JetPens Kanso Writable Washi Tape Stars 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!)

One of the things that distinguishes a Pen Addict from a Pen Afficionado is that we are equally transported by fine writing instruments as we are by the simple things. There are few things in life as exciting as a new fountain pen, but one of those things is ... washi tape.

Washi tape can be anything from beautiful and artistic to plain and purposeful, and I love it all. Washi tape that serves a purpose that also saves me time is especially worthy in my book, so count me as a fan of the JetPens Kanso Writable Washi Tape—especially of this Stars one, which allows me to quickly and decoratively annotate my journals.

I think this star tape will be especially appealing to book nerds like myself. Do you keep a book journal, a reading tracker, a bullet journal entry for your reading? Then you need this. I can roll off a quick run of stars and tape it into my planner to rate my reads--or movies, or music, or pens, or heck, even other washi tapes. You could tear off just one star to add emphasis to a priority, or a whole page of stars to express your enthusiasm for Encanto. Because the tape is writable, you could tear off five stars, but fill in three to denote the "meh" nature of your most recent read. It's useful, time-saving, and versatile. I love it. I rate it five stars, which I can do easily now that I have this tape.

The writable tape also comes in boxes, circles, arrows, days of the week--all kinds of handy labels that any planner user will find instantly useful.

The surface is coated, so it takes a little bit of dry time with some inks. I used primarily gel pens with mine, and it was set after a minute or so. Ballpoint was much faster, though some liquid inks didn't set as well. Whatever coating the tape has that allows it to adhere to itself but still pull away cleanly is not ideal for fountain pen, but works well with most other pens.

The size of the shapes in the washi are designed to work best with 5mm grids, but the pale white background is semi-transparent, so it can work with any kind of paper.

I highly recommend this line of washi tapes for anyone who does any degree of planner customizing. Each roll is $2.85, so it's great for topping off your cart to get free shipping, but I could easily fill a cart with just this and be delighted on mail day.

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

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Mark's Maste Washi Tape Basic Visible Neon Giveaway

I love washi tape. Bright, vibrant, fun, washi tape. I use it in, and on, my notebooks, on electrical cords, and on a whole host of random items that you wouldn’t think would be served by washi tape.

I picked up the Basic Visible Neon set by Mark’s in a recent JetPens sponsorship lot, and these colors check all of my boxes. How fun is this group? So fun, that I have a tough time deciding which one to grab out of the stack.

You may have a tough time too if you win this giveaway. I’m giving away one set to one winner, so read the rules below and enter away!

Mark's Maste Washi Tape Basic Visible Neon Giveaway

Mark's Writable Maste Washi Tape Review

I never thought I needed washi tape. Now I can’t live without it. What is it about these little strips of awesomeness that makes them so great?

My latest discovery is Mark's Writable Maste Washi Tape, which, when I saw it came in a grid pattern, jumped at the chance to get. I had already been a fan of traditional washi tapes for years, so adding another cool one to the collection that I could write on was an easy choice.

Now let’s be clear about a few things up front. First off, you don’t neeeeeed washi tape. Any regular tape will do for most normal uses, and will likely do a better job at actually sticking things together. Secondly, you can write on many tapes, both standard and of the washi variety, with ballpoint pens, permanent markers, and pencils. And third, they can be expensive, especially when compared to the basics.

So, why washi tape? For the same reason you buy that purple gel ink pen, or that shimmer ink, or that eleventh notebook. They are fun, and allow you to make your stationery personal. What you put on the page is an expression of yourself, and washi tape fits right in with all of it.

My main use for washi tape is to embellish my visual journal. I’ve discussed my process before, and adding this writable washi tape to my kit gives me something else fun to play with. Couldn’t I just write on the page itself? Of course! But why not have even more fun with the process than I normally do?

Writing on this tape actually works. It is designed to be used with water-based inks, which standard tapes can’t handle. Anything I threw at it - from gel, to roller, to pencil, to fountain, and more - worked. The wettest inks, such as the Schmidt P8127 rollerball refill and the Montblanc JFK fountain pen ink, did take a long time to dry. Over 30 seconds for each in fact, so you don’t want to drag your hand over them immediately or close your notebook until you are sure they are dry.

Despite that, I was still impressed with how well this tape performed. I could write on it with ease, and pull and it restick as needed, just like any other washi tape.

One of the best parts of the stationery hobby is discovering fun and interesting ways to use the products I have. Sure, I’d get by with a basic pen and notebook just fine, but this is way more fun, and it is way more me. And I plan on experimenting and discovering for the rest of my life.

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

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Enjoy reading The Pen Addict? Then consider becoming a member to receive additional weekly content, giveaways, and discounts in The Pen Addict shop. Plus, you support me and the site directly, for which I am very grateful.

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