Posts filed under Maruman

Maruman Bodoni Notebook Review

The Bodoni line of notebooks from Maruman is named after Giambattista Bodoni, an Italian typographer, type-designer, printer and publisher in Parma, Italy back in the late 1700s/early 1800s. He created the Bodoni typeface, which is still used today.

From the Maruman website, “BODONI is a notebook that aims to improve skills and enrich daily life in various fields such as business scenes and lifestyles”. They come in at least 2 sizes (A5 and A4, and possibly A6) and come in Ruled (lined), Grid, and Blank. I will be reviewing the Ruled A5 Bodoni today.

*Pack of 3 Maruman Bodoni A5 Notebooks. The graphic on the red tab shows that this is the Ruled notebook.*

*The back of the binding also indicates the type.*

The notebooks are sold in a pack of 3. Each notebook comes with 40 unnumbered sheets/80 pages of 60 gsm paper. The notebook has a light cream, flexible cardstock cover, and there is a red tab on the lower left depicting the type of ruling, if any. The glue-bound paper isn’t attached to the cover on the edge which allows the notebooks to lay flat. Just for grins, I tried to tear off a sheet of the first page and it doesn’t appear to be meant for use as a paper pad. In the middle of the notebook cover is an embossed depiction of Giambattista Bodoni. It’s so subtle, it’s barely noticeable unless you’re looking at it from an angle with some light on it. I thought it was a neat touch.

*The embossed image of Giambattista Bodoni. Scroll back up to see the whole front and you can easily miss this detail.*

*The interior binding of the notebook gave the impression that it is a notepad, but pages didn’t tear out. This seems to allow it to lay flat when open.*

I decided to use my currently inked pens, but didn’t bring any non-FPs to my in-laws’ house (oops, my bad.)

The 60 gsm BODONI paper is just barely off-white and has a line in the upper outer corner for the date (the Grid and Blank notebooks do not have this). The paper is quite smooth, similar to Clairefontaine or 68 gsm Tomoe River. It was quite nice to write on, if you like pretty smooth paper. It held up to almost every fountain pen ink, except one - De Atramentis Document Turquoise, which you may recall also bled through the Perpanep notebooks. I didn’t have many shimmer or sheening inks in my pens but it handled them as well as saturated and shading inks just fine.

Note: Writing samples were used on the back pages of the notebooks so I can still use them from front to back when I’m done with testing it.

*48 pens’ worth of writing samples. This also shows how flat the notebook was when it was opened to the second to the last page.*

*Paper behaved well with a variety of pens and inks. I especially liked the shading from Robert Oster’s Rose Gilt Tynte (a shimmer ink) and Pelikan Edelstein Mandarin.*

*I used a fairly sharp flex nib by StyloSuite, inked up with Diamine Meadow, and the paper handled both the sharp nib and the added ink from the downward flex without any problems.*

*Even De Atramentis Document Turquoise looked good on the front side, but…*

*Flip the page over and you can tell which line had De Atramentis Document Turquoise. Two lines below, you can kind of see a dot of bleed through from where I accidentally poked the paper with the nib.*

Other than noted above, there was no major ghosting and no bleedthrough with the other pens/inks.

I decided to do some writing on both sides of the paper to see if the very minimal ghosting was distracting.

*I used a Platinum 3776 with a Medium nib, inked up with Diamine Havasu Turquoise for the writing.*

*Back to the front side and you can tell that there was writing on the back but it does not distract or interfere with the writing on the front.*

While I personally wouldn’t use the lined notebook for swatches (because the lines are too distracting), the paper seemed to hold up just fine.

*I used the steel Kakimori dip nib for this swatch of Van Dieman’s Snowy Mountain Sunset (which looks amazing and I can’t wait to ink it up), and the shimmer looks just fine.*

*You can definitely see that there is an ink swatch on the other side but it didn’t bleed through.*

A few things to note that apply to the BODONI notebooks:

— No page numbers. I am used to notebooks and planners that have page numbers but it’s not a big deal breaker for me, especially for a notebook this thin.

— Fairly thin notebook. I almost want to call this an “insert” as opposed to a “notebook” because there aren’t many pages, but since it isn’t bound in the middle, it probably wouldn’t work well in elastic systems like Travelers or Lochby, etc. This isn’t a pro or con, just that there are only 40 sheets. I normally prefer 150-200 page notebooks but it was nice to have something thin for shorter projects or using one for studying different subjects.

— Maruman does offer the notebook with a cover as well, but I couldn’t find the cover separately.

The Maruman BODONI A5 notebooks are available for $15 for a pack of 3 from Vanness Pens, making them $5/notebook. Overall, the paper behaved well and it was really nice to write on. It was fine writing on both sides as well. I didn’t find the paper overly smooth so unless you prefer paper with a bit more tooth, you should enjoy this as well.

(Vanness Pens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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Posted on July 12, 2024 by Kimberly Lau and filed under Maruman.

Maruman Reccer B7 Memo Pad Review

(Jeff Abbott is a regular contributor at The Pen Addict. You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution and Twitter.)

No matter what my favorite notebook or paper is at any given point of time, I always need a small notepad or notebook on my desk or wherever I'm hanging out. The most recent memo pad I've kept at my desk is the Reccer from Maruman. This B7 memo pad is small enough to fit anywhere, but just large enough for jotting down quick notes or sketches.

B7 isn't one of the more common sizes, so here's some specs. At just 67x132mm or 2.6x5.2 inches, you can easily throw this little pad in a pocket or bag when you are on the go, but it can also fit in just about any small space on your workspace. The paper is typical Maruman quality and weighs in at 70gsm. The paper is lined with 5.5mm spacing, and the lines alternate between solid and dotted. There aren't any page numbers or spaces for dates, titles, etc. All 50 sheets (100 pages) are perforated for easy removal.

The main reason this little memo pad has been such a hit for me is the paper quality. It's not terribly thick, but it handles ink incredibly well. The paper is smooth and provides a little feedback. There's also minimal show-through on the back side of the page, so both sides are completely usable. I'm really surprised by how little show-through there is for 70gsm paper. It feels and acts more like 80 or 90gsm. Not bad!

The twin spiral top binding is petite, but still strong. The diameter is large enough to make flipping through the pages easy. The bottom corners are rounded off so there aren't any sharp corners to snag on fabric. Overall, this memo pad is an exceptional tool to keep on your workspace, in your bag, or even on your person. It's versatile and easy to carry while also being just big enough to remain functional.

At just $3, the Maruman Reccer is also a great value. Since picking one up, I've learned that I need a few more to stash in different places.

(Vanness Pens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!

Posted on August 23, 2023 by Jeff Abbott and filed under Maruman, Notebook Reviews.

Maruman Mnemosyne A5 Notepad Holder Review

(Jeff Abbott is a regular contributor at The Pen Addict. You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution and Twitter.)

Notepads are a stationery category that I don't think has enough representation. They're a great format compared to a spiral or side-bound notebook. The binding at the top combined with removable pages and a sturdy back cover are what make notepads so great. There are several different options, and it's pretty easy to find a good product that fits your needs and budget. But what about notepad holders or cases? There are even fewer options in this category.

The best example of a notepad holder that I can think of are the folio style contraption that you can find at any big-box office supply store. These fake leather folios usually have a zipper or snap closure, a few pockets on the left side, and a large slit to hold a legal pad or something of a similar size. I never liked them because they felt clumsy and cheap. Sure, you can absolutely find some high-quality options, but that might not make sense for a utilitarian notebook carry option.

Maruman has several notepads in their product lineup, and they all perform like you'd expect from any of their products. On top of that, they have a sleek and affordable notepad holder and organizer that can store, protect, and organize your notepads, a pen, and other loose sheets of paper or other similarly sized items.

This Mnemosyne is an A5 notepad holder that has an additional 5 pockets for storing paper, envelopes, and other flat objects. Along with the holder, there's also an A5 Mnemosyne notepad with a 5mm grid pattern. The combination is really useful and sleek.

The product uses a rigid plastic in order to keep costs down while providing plenty of structure and protection. The 99% black color scheme matches perfectly with their notebook line, with only a small Mnemosyne logo on the front cover to let you know where it came from.

The back cover also has a couple of rivets that anchor an elastic strap that does a great job of keeping the notebook closed when not in use.

The inside of the notebook is simple even though there are 5 different pockets along the inside front cover. There a pocket on the inside front cover, and then there are two more thick plastic sheets that each have another pocket on the front and back. These pockets are great for categorizing the sheets that you tear out of the notebook, or for any other A5 or smaller paper bits you want to keep.

There's also enough room in the spine of the notepad cover to store a single pen. There's even a small notch cut out at the top of the spine for most pen clips to slip into snugly. The average pen clip will have no problem holding tight to this material, and the rigid spine is thick enough to offer a little extra protection for your pen, though I wouldn't say this is crush proof.

The notepad has 70 sheets of 80gsm paper with a light gray 5mm grid pattern on the front of the pages. The back side of the sheet is blank. There's also a small section at the top of each sheet where you can enter information about the date, title, or other relevant organizational information. The pages aren't numbered.

Writing on this paper is fantastic. It's the same experience with any other Mnemosyne notebook, and similar to many of the other Maruman notebook options. It works well with a variety of writing instruments and ink chemistry. I haven't noticed any feathering or bleeding, and I can hardly see anything through the back side of the page, which is great and honestly a little surprising given the 80gsm rating. In other notebooks with this paperweight, I'm used to more show-through.

The pages tear out of the notepad easily and cleanly thanks to the micro-perforation along the top edge. The notepad has a front cover, but I immediately flipped it over and tucked it into the notepad pocket along with the back cover to keep the setup neat. The front cover has pre-folded lines where the cover needs to folder over the top spine, so folding it back is effortless and clean.

The notepad is top notch and exactly what I'd expect from Mnemosyne when it comes to the writing experience, and the cover is surprisingly robust given the plastic materials. I'm fully confident that it will protect the notepad, pen, and anything else I store in it, and the elastic closure ensures nothing falls out in normal usage.

This Mnemosyne notepad and cover are great for anyone that wants a sleek notepad organization system with space for a pen and some pockets for categorizing notes.

(Maruman USA provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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