Posts filed under Maruman

Maruman Mnemosyne US Letter Size Notebook Review

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

I've long been a fan of Maruman Notebooks because of their excellent quality, and the Mnemosyne line is well-known for the plain black cover and double spiral binding. No matter what size you need, the Mnemosyne notebook line probably has a size that fits your needs.

The latest size to hit my desk is a unique one for the US market: Letter. I have a lot of mixed feelings about this notebook and the size, but let's focus on the stuff that it shares with all the other Mnemosyne notebooks of all sizes and shapes.

Maruman Mnemosyne US Letter Size Notebook

The famous black cover, twin ring binding, and yellow accents really set the Mnemosyne product line apart. There's nothing else like it, and that makes for some recognizable branding. I'm pretty sure that if you're reading this site, you've probably at least seen one of these notebooks online or in person — or you may own one or several already. If you've never tried a Mnemosyne notebook, you should definitely add it to your list. When it comes to spiral bound notebooks, they're at the top of a lot of lists.

The build quality on these notebooks is solid. The front cover is a sleek plastic that withstands plenty of wear, and the back chipboard cover is rigid and protective. The yellow accents on the cover and on the first page really add a nice pop of color to make these notebooks instantly recognizable.

The notebook paper is superb. At 80 gsm, it strides a great balance between being thin and capable of handling all sorts of inks and writing instruments. There are 70 sheets in the notebook, and they feature a 1/4" grid rule. The top of each page has a couple of blank areas for the title and page number, but the ink used for the labels (same ink as the grid lines) is a light gray that is easy to ignore if you don't want to use them.

Each page has a micro perforation at the top, which makes it easy to remove pages from the notebook with a clean rip. Due to the micro-perforation (lots of little holes), tearing a sheet out is easy and rarely results in any accidental tears on the sheet itself or ripping the paper out of the binding. It works great, and it's also really satisfying to tear sheets out due to how smooth it is.

The grid lines are only on the front of each sheet. The back is completely blank, which can be great if you want something with zero lining. Since there isn't much show-through on this paper, you can easily use both sides of the page without issues.

I've tried every pen I own on this paper over the years. It handles most things with ease. Aside from brush pens, some pigment markers, and really large, wet nibs, I've never had any problems with this paper. Lines are crisp, dark, dry as expected, and hardly show through on the back side. I haven't noticed any feathering or bleeding with the many inks/pens I've used. There's a light coating on the paper that makes it feel smoother when writing (it feels great, by the way), but it doesn't seem to affect dry time much at all. Perfect balance.

Let's look at the unique aspect of this notebook: the size. The US Letter size is a limited edition for the US market, and for now, only available on Amazon. It measures in at 279 x 226 mm, or 11 x 8.9 in. When you tear out a sheet, it measures 8.5 x 11 exactly, so the extra 0.4 accounts for the binding.

Alright, cool. It's a notebook from Japan that uses a US letter size for the pages. This isn't common, which is why it feels a little weird. Also, it's a USA limited edition, so all I can do is scratch my head and wonder why. I already have an A4 version of this notebook, and you can't tell which is which unless you compare them to each other. I'm a little perplexed why Maruman would set up the machines to run a limited edition notebook size for the US market, but here we are! If you want this special Letter size notebook, you have to pick them up from Maruman directly on Amazon.

Regardless of what size you pick, rest assured that this will be a fantastic notebook with paper that is really nice to use.

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

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Posted on July 13, 2022 by Jeff Abbott and filed under Maruman, Notebook Reviews.

Maruman Croquis Pocket Series Notebook Review

(Sarah Read is an author, editor, yarn artist, and pen/paper/ink addict. You can find more about her at her website and on Twitter. And check out her latest book, Out of Water, now available where books are sold!)

Brad's been raving about Maruman Croquis paper, and I've been dying to try it, so I was stoked when this small gem came my way. This is the Pocket Sketchbook version, with 55 dual-spiral-bound sheets of 96.4 gsm cream cotton paper. It has a soft woven surface that works well with artist's pencils, but also behaves beautifully with any pen you want to use.

The paper has a slight texture to it, which lends control to your drawing or writing, but it does not bleed or feather at all. Even the sharpie barely dots through, so this paper is up for your wildest artistic adventures. The pages are not perforated, so they do not tear out easily. Instead you get the dreaded spiral-bound confetti. The dual coil does keep the pages secure, though, so they won't tear out unless you really want them to.

The cover is thick cardstock designed to keep the coils inside the spine of the notebook, rather than sticking out where they might snag or be crushed. It makes for a great compact sketchbook. At 4.2 x 6" I'd consider it a bit larger than what we usually consider pocket size, despite its "pocket series" name. I dunno, mayhaps it fits in dude pockets, but I've never had a pocket this big. Still, it's compact for a sketchbook and perfect for travel or a daily sketch. It's also great as a notepad for writing, though this thicker paper really does beg for art to be made with it.

Best of all, this is some fabulous paper for only $4.45. Yes, under five bucks for 55 sheets of goodness. I highly recommend you give it a try. Toss one in your JetPens cart next time you need a boost to free shipping. I'll be doing the same, as the one pictured has already been stolen by a young artist in my home.

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

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Posted on April 14, 2022 by Sarah Read and filed under Maruman, Notebook Reviews.

Maruman Giuris Cover File Folder Review

It's finals week, so you know what that means! Yes, it's time to get ready for next semester. No rest for the wicked. But the best part of getting ready for a new semester is setting up your school supplies.

I was sent this Maruman Giuris Cover File Folder to review, and I had a thought that it might make a good binder system for my class notes next semester. Ultimately, I don't think it's going to meet my needs, but it's a good product that has its uses.

The name of this product is a little misleading. It's not quite a folder, and it's not a book cover--it's a 20-ring binder. It has a smoothly operating ring system set in a plastic binder, with a faux leather cover that slips over the plastic. On the inside of the front cover there are a few card slot pockets, and the inside flap can be used as a folder. Then there are six binder tabs, followed by a slim plastic notebook-like insert. The back inside cover has a pen loop. The setup comes with a packet of 50 sheets of loose-leaf paper, and the rings can hold up to 70 sheets in addition to the tabs and notebook.

The paper included here is reportedly Maruman's best paper, and it is exceptional. It works with everything I used, no bleeding, feathering, or even ghosting. I highly recommend it for fountain pen users, but it was pleasant with any writing tool. Paper refills cost $7.25 for a 50-sheet pack, but this binder is also compatible with Kokuyo Campus 20-hole papers, which are also excellent and cost $7 for 100 sheets.

There are a few reasons why this setup isn't ideal for me. For one, 70 sheets doesn't get me very far when it comes to schoolwork--I need a notebook/binder that can hold a lot more than that, especially if I'm taking several classes. I also had some issues with their loose-leaf paper packet. The pages aren't really loose-leaf; they're bound at the top with glue, like a notepad. You're meant to tear the pages away to use them, but the glue is a bit aggressive. Perhaps not every pack is so thoroughly glued as mine was, but I experienced torn or tattered pages most of the time. Not occasionally--almost every page did not tear away cleanly. That wouldn't bother me if this was a notepad, where the notes are often disposable, but my school notes are something I want to hold onto. Really, the glue seemed like a mean thing to do to such good paper. It was also inconvenient to have to peel off every page. I think it would be preferable if the loose-leaf paper just came loose. Six tabs also seems like a lot if each one could only hold a dozen or so pages.

This binder is priced at $39 on JetPens, which I think is a bit steep for what it offers. I would have estimated it a bit lower than that, though it does come with a decent amount of paper, which helps. While I won't be using this for school, I do think it could be useful in some other way. It might make a good planner, and the page layout is well designed for such a purpose. I could even see it as a good phone or address log, or reading log. Actually, I might use this as a reading log, myself. The tabs allow for a six-month setup, and the dozen sheets for every tab is a good amount for such a purpose. But the options speak to the versatility of the product, which is definitely a mark in its favor. I will probably get the Kokuyo refills, though.

(JetPens 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!