Smythson MEGA Review Part 3 – 12 Writing Papers Reviewed!

May 21, 2015 by Blake

Part 3

(Be sure you don’t miss Part 1 and Part 2)

Out of all the Smythson writing papers my four favorites are the ones I find to be the most unique.

Three Crowns for it’s interesting but subtle color, Featherweight Blue for it’s beautiful watermark, and Mayfair White Linen and Blue Linen for their interesting finish. As I said at the begging of Part 1 all of Smythson’s papers are excellent and all are suitable for use with fountain pens.

To compliment the writing sheets Smythson makes matching envelopes. Boxes of 25 (Kings size) go for $20.

The envelopes are made out of the same papers as the writing papers.

They are watermarked and are embossed with “SMYTHSON” along the flap closure.

The envelopes are unlined and have and adhesive that needs to be wetted. I prefer self seal envelopes like the ones Clairefontaine makes.

I don’t care too much about having a matching envelope as they are expensive and usually discarded.

Buyer’s Guide

I thought I would end this third post with a Smythson buying guide designed for US customers. Buying most of these writing papers in the US is not that straight forward.

There are three ways to go about acquiring Smythson paper:

1. Purchase prepackaged writing sheets and envelopes domestically (via Smythson.com or the New York store)

This way is the easiest but the paper choices are limited. Online you will be able to buy four standard papers (White Laid, Cream Wove, Nile Blue, Bond Street Blue) in Quarto (8″ x10″) and Kings (6.25″ x 8″) paper sizes. Packs of 50 in the Kings size cost $15 and 25 Kings envelopes are $20. Shipping is from the UK via DHL at a cost of $15.

At the New York store they carry one additional paper seasonally called Park Avenue Pink. This store also carries all of Smythson’s standard sizes: Duke (5.5″ x 7″), Kings (6.25″ x 8″), Imperial (7″ x 9″), Quarto (8″ x10″).

2. Purchase directly from Smythson UK (not recommended)

To do this call Smythson’s 1-800 number and ask to talk to a UK representative at a retail store. You will be put through to either the Bond Street or Sloane Street store in London. They carry the full range of Smythson papers prepackaged and though the cost is comparable (or better with the current exchange rates) the shipping cost is prohibitive such that you need to order a good volume for it to be worthwhile.

3. Purchase through the US Bespoke department (recommended)

Call the New York store and ask to speak to the Bespoke department. Tell them you want to order plain stationery. They can order the full range of the Smythson line in any quantity. You could buy 5 sheets or 1,000 (price breaks start at 250).

50 sheets in a Kings size is $18 and 50 Imperial sheets is $23. For the $18 you pay those 50 sheets don’t all have to be one paper you could do 10 sheets of 5 different papers and the cost would be the same.

The other benefit of ordering through the Bespoke department is that shipping is free, so even if it’s an extra $3 for 50 sheets you save by not having to pay $15 for shipping.

Lastly, there are nonstandard Smythson papers that can be purchased bespoke through their Color Plan line. These papers are considered a proper custom order and as a result have a longer lead time and a much higher price. I have not had the opportunity to sample any of these papers.

Smythson MEGA Review Part 2 – 12 Writing Papers Reviewed!

May 19, 2015 by Blake

Part 2

(Be sure you don’t miss Part 1 and please stay tuned for Part 3, including a US buyer’s guide)

Marston Mill Thick (135 gsm / 36 lbs)

This is a thicker laid paper that is a light cream color with a touch of green in it. No bleed through no feathering and smooth on the back. Another excellent paper with a somewhat unusual color but it’s quite subtle.

Three Crowns (140 gsm / 37 lbs)

This is a woven light mint colored paper. Compared to its counterpart, Cream Wove, I noticed some mild feathering with some of my juicier pens.

The feathering doesn’t put me off of this paper as it’s unique color.

Despite the minor feathering there was no bleed through.

Bond Street Blue (115 gsm / 30 lbs)

There are four “standard” blues in Smythson’s line but Bond Street Blue is touted as their signature color. It is a very nice pale blue. Many luxury goods manufacturers have signature colors that are often denoted by their boxes: Hermes in orange, Cartier in dark red, Tiffany & Co. in robin’s egg blue, and Rolex in dark green, etc. Smythson boxes however are not Bond Street Blue they are the darker Nile Blue…oh well.

Bond Street Blue is a woven paper slightly heavier than White Wove. Excellent performance all around no bleeding or feathering.

Blue Linen (105 gsm / 28 lbs)

Same finish as Mayfair White Linen but noticeably lighter in weight with the same feedback and feel.

No feathering or bleeding. The color is identical to the Bond Street Blue.

Featherweight Blue (85 gsm)

This is the paper that Smythson uses in their famous Panama diaries and in the majority of the organizers and books they sell. “Featherweight” paper is trademarked and even its unique watermark reads “REGISTERED”.

Featherweight watermark — The featherweight watermarks are spaced much closer together than the standard Smythson watermarks as this paper was designed for use with much smaller paper formats.

The reason for all the fuss is that Featherweight allows you to get lots of absorbent fountain-pen-friendly-pages into a diary with minimal bulk. This is less important when we are talking about loose sheets but it is a lovely paper even in loose leaf form.

The color is a pale blue slightly lighter than that of Bond Street Blue. I have noticed some color variation with this paper and when I asked Smythson about it they replied that because it is”handmade” there is variation between runs.

In my experience some batches will be a bit darker but it is always a pale blue. There is no bleeding no feathering. Compared to the heavier wove papers Featherweight has a smoother texture. It has a nice feel too it without getting crinkly like Tomoe River paper (though to be fair Tomoe is 52 gsm). For my purposes I prefer Featherweight because I can write on both sides where TR has a bad case of ghosting.

Nile Blue ( 100 gsm / 26 lbs)

Last but not least is Nile Blue (the color of the boxes). This is a laid paper in a much darker blue. Nile Blue is the lightest (in weight not color) of Smythson’s laid papers and despite this it performs as well as the thicker ones with no feathering and no bleed through. Because it is a darker paper you do start to lose the ink colors a bit. Out of all of the laid papers in Smythson’s line the ribbed texture is the most visually apparent with Nile Blue.

I will post Part 3 soon with a US Buyer’s guide and conclusion.

Smythson MEGA Review Part 1 – 12 Writing Papers Reviewed!

May 18, 2015May 17, 2015 by Blake

Smythson of Bond Street is a stationery and luxury goods manufacturer that holds three proper Royal Warrants.

The print is quite small but left to right are UK warrants for the Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh, and the Price of Wales — The print is quite small but left to right are UK warrants for the Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh, and the Prince of Wales

Smythson’s focus these days appears to be on overpriced luxury leather products rather than the stationery that made them famous.

The good news is that Smythson still makes a lot of excellent papers. By my count there are fourteen different writing papers; that is far more than any of their competitors (namely the Wren Press, Dempsey & Caroll, and Crane & Co.).

I will be reviewing twelve different Smythson writing papers in a ~~two~~ three part review.

Part 1

Per my understanding Smythson papers are all made in the United Kingdom out of 100% wood pulp. The absence of cotton or linen makes these papers highly suitable for use with fountain pens.

Cotton and linen papers are generally considered superior to ones made out of wood because they can last much longer. If you are signing important documents that you expect to be around for 500+ years then cotton is the way to go. If you want to maximize the joy of writing with fountain pens wood papers are far superior (and with some care can last as long as 200 years).

All of Smythson’s papers carry the watermark shown below (with the exception of one special paper that I will cover in Part 2).

Because the paper is produced in a larger format than it is sold, most sheets do not have a complete watermark and this is especially true if you buy the Kings format that I prefer. Kings writing sheets are similar to A5 but are slightly taller and wider measuring W16 x H20.5 cm. Writing sheets are sold in packs of 50 for $15. All of the papers cost the same but most unfortunately most of them are not available in store or online. You will have to call Smythson and specifically request them ( I will discuss which ones these are later on).

Also it should be noted that the sheets I have used here (with the exception of the Featherweight paper) are from a personalized stationery sampler and as such have the name of the paper and weight engraved on the top left corner.

Lastly, before we jump into the individual reviews, I am sorry to say that all twelve of these papers are wonderful and there isn’t one I wouldn’t recommend. It is a bit anticlimactic to read through this two part post to learn that they are all excellent but it is what it.

White Wove (110 gsm / 29lbs)

This paper is lightly textured and handles fountain pen ink very nicely. Feedback on this paper is very minor; pens glide nicely over the surface even though it’s not glass smooth. Minimal feathering and almost not bleed through. The back is ever so slightly smoother than the front and you can write on both sides no problem.

Cream Wove (140 gsm / 37 lbs)

Smythson Cream Wove — Shot alone my camera tries to make this paper look very white so please see the pictures with multiple papers above to get a better sense of the actual color.

Similar texture as White Wove but thicker. To me the White Wove is a bit more elegant with a more delicate but sturdy feel. The performance is the same as White Wove though I so no bleed through at all.

Mayfair White Linen (135 gsm / 36 lbs)

This paper and the Mayfair Smooth White are the whitest papers in the Smythson line. Despite being called White Linen this paper is 100% wood pulp and as a result it works beautifully with fountain pen ink unlike most papers made out of real linen. The gorgeous linen texture provides more feedback than the other finishes but still works very nicely with my pens.

I do make an effort though to hold the page while writing as nibs can grab. This paper has no bleed through and no feathering that I can see. The back of the page is much smoother than the front and you can write on both sides of the paper.

Mayfair Smooth White (135 gsm / 36 lbs)

Same color and weight as Mayfair White Linen but with a smooth finish. It is smoother than Rhodia’s 80 gsm paper and comparable to Clairefontaine’s 90gsm. In other words, this is on par with the smoothest paper on I own. Performance is excellent. No bleeding nor any noticeable feathering. I highly recommend this paper for finer scratchier nibs.

Ermine White Laid (115 gsm /30 lbs)

This paper is the most off white of the papers that Smythson calls “white”. Laid paper has a ribbed texture to it and is an older form of paper making. In most mills laid paper was superseded by wove paper. This paper is smooth on the back but you can write on both sides. This paper does not feather but because of the ribbed texture lines may look slightly less clean.

I saw no bleed through on this paper and overall it is the best performing laid paper I have ever owned. If you want to see what bad laid paper looks like see my review of Original Crown Mill’s laid paper.

White Matt (150 gsm / 39 lbs)

This is simply a heavier version of White Wove. The finish and color is exactly the same. I saw no bleed through once so ever on this paper where the White Wove had the slightest signs of spotting. This is a nice paper but I prefer the lighter White Wove.

Please stay tuned for Part 2 and Part 3.

Fabriano Medioevalis Stationery Review

April 15, 2015 by Blake

Fabriano is one of the oldest paper mills still operating in Europe and they produce a plethora of high quality papers. Medioevalis is the most affordable line stationery in their “prestige correspondence” range and it is the only one that can be easily bought in the United States.

Medioevalis comes in two colors, a cream, and a white, as well as various paper weights. There are numerous formats including ones specifically designed to be used with inkjet and laser printers.

The format I am reviewing is the A5 writing pad and envelopes. The pad is in the cream color and contains twenty-five A5 size sheets and one blotting page.

The blotting page is a really nice feature that most stationery writing pads omit.

The mold made paper is 120 g/m² and has a hand torn deckled edged. The sheets are “self-deckling” such that when removed the top edge has the same delicate deckled finish as the other edges.

Despite its textured finish this paper works very well with fountain pens. There is a minimal but pleasant amount of feedback and being made out of a wood pulp it accepts fountain pen ink quite nicely. The paper absorbs the fountain pen ink making for quick dry times. In my test there was no bleed and very minimal ghosting a feathering.

This paper is not watermarked and the envelopes are unlined.

I prefer self adhesive envelopes but these ones close up just fine.

This have been one of my favorite papers for several years now. The writing pad costs $9.50 and the envelopes are $10.99 for 25. At less than 50 cents a sheet you can’t really go wrong with this paper. I highly recommend it.

Fabriano Medioevalis Stationery — Medioevalis logo on the blotting page.

Itoya Romeo A5 Spiral Notebook Review

April 8, 2015 by Blake

For those unfamiliar, Romeo is Itoya’s store brand and under than name they sell pens and pen related items. The products I have seen bearing the Romeo name are all of very high quality unlike typical store brand products.

The Romeo A5 spiral notebook is designed for use with fountain pens and even has a nib and ink bottle embossed in gold leaf on the textured black cover. The interior contains 70 sheets of cream colored paper with a grey ruling and a rather precise 102.9 g/m² weight. This is heavy weight paper and by comparison Rhodia’s paper is only 80 g/m².

As you would imagine that paper handles fountain pen ink link a champion. There was no bleed through in my test and only some minor feathering. Compared to other papers/notebooks I have tested this one is one of the best in terms of ghosting; there is almost none to speak of.

Itoya Romeo A5 Spiral Notebook — The ghosting is more apparent in the picture than in person

The paper is smoother than Rhodia’s, so if you like a lot of feedback, steer clear. I normally prefer a bit of feedback but it is nice to have a Rolls-Royce smooth ride every once in a while. I like to pair this paper with my fine and extra fine nibs as it makes them feel smoother than normal.

The double spiral binding is made out of brass wire and feels quite sturdy as does the stiff 600 g/m² cover.

This is a great notebook that I have been enjoying using. They cost only 800YEN (or about $6.5USD these days) and for that price you get a lot of notebook. They also come in blank and grid versions and I have seen them for sale on Rakuten (no affiliation).

Il Papiro Marbleized Notebook Review

January 28, 2015 by Blake

Il Papiro is an Italian company that has been producing hand decorated paper products since the 1970s. While in Rome earlier this month I spotted their shop and the street and ventured inside. The small shop was filled with beautiful books, stationery and rubber stamps.

Il Papiro Marbleized Notebook

The marbleized books immediately caught my eye.

Il Papiro Marbleized Notebook

I picked one off of the shelf and the friendly saleswoman proceeded to show me the same book in a couple of sizes and in many different colors.

Il Papiro Marbleized Notebook

Because the books are marbleized by hand no two books are exactly the same.

Il Papiro Marbleized Notebook

I selected a green book with 10cm x 15cm pages.

Il Papiro Marbleized Notebook

The blank pages are of an excellent stationery-grade paper. The paper is watermarked with “Il Papiro Firenze” and their logo.

Il Papiro Marbleized Notebook

The paper holds fountain pen ink very well and you should have no problems writing on both sides of this paper.

Il Papiro Marbleized Notebook

The paper provides pleasant feedback while still feeling smooth.

If you look closely you can see the stitching.

The book has a stitched binding and small signatures, though not as small as those seen in high-end Japanese notebooks.

The cover has a nice texture that is pleasant to the touch. I really am enamored with this notebook.

So what are the drawbacks? As I am sure you can guess, it’s the price. My little notebook cost me 27€ (or about $30 USD at the time of this writing). I will buy more of these in the future but as a fountain pen user these notebooks are a luxury and not a necessity.

LIFE Airmail Letter Set Stationery Review

December 14, 2014 by Blake

The LIFE Airmail letter set (LIFE L1096 + E26) offers both retro styling and an affordable price. I paid approximately $7 USD for the set which contains 10 “VIA AIR MAIL” envelopes and 50 sheets of onion skin paper. Purchased individually the pad is $5 and the envelope is $2.

For those not familiar with onion skin paper, it is a durable but thin transparent paper that resembles, you guessed it, the skin of an onion.

I wouldn’t dare use a fountain pen on a standard tracing paper but this LIFE onion skin paper is of excellent quality.

There is some very minor feathering with all of the fountain pens and the Pilot Hi-Tec Point gel pen but it is not enough to bother me.

I experienced no bleed through as evidenced by this perfectly clean template I used for the writing sample.

The guide sheet is double sided to accommodate different writing styles.

Because this paper is transparent you aren’t likely going to want to write on both sides.

The envelopes are my favorite part of the set.

They look great.

The envelopes feature self adhesive and have a security pattern on the inside which reads “TOKYO LIFE”.

Like all other LIFE products I have come across, the Airmail letter set is well executed and of a high quality. I would have liked to see a blotter page in the pad but that is a small gripe.

Field Notes Ambition Notebook Review

November 23, 2014 by Blake

“Ambition” is the 25th release in the Field Notes Colors series of limited edition notebooks.

The three pack contains a datebook, ledger and memo book.

Let me say right off the bat that I do not have any use for a datebook or a ledger and I would have liked more memo books in any of the standard formats (dot grid, blank, lined, etc…). That aside, I think this is one of the very best Colors editions.

I love the subdued covers with gold embossed logos, gold colored staples, and gold leaf gilded edges. These books are nice. Field Notes Ambition

The paper holds up to fountain pen ink quite well though thicker and juicer pens will bleed through.

Some bleed through and ghosting but not bad at all by Field Notes' standards. — Some bleed through and ghosting but not bad at all by Field Notes’ standards.

I hope the Field Notes decides to make the Ambition memo book part of their permanent line. I would happily pay a premium for it over the standard memo book.

Rhodia Clic Bloc Mouse Pad / Notepad Review

October 21, 2014 by Blake

As I said earlier in my review of the Hermès Ostrich GM Notebook Cover, I love items that bridge my interests, and while the Rhodia Clic Bloc combines my love of pens with my love of technology it hasn’t exactly won me over.

The Clic Bloc is a notepad that doubles as a mouse pad and unfortunately serving double duty makes it both a bad notepad and a bad mouse pad.

The pad measures 7.5″ x 9″, contains 30 sheets and has a nonskid backing. The Clic Bloc looks like a regular Rhodia notepad with an orange flip over cover, only the Clic Bloc does not have a cover, it is merely a color picture of a folded cover that even has a shadow line.

It is nice that they want this product to look like the other notepads in their line but to me it is a waste of space to print a fake folded cover on every page. I also don’t like that “www. bloc-rhodia.com” is printed on the bottom.

The paper is the same 80g paper that Rhodia is famous for and of course it performs superbly with fountain pen ink. No bleeding or feathering.

It should also be noted that the grid is only on one side of the paper, the opposite side is completely blank. The pad is bound with glue on the bottom and left edges and tears off easily. Because its glued on the left it isn’t going to work well for left handed people as the paper is not going to stay put when you brush against the pad.

As a mousepad, the nonskid backing is not as secure as a regular mousepad but it works well enough.

Rhodia Clic Bloc Mouse Pad / Note Pad — The backing of the Clic Bloc

I found no tracking issues using the pad but I found the edges of the pad to be uncomfortable to brush up against while moving the mouse around and this is ultimately what caused me to stop using it. It’s just not comfortable.

Kokuyo Century Edition A5 Notebook Review

September 16, 2014 by Blake

2013 marked the 100th year that Kokuyo has produced western style notebooks and to celebrate they have released a limited edition notebook called the Century Edition which I picked up in the A5 format. The notebook features 70 sheets of 100g paper with a 6mm rule.

The look of this notebook is exceptional. The black cover is textured to feel like cloth. The combination of the black “cloth” with gold print and diagonal text block pattern (they also do a woven pattern text block version) creates a luxurious retro look.

The the pastedown and free endpaper is made from a single piece of thick red paper.

The luxury ruled ivory “Kokuyo Ledger paper” is designed to be used with fountain pens and is ultra smooth.

Kokuyo Century Edition A5 Notebook

It handles fountain ink without any bleeding or showthrough. The dry time is surprisingly fast (for a smooth paper). This isn’t an absorbent paper but I have been using this notebook as a journal and upon review I am not seeing any of the usual smearing I see when compared to my Tomoe River and Rhodia journals.

The Century Edition has tiny little signatures and the binding is so good that I cannot for the life of me find the stitching with the book open. The binding lays quite flat on it’s own and improves with use.

I haven’t been wowed by Kokuyo products in the past but this is the finest notebook I have ever had the pleasure of owning. The cost? 1,000 YEN (about $10 USD)! It’s not expensive and it makes a Midori notebook look like a sloppy first attempt (okay that might be a bit of an exaggeration). I highly recommend the Kokuyo Century Edition notebook. I know I will be buying more in the future.