As I mentioned a few posts back, in purchasing paper for my A5 binder, I found some surprising duds. Jim and I have both used Kokuyo notebooks without encountering any issues. Apparently, however, their loose leaf paper is not the same quality.
I don’t feel the need to babble on about each type of paper I’ve tested so far. Instead, I’ll let my ratings — I’ve included scales this time — and the papers themselves do the speaking for me.
Rating Scales
Bleedthrough
0: No bleedthrough at all
1: Occasional dots of minor bleedthrough with heavy ink application
2: Regular dots of minor bleedthrough or occasional dots of full bleedthrough, regardless of nib or ink
3: Might as well be cheap lined paper
Feathering
0: No feathering at all
1: Some lines are a bit “bumpy”
2: Obvious, but minor, feathering with multiple nibs or inks
3: Major feathering
Ghosting
0: No ghosting at all. You can’t see any writing on the reverse, even when laid against white paper.
1: You can tell that there is writing on the reverse, but only just.
2: It’s difficult to make out the writing on the reverse, but with enough concentration, you can figure out what it says
3: It’s easy to see the writing on the reverse. You need a dark paper underneath to not see it.
Texture
0: Paper is glass-like. Example: Apica CD
1: No noticeable texture. Neutral. Example: Kokuyo KB 64gsm
2: Minimal texture when running your fingers over it. Example: Midori MD Cotton
3: Obvious texture when running your fingers over it. Example: Clairfontaine Classic
I’ve listed the papers in alphabetical order, and you can click on any image to view it larger.
Papers with bleedthrough scores marked with an asterisk (*) only showed hints of bleedthrough with particularly pointy/sharp nibs. It’s possible that the nibs damaged the integrity of the paper.
Kokuyo Campus Loose Leaf Paper, A5 5mm Dot Grid
Bleedthrough: 3
Feathering: 2.5
Ghosting: 3
Texture: 1
Verdict: I would not consider this paper to be fountain pen friendly.
Kokuyo Campus Loose Leaf Paper, A5 5mm Grid
Bleedthrough: 1
Feathering: 0.5
Ghosting: 3
Texture: 1
Verdict: Not bad, but avoid super-wet nibs.
Kokuyo Campus Loose Leaf Paper, A5 Plain
Bleedthrough: 2
Feathering: 2
Ghosting: 3
Texture: 1
Verdict: Better than the dot grid paper, not as good as the grid paper.
Kokuyo KB Paper, A5 Plain 64gsm
Bleedthrough: 1
Feathering: 0.5
Ghosting: 3
Texture: 1
Verdict: This is good everyday paper.
Maruman Giuris Loose Leaf Paper, A5 5 mm Graph
Bleedthrough: 0.5*
Feathering: 0
Ghosting: 2
Texture: 1
Verdict: This is excellent paper.
Maruman Loose Leaf Paper, A5 6mm Ruled
Bleedthrough: 0.5*
Feathering: 0
Ghosting: 2.5
Texture: 0.5
Verdict: I could easily see myself using this as my everyday paper.
Midori MD Cotton Loose Leaf Paper, A5 Plain
Bleedthrough: 0.5*
Feathering: 0
Ghosting: 3
Texture: 2
Verdict: If the white Midori MD paper was easier to get, it would be at the top of my list. Excellent paper, and the bit of texture is a nice change.
Muji Loose Leaf Paper, A5 Plain
Bleedthrough: 0
Feathering: 0
Ghosting: 3
Texture: 0.5
Verdict: AMAZING paper for the price. I see myself using this for all of my printed layouts.
Have you tried any of these papers? If so, do you agree with my thoughts and ratings? Let me know in the comments! I’d love to hear from you.
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