Ink Links

I will be at the Atlanta Pen Show from 10a-5p today, followed by a Pen Addict Meetup in the hotel bar from 5p-7p. Look for the guy with the blue and red Topo backpack and say hi! I'll do my best to post a few pics throughout the day on Twitter and Instagram as well.

-- The User Experience (UX) Of Sketching In Prototyping (Ben Nadel)

-- The Bolt – Copper (No Pen Intended)

-- Montblanc Lavender Purple (inklode)

-- Monteverde's Artista Crystal (Inkdependence!)

-- Kaweco Allrounder Fountain Pen Quick Review (THE UNROYAL WARRANT)

-- Pentel Ain Clic (Bleistift)

-- Flexible Fountain Pen for Calligraphy (Katrina Alana)

-- Review: @1901FC Franklin-Christoph Model 02 Intrinsic Smoke & Ice - Broad (Gourmet Pens)

-- Comparison of D1 Refills (Part one) (Pens! Paper! Pencils!)

-- Prussian Blue - Diamine Ink Review (Ink of Me Fondly)

-- Uni-ball Signo UM-151 Review - Revisiting an Old Favorite (Office Supply Geek)

-- Hero 100 Fountain Pen (The Frugal Fountain Pen)

-- Palomino Golden Bear #2 Wood Cased Pencil (The Clicky Post)

-- My new Navy Blue Cover by Cody Williams (Blank And Write)

-- Soft Landing: Uni Jetstream Alpha Gel Grip Ballpoint (From the Pen Cup)

-- Kokuyo CamiApp Notebook Review (Inktronics)

-- A cure for pen and ink addiction is needed: Diamine Graphite ink review (Peninkcillin)

-- Baron Fig Confidant Is The Best Paper Notebook I’ve Used (Cult of Mac)

-- Review: Hahnemuhle Travel Journal and Travel Booklets (Notebook Stories)

-- A clear winner: A review of the TWSBI Diamond 580 (A fool with a pen)

-- Rohrer & Klingner Salix Iron Gall – Ink Review (Ed Jelley)

-- White-ink Pen Tests (Burning Monster: A Sketch-Blog)

-- On My Desk: Field Notes Expedition Edition (The Newsprint)

-- First Papermate Retractable Ball Point Pen (My Supply Room)

-- Why I Use a Fountain Pen (Reverenced Reading)

-- Review: Sheaffer Intensity Carbon Fiber (Fountain Pen Quest)

-- Weekender: A Review of Myself Trying to Use Field Notes (Overthought)

-- Pen Review: Fountain Pen Revolution Triveni (The Pen Habit)

-- Review: Uni-ball Signo 207 .7mm (in honour of The Pen Addict’s 100th) (Blessed Are The Geeks)

-- Ti2 TechLiner Prototype Pen by Mike Bond (The Clicky Post)

-- Pensieve: Nakaya Ao-Tamenuri Decapod Twist: A Review (Scribalishess)

JetPens $100 Gift Certificate Winner

The only thing I love as much as JetPens is giving away some of their awesome products to readers of The Pen Addict. Who doesn't love filling their online shopping cart with tools of greatness? I know one person that will have fun doing that this weekend:

Congratulations Jeremy! Get in touch via the Contact Page and I will email your gift certificate ASAP.

Don't worry if you didn't win - there are going to be many more opportunities like this very soon!

Leuchtturm 1917 Soft Cover Notebook Review

This week, I'm really pleased to talk about one of my favorite notebooks: the Leuchtturm 1917 Soft Cover Large Notebook. I've had this particular book for about two years now, and it's always a joy to use. When this one is full, I'll buy a replacement or two (or twelve).

Look and feel

There's something about a simple black notebook that catches my eye. It's not trying to be fancy or flamboyant. I'm neither of these things either, so maybe that's why I like it so much – we're two peas in a pod.

The synthetic cover is soft and pliable in the hand. In my years of using it, the cover hasn't discolored or worn at all. It sill looks new. Of course, there's an elastic closure and a black ribbon marker to hold your place. The sides of the notebook are completely square, and by that I mean that there aren't groups of pages that are misaligned due to hasty cutting at the shop. From the outside of this book, you can tell that quality was one of the top three requirements.

One thing I don't completely understand is the length of the page marker ribbon. It extends about 4 inches below the book and tends to get in the way when open or closed. My guess is that this can serve as a dual page marker, meaning you can tuck the end into a different place in the book. This is a small quibble, but worth mentioning.

On the inside, the Leuchtturm has a page dedicated to your name and address, a blank page, and then another page that has a pre-printed table of contents. This is really useful, and I know that several people have mentioned that this is really handy when using the Bullet Journal method. The back cover has a sturdy pocket for holding loose pages, which I've never used. Pages 107-121 are perforated.

One of my favorite features is the page numbering. Yes, the Leuchtturm notebooks have the page numbers printed in the bottom corner of each page in a light gray ink. I number all my notebooks, and this is a huge convenience for me.

The book also came with a sheet of stickers that you can place on the front or spine to label the notebook. I haven't used them yet, but plan to once it's full and I store it away for reference. Another cool thing that is included is a ruled card that can be placed behind the blank page so that you can have a rule to follow on the page. I haven't used it, but it's a nice thing to include. I have a plan paper version, and I'm not sure if they include this card with the other types.

Like I said, my notebook has plain paper, but this seems to be slightly difficult to find sometimes. Goulet Pens has a softcover book, but only with lined paper. Amazon has the Large Squared Soft Cover, which I'm sure Brad is all over.

Now, on to the paper.

Writing performance

In my testing, this paper has worked splendidly with every pen and ink I've tried with it. It's an 80g ivory paper, so it's a tad bit thin and allows heavier inks or pens to show through, but I haven't seen any bleed-through. I also haven't seen any feathering or bleeding on the paper.

It's a thin, bright paper that is enjoyable to write on. The paper tends to have a small amount of tooth with some pens, but it's nothing that bothers me. It gives a sense of feedback, which is usually helpful. Any pens that caught a bit more tooth were somewhat scratchy on other papers anyway. Overall, it's an excellent paper.

Being thinner than other papers like Clairefontaine, the dry time is slightly faster. The color and properties of the paper also show what I think of as the "true" color of the inks being used. Some papers make inks appear more or less saturated, which can be annoying.

Overall, this is a fantastic paper. I don't have any complaints.

Wrap up

Leuchtturm 1917 look like Moleskines on the outside, but they're so much better in quality and writing experience that it's not even funny. What is funny, however, is that the Leuchtturm notebooks usually cost a couple of dollars less than Moleskine. Now, if only Leuchtturm were in every major book seller in the states...

If you haven't tried a Leuchtturm book, it's a worthy risk to take. They have larger and smaller sizes, soft and hard covers, as well as different colors.

(You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution, Twitter, and App.net.)