

8. Life “Noble Note” Writing Pads. While not a landscape-style writing pad, we don’t do enough to promote this excellent brand of Japanese paper, which comes in thick 100-page writing pads in three different rulings/formats.

9. Clairefontaine French-Ruled Looseleaf Sheets. We still have limited stock of French-ruled paper in these looseleaf booklets, which I find incredibly versatile for notetaking, drafting, and even letter-writing.

10. Soumkine “Oh My 307” Universal Planners. We still have stock of the Soumkine Hardcover Planners, which look like they may be discontinued (at least for now) as part of the brand’s redesign. If you’re a fan of long, skinny format planners or journals, give this one a try.

Ink Review: Anderillium Michigan Avenue (2022 Chicago Pen Show Limited Edition)

So I’ve now picked up a total of three inks from Anderillium: Cuttlefish Brown from their “Celphalopod Series,” Shoebill Stork Grey from their “Avian Series,” and now the special “Michigan Avenue” ink that I picked up this past May at the 2022 Chicago Pen Show. All three inks are excellent. While Anderillium may have had some reported issues with the initial formulation of their inks when the company first launched, those are years in the past and I can vouch that every ink I have tried so far behaves quite well.

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The Michigan Avenue ink is a dark teal, formulated to reproduce the oxidized bronze color of the lions standing guard over the Art Institute of Chicago. I love this color - it’s dark enough to ensure legibility for everyday office work, while at the same time showing enough depth to remain interesting. While it might be a touch dark to qualify as a true reproduction of oxidized bronze - I’d compare the color more to Sailor Miruai - Michigan Avenue is an extraordinarily well-behaved ink that dries nearly instantaneously and doesn’t feather or bleed. I’ve run through two fills already!

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Following up on yesterday’s post, I did today’s writing sample on Maruman Mnemosyne paper, to give you all an idea of how this paper handles ink, and how the Anderillium ink behaves.

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Zero bleed with this paper/ink combination, even with a very wet ink swatch.

Takeaways and Where to Buy

Thus far, my experience with Anderillium Inks has been consistently good. While this ink was a pen show exclusive, and technically could only be purchased at the Chicago Pen Show, Chicago-based Atlas Stationers appears to still have some in stock. You can purchase other Anderillium inks directly from the T.G.S. Curated Shop, quite reasonably priced at $14.50 for a 1.5oz (approximately 45ml) bottle of ink. The Anderillium Ink bottles resemble jelly jars (in fact, they might be jelly jars), which means that for at least the first half of the bottle, you can easily refill larger-diameter pens with big nibs.

Anderillium mentions on their website that all of their inks are made in-house by their own resident chemist, without using animal products and with an eye to sustainability and environmental preservation. You can read more about the company, its practices, and even the artwork on the website and ink bottles here.

Just Landed: Maruman Mnemosyne Notepads, Notepad Covers, Label Stickers & More!

One of the more undersung fountain pen friendly paper lines, Maruman’s Mnemosyne notebooks and notepads are among the most versatile, and we’re happy to announce that we’ve expanded our selection of Mnemosyne products to include additional paper sizes and formats, as well as the Mnemosyne label stickers to help you further customize your notes! As of this morning, you can purchase the Mnemosyne spiral notebooks in sizes ranging from A4 to A6 to B5, and we have also added A5 Notepads, a handy A5 Notepad Cover that includes not just a classic padfolio but five pockets for organizing, and two different top-bound steno pads. Label stickers are available in “Tab,” “Task,” and “Flow” formats.

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You can view additional Mnemosyne photos and writing samples in the shop listings, or by visiting this past post. As I mentioned above, Maruman Mnemosyne paper unfortunately doesn’t get mentioned as often as brands such as Rhodia or Clairefontaine, though I find it handles fountain pen ink just as well. The perforated pages, durable covers, and attractive price point make this a paper worthy of your consideration.

If you’re interested in reading further on fountain pen friendly paper recommendations, we maintain a running list of fountain pen friendly brands, which also has an active comment section because we can’t test them all!

Holiday Reading for June 20, 2022

1. My First Show: The Dutch Pen Show (via A Fleeting Ripple). I love reading about people’s reactions to attending their first pen show, especially the sense of overwhelm when they see how much pen stuff can actually exist in one place!

2. Review Madness and an Ink Vial Hack (via KraftyKats). If you have trouble with filling or dipping pens from standard plastic ink sample vials, Chloe has an interesting hack here to hold your ink bottles steady when filling.

3. All Geared Up for Commonplace Notes (via mnmlscholar). Catching up on my commonplace book is definitely on my list of things to do, now that I’m back from vacation.

4. Vintage Sheaffer Research (via Rachel’s Reflections). I get a lot of questions seeking help identifying specific models of vintage pens, so people might find Rachel’s discussion of her research techniques helpful.

5. On Journaling and the Meditative Aspects of Writing (via S.B.R.E. Brown). Reviews are fun, but it’s definitely interesting to dive into the “why” and think about how analogue tools help us out in our daily lives.

6. Dominant Industries Autumn Forest (via Well-Appointed Desk). The one Dominant Industries Ink that I’ve been truly coveting and haven’t gotten my hands on yet.

7. Kaweco Premium Steel Fountain Pen Nib Review (via Pen Addict). I really wish Kaweco would simply increase their prices to account for necessary quality control and give people a guaranteed writing experience out of the box.

8. La Couronne du Compte (Diamine) Vert Sapin (via Machiatto Man). An interesting Diamine Ink with a lot of sheen. Yagan’s ink reviews are incredibly thorough, to say the least!

9. Preview of Montblanc Glacier Collection (via Gourmet Pens). Just take my money already.

10. M605 Tortoiseshell Black (via Pelikan’s Perch). Pelikan’s latest Tortoiseshell release is beautiful, and I’m excited to see them release more in the M600/M605 size.

In Case You Missed It….

I was out of town this past week, so I did what I always do when I’m on my annual summer vacation, which is post a series of recaps/reflections on my favorite products from the past six months. Part I discussed my Top Five Product Reviews, Part II discussed my favorite new products added to the T.G.S. Curated Shop, and Part III talked about my favorite acquisitions of 2022 thus far.

This Week in the Curated Shop

I’m basically playing catch-up on shipping today and tomorrow, since so many of you were kind enough to continue to support me even though I was off for a week! I truly appreciate it. Look for some new product arrivals and restocks in the coming weeks, but for now we are still well-stocked on favorites and some remaining special releases!

Caran d'Ache

Traveler's Company

Midori MD Light

Reading Accessories!

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Mid-Year Review: Top Five 2022 Acquisitions

I’ve been more selective with my acquisitions this year, having previously pared back my personal collection and consciously taken on fewer items for review, preferring instead to focus on more in-depth consideration of those pens I do choose to write up. Mostly, this has involved further refining exactly what I enjoy in a pen and/or a nib that makes me want to use it every day. Somewhat surprisingly, I’ve gravitated more towards smaller, more streamlined designs, and my nib choice has moved towards those grinds with an architect/Naginata profile as opposed to the cursive italics and stock mediums that previously made up the bulk of my rotation. For this year’s Mid-Year Review: Top Five Acquisitions, I’ve chosen three pens and two nib grinds, all of which have been in continuous rotation for multiple months. To the extent you’ve not seen a stand-alone review of specific pens (such as the Stacey Robinson Navigator), look for one later in the year.

1. Schon DSGN Full Size Fountain Pen. By far my favorite pen release from the past two years is the Schon DSGN Full Size Fountain Pen, and I’ll include in this entry not just the anodized pens, but the “engineered plastics” collection as well, including both the ultem and PEEK models. Ian nailed the size, shape, and balance on this pen - it’s the ultimate all-day, everyday writer.

2. Custom Nib Studio “Perspective” Nib. Gena Salorino’s “Perspective” grind is one of the most versatile I’ve ever used, easily allowing me to move between an extra-fine and bold line within the same sentence, as necessary, depending on how I angle the pen. Be sure to read my review for some additional discussion on how the right nib grind can transform a pen from “meh” to one that you want to pick up and use every day.

3. Stacey Robinson “Navigator” Fountain Pens. A perfect example of why you should attend pen shows to find those makers who might otherwise fall through the cracks, Stacey Robinson’s “Navigator” fountain pen easily qualifies as my personal “pen show find” of the year. Featuring a size and shape similar to the Schon DSGN Full Size fountain pens, I picked up THREE of these pens in Atlanta - two in relatively rare Conway Stewart acrylics I’ve been coveting, and a third in a gorgeous beige striated ebonite.

4. Schon DSGN Pocket Six in Aged Copper. While the standard Schon DSGN Pocket Six has been around for a couple of years now, Ian has been known to bring one-off “show special” finishes to pen shows, like this copper faceted pen with an applied “antiqued” patina. (My challenge for the rest of the year is to NOT spend all of my money at the Schon DSGN table in the first fifteen minutes.)

5. Mark Bacas “Predator” Nib. Another custom nib makes this mid-year list - the “Predator Hybrid” by Mark Bacas, which combines a XXF tip with a reverse architect. I’m beginning to value versatility in nib grinds, including not only the writing properties of the nib itself but also the ability to swap the nib between different pens. (For this grind, I sent Mark a TWSBI Diamond 580 nib unit so that I can use it in any of my TWSBI 580 fountain pens.)

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My Schon DSGN Pocket Six in Faceted Antiqued Copper (right), next to a Pocket Six in Faceted Brass.

Further Reading

This post is the last entry in a three-part “Mid-Year Review,” which I typically do when I take my summer vacation every June. Don’t miss Part I: Favorite Review Posts from the First Half of 2022, and Part II: Favorite Shop Additions. For more general “Top 5” lists, check out the annually updated 2022 “Best Pen” Recommendations.

This post does not contain paid third-party affiliate links. The Gentleman Stationer is supported entirely by purchases from the T.G.S. Curated Shop and pledges via the T.G.S. Patreon Program.