Have you decided on your 2026 planner yet? If you are looking for a simple calendar plus notebook option, then the KOKUYO Sooofa Soft Ring 2026 Diary is one worth looking at. 2-pages per month in the front (through early 2027,) followed by 125 pages of 4 mm grid paper in the back. I have one of the B6 Light Blue diaries to give away this week, and the winner is:
Congrats Derek! I’ve sent you an email to collect your shipping address.
(Kimberly (she/her) took the express train down the fountain pen/stationery rabbit hole and doesn't want to be rescued. She can be found on Instagram @allthehobbies because there really are many, many hobbies!.)
It’s been a while since I’ve done a notebook review (not including the Yamamoto Bullet Jotter Notebook), so I dug through the review bin to pick out the Paper Mind Passepied Cream Paper Notebook.
The Passepied Cream Paper Notebook is a Japan-made, hardbound A5 notebook with a Japanese linen cover. I am reviewing the navy lined version, but blank is also available in a light grey linen cover.
The back of the notebook is minimally branded with “paper mind” and “made in japan” in silver.
A closeup look at the linen cover.
The insides have grey end papers. Also included is a sheet of pink blotter paper.
Per their website, Passepied Cream is made by the hundred-year-old Hokuetsu-Kishu Paper Company, and was designed as a book paper with high opacity. The paper weight is 84.3 gsm; for comparison, Leuchtturm is 80gsm. As the name implies, Passepied Cream is a cream-colored paper and not bright white.
Both the Leuchtturm 80 gsm (left) and Passepied are similar in color.
The notebook opens fairly flat, but I don’t consider it truly “lay flat” if I have to press it down.
As I’ve mentioned in the past, when I review notebooks, I do my writing samples in the back of the notebook. This way, I can still use the rest of the notebook starting at the front.
The paper is very smooth, but I never felt like my nibs were sliding uncontrolled. I picked a wide range of nibs so that (1) I could see if there was any feathering, (2) if the paper felt equally good to write on with different nibs, and (3) to see how it handled different ink qualities, like shimmer, shading, etc.
Writing samples starting with a Masuyama needlepoint to Medium.
Writing samples with Broad nibs. I also included flex and ground nibs, as well as a stub.
Passepied handled the shimmer from Wearingeul I am a Cat with no problems.
A side by side comparison with writing on just the front (left) and with writing on the back (right). There is hardly any ghosting.
You can barely see the writing on the other side, where broader nibs were used.
Zoomed in view of the minimal show-through.
Happy Fountain Pen Day! The first Friday of November is FPD and this is the 14th one! This is also the broadest, wettest pen I have inked up, making it the perfect pen to do another writing sample!
Once again, there really isn’t any ghosting or show-through, even with that Sharpie of a stacked nib!
Swatches of Robert Oster x Empire State Pen Show Central Park Twilight (shimmer), KWZ Sheen Machine (sheen), Pennonia x Amarillo Stationery Amarillo Antiguo (brightness), Hosia Ink Studio Mung Shing (chromashading) and Sailor Ink Studio 150 (shading/chromashading).
You can easily see the turquoise shimmer of Central Park Twilight, as well as the purple-red sheen of KWZ Sheen Machine.
Amarillo Antiguo is easily visible (its bright yellow tones weren’t affected by the cream-colored paper). Both Mung Shing and Sailor 150 shaded beautifully on the swatch, and you can still see all the colors in the Mung Shing writing sample.
Even with the heavy swatches of ink on the other side, the ghosting is minimal. You can see that the paper has wrinkled a touch, but it really handled all that ink!
I really enjoyed testing out the paper and look forward to using it for my next writing project. The Passepied Cream Paper Notebook sells for $29, which is close to what a Leuchtturm1917 A5 sells for in the US at around $26.
(Disclaimer: The Paper Mind Passepied Cream Paper Notebook was provided to The Pen Addict by The Paper Mind at no charge. All pens and inks used are my own.)
Myke and I got a little fired up this week and had fun with some mainstream fountain pen content. I also kept the Top 5 list updates going with one easy list, and one that ended up being a challenge. Pilot also surprised us all by releasing a new fountain pen lineup that could find its way onto a list soon.
This episode of The Pen Addict is sponsored by:
Pen Chalet: Check out this week's special offer, and to get your code for 10% off.
