Earlier this year, my friend Ana over at the Well-Appointed Desk recommended that I try out Logical Prime paper from Nakabayashi Stationery, a brand I knew by reputation (mainly for their scissors and desk accessories) but had never personally tried. This paper is apparently known for being fountain pen friendly, with relatively short dry times and nice sheening and shading for showcasing ink.
So far, the quality has impressed. I’ve pushed this paper with some fairly wet nibs - including a No. 8 Bock Titanium nib - and tested multiple inks, and the only one that’s feathered or bled has been a Kakimori pigmented ink that, frankly, has feathered and bled through everything I’ve tried except mixed media paper. I can see this Logical Prime paper working its way into my rotation, especially where I need a slimmer spiral notebook for discrete projects.
The notebooks come in four rulings and a blank option. Clockwise from top left: 7mm “lined”, 6mm “lined”, grid, and dot.
The Logical Prime Notebooks contain 40 sheets (80 pages) in the thread-bound format, and 50 sheets (100 pages) in the “W-Ring” spiral binding. The paper comes in four different rulings, including some interesting 6mm and 7mm lined variants that remind me of Clairefontaine Séyes-ruled paper. Pages have a header reminiscent of that on Maruman Mnemosyne, allowing you to better organize your notes.
All of the standard fountain pen inks I tested worked extremely well.
Takeaways and Where to Buy
Nakabayashi Logical Prime paper recently became more widely available in the U.S. So far, testing with this paper has been extremely positive, and I’ve listed an initial shipment for sale in the shop in both the “Thread Binding” and “W-Ring” (spiral bound) formats. These notebooks are relatively inexpensive, with the thread-bound version priced at $6 and the W-Ring version priced at $7.50. Note that the Logical Prime paper is considered Nakabayashi’s premium paper option, with certain other Nakabayashi paper not handling fountain pens quite as well. I don’t plan to stock anything other than Logical Prime until I have had a chance to test their other offerings.
This post does not contain third-party affiliate links or paid advertising. The Gentleman Stationer is supported by purchases through the T.G.S. Curated Shop and pledges via the T.G.S. Patreon Program.