(Susan M. Pigott is a fountain pen collector, pen and paperholic, photographer, and professor. You can find more from Susan on her blog Scribalishess.)
The Maruman Cover Note is a B5 size notebook (176 x 250mm/6.9 inches x 9.8 inches) inside a black leatherette cover. The cover looks quite classy, with a textured surface, the words “Cover Note” embossed on the front, and gold-colored metal corner protectors.
The notebook itself is cardboard with thread binding. Two ribbons in black and red are sewn into the book as bookmarks. The notebook contains 88 pages.
Each page has a large upper section for titles. The remaining lines are 8mm apart and are printed in light gray ink.
The paper is ivory colored and is 78gsm, but it’s unclear what kind of paper it is. Is it cotton? Tomoe River? Linen? Wood pulp? I couldn’t find any information about the paper content.
Unfortunately, the paper is definitely not fountain pen friendly. First, I wrote my calligraphy alphabet with an Opus 88 fitted with a Regalia Labs Crossflex nib. The ink is Montblanc Corn Poppy Red. Not only did the ink bleed through the paper, the individual letters feathered as well.
Next, I tested the paper with various pens and inks. All the fountain pen inks bled through the paper. The only pens that did not exhibit any problems were gel pens and brush pens.
Except for Montblanc Corn Poppy Red, the other fountain pen inks didn’t seem to feather, at least not as noticeably.
I copied a quote from Ambrose Bierce, The Unabridged Devil’s Dictionary using my Montblanc 149 inked with Kobe Mikage Grey. The ink didn’t feather and writing on the paper was pleasant. But, once again, there was significant bleed through.
As much as I like the way the Maruman Cover Note looks, with its classic black cover, gold corners, and ribbon markers, the notebook paper inside is not at all impressive. I cannot recommend this notebook for fountain pen use. However, it appears to handle gel pens and brush pens adequately. Usually, I am impressed with Maruman products, but the paper in this notebook is a major disappointment.
You can purchase the Maruman Cover Note from JetPens for $25.50.
(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)
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