Calepino Graph Paper Memo Book Review

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

The market of 3.5 x 5.5 memo books is definitely not slim. Field Notes is likely leading the pack, followed by other worthy contenders such as Doane, Word, and many, many others. But Brad sent me one that I'd only seen reviewed several times on other fantastic sites — the Calepino.

The Calepino is a French-made memo book that uses 100% recycled materials. In a word, this notebook is killer. From the understated kraft outside to the resilient, smooth paper on the inside, this book makes me wonder if I should ever buy any more Field Notes (but who am I kidding — I have a problem).

The Calepino notebooks are right up the alley of every other 3.5 x 5.5 memo book out there. A 3-packer will cost around $10 and comes in a nice variety of paper markings, from lined, blank, dot grid, and graph. If you're a big dot grid fan, this is a memo book made especially for you. The only problem I've found so far is that these books can be somewhat difficult to find. CW Pencils and Cult Pens have the full arrangement, and I suggest you check them out.

The look and feel

These notebooks have a thicker, stiffer cardstock than most of the competitors. It has a nice natural look to it and features soft, understated branding that fits the aesthetic perfectly. The staples are heavy duty and hold the book together firmly. I have no doubts that this book will hold up well in your back pocket for several weeks.

The graph lines are printed in a subtle green ink that carries over the nice green ink from the cover art. Inside the covers are the expected blank fields for name, address, etc. The back cover has some information about the notebooks, but it's written in French. C'est la vie.

The paper

To get right to it, this paper is awesome. It's possibly some of the best paper I've seen in a memo book of this size. It handles pens and inks of all types with ease. Let's be honest, the most troubling pens can be wet fountain pens, and this notebook handles those like a champ with no feathering and minimal bleeding and show through. Incredible.

Like a lot of graph paper, some inks change color or sheen when over the graph lines, but it's not very noticeable with this paper and ink. In some papers, the graph lines seem to eat the ink, making it look like the pen is skipping very neatly every 1 cm. Not the case with the Calepino.

After investigating for a minute, I discovered that the Calepino notebooks use 90gsm weight paper. That, folks, is why this paper is so good — I'm just not used to seeing it this format.

Conclusion

If you like pocket memo books and fountain pens, check out Calepino. These are exceptionally well-made products, and I'm sure you won't be disappointed. Like I mentioned, these aren't incredibly easy to find in the US, but CW Pencils and Cult Pens have them up for sale for around $10 a pack.

Apica Wizard Notebook Review

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

In the world of high-quality, affordable notebooks, you really can't go wrong. This is one of my favorite categories of notebooks because they provide so much value for the price. For just under $8, you can get a fantastic notebook that includes a sturdy binding, tough covers, and 70 sheets of high-quality paper.

There are several comparable options in this particular market, but right now we're looking at the Apica Wizard notebook. This is a newcomer to JetPens, and it's a welcome edition. The only option you have is between gray or blue covers — both of which are subdued colors.

Look & Feel

The Apica Wizard has a sturdy feel to it. It features a twin ring spiral binding that can take a beating (although you could probably bend them if you stuff it into a bag with other large objects). The front and back covers are both made of a medium thickness card stock that will hold up to your average semester of commuting. It's not nearly as thick as something like a Doane Paper Idea Journal, but it's a sturdy thickness.

The first page features a blank line for a title, followed by an index table. Like most Apica papers, there's a "No." and "Date" area in the upper outside corner of each page, followed by 6.5mm-ruled light gray lines with a dot next to each 5th line. Nothing ground-breaking here — very standard.

The front cover has a unique design compared to most of these economical spiral notebooks. It's very simple and somewhat spartan, and doesn't come in overly pastel colors. I'm so accustomed to pastels or ornate designs on these notebooks that I'm not entirly sure if I like it or not. I think my subconscious appreciates the subdued, calm cover design. It's refreshing and still manages to pique your interest.

Paper

How's the paper do? Great. Like most Apica papers, it handles fountain pens with ease. It's not the smoothest paper, but it is very resistant to feathering and show-through. It's a fantastic work horse of a paper. There's a tad of ghosting when writing on the back of a page, but for my tastes it's completely bearable. If you're using a gel pen, pencil, or fine fountain pen, you'll hardly notice anything showing through.

Dry time for the paper is quick, probably because the paper tends to soak the ink up since it lacks a smooth coating on top.

When you consider the price for this notebook ($7.25 right now), there's really nothing to complain about with this paper. It's a fantastic deal if you tend to enjoy spiral-bound notebooks of semi B5 persuasion.

Overall

This is an easy notebook to recommend. If you need a notebook of the semi B5 size and don't mind lined paper, this is definitely worth your time and money. I also like that there's no difference between the blue and gray covers. A lot of notebooks use a color scheme to denote different line formats, blank, grid, etc. paper types. I like that the color option is simple here: just pick the one you like better (or both).

This is a fantastic notebook that packs a lot of value into 70 pages. Definitely give it a try!

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

Write Notepads Traditional Brass-Ruled Notebook Review

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

When the fine folks over at Write Notepads sent me a Traditional Brass-Ruled Notebook to try out, I was intrigued, but it wasn't until I saw and felt the notebook in person that I fell in love with the aesthetic. It doesn't take long to realize that this notebook is crafted with care. Also, I'm a big fan of brass in just about everything, so that's an easy bonus point.

To give you a little background on the company, Write Notepads is based in Baltimore, Maryland. All of their notebooks are made in America from recycled materials, and the inks used in the notebooks are vegetable-based. What's even more awesome is that for each notebook you buy, they donate a notebook to an inner-city school in Baltimore. This is a great practice that shows that these guys are just good people. If you're interested in knowing where your companion donation book ended up, they include a 5-digit code that you can use on their website to find out which school you helped out. Nice.

Another thing that's worth pointing out: they also sell a left-hand version of this notebook. Yep, same notebook, but laid out for a left-hand writer. You know, with the spiral binding on the right side. I'm not a lefty myself, but I think this is an option that should be standard in all notebooks.

Now, down to brass tacks. The notebook is 5.5 by 8.5 inches and contains 120 pages of 70# paper with college ruling. The pages are perforated and held in place with a dual ring brass wire coil. The front and back covers are a thick, sturdy card-stock with lovely red embossing that really puts the finishing touches on the notebook. Along with the notebook, you get a large red rubber band to hold everything together. All in all, it's a fantastic product.

The notebook is well-made and I think it could take a serious beating over the weeks, months, etc. For a spiral-bound, perforated notebook, it feels sturdy. Another benefit of the sturdy covers is that you can use this notebook on uneven surfaces with no problem as the covers act as a writing surface.

And now for the big question: How does the paper hold up against different pens and inks? In a word: fair. If you discount fountain pens and markers, the paper is stellar. Once you get into fountain pens, your mileage will vary based on the ink properties and the width of the nib. If the ink has a tendency to feather on some papers, it will definitely show on this paper. However, if you're using a small nibbed pen with well-behaved ink, it's a pretty good experience. Again, wet or large nibbed pens will cause significant show-through on the opposite page. In some cases, I'd say you couldn't use the opposite page based on the amount of show-through.

With that said, consider how you might use this notebook before picking one up. This isn't your go-to notebook for your fancy fountain pens — there are plenty of other notebooks for that. If you're using a small/dry fountain pen, or any kind of gel, ballpoint, or hybrid ink, this notebook will shine. Oh, and, of course, pencils do a fantastic job with this paper.

Several of the images on the Write Notepads website feature the notebooks alongside other craftsman tools like hammers, rulers, awls, etc. To me, that elicits a feeling of using this notebook to build things and get dirty. It's for sketching up hair-brained ideas for that backyard shed you intend to build one day or measurements for the shelving you want to install in the closet. Whatever it is, this notebook is conveyed as a particular kind of tool that needs to be used in a certain way. With that understanding, I can highly recommend this notebook. Just don't expect it to handle all your fountain pens with grace — it just isn't meant for that. Like all tools, use it how it was intended and it will treat you well in return.