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What are some current good (no bleed through) journals/notebooks?

Rhody

I'm a Lumberjack.
If soft cover is acceptable I’d suggest kokuyo campus notebooks. Excellent paper. Also affordable.
 
I like the Lenome "thick Notebook", A5 size, 120 gsm (whatever that means) paper. I don't know about fountain pens, but gel pens work nicely with minimal or no bleed through. I should note that the price has gone up since I last bought one, but they're still competitive at $16.29 on Amazon. I also like the pen loop which is positioned nicely on the journal.
 

Whilliam

First Class Citizen
I like the Lenome "thick Notebook", A5 size, 120 gsm (whatever that means) paper. I don't know about fountain pens, but gel pens work nicely with minimal or no bleed through. I should note that the price has gone up since I last bought one, but they're still competitive at $16.29 on Amazon. I also like the pen loop which is positioned nicely on the journal.
I believe "gsm" refers to "grams per square meter."
 

musicman1951

three-tu-tu, three-tu-tu
I started out journaling using the Quo Vadis Habana ... but back a few years ago they changed paper to a thinner Clairfontaine, and I found an unacceptable level of ghosting and bleed-through with the new paper, and stopped using that one.

I switched to Apica, and am happy with the paper (although I miss the end-pockets and thick covers of the Habana.)


I have done the same on my journey. I like A4 size, which can be harder to find, and blank pages. But equally important is that it lay flat on the table.
 

Doc4

Stumpy in cold weather
Staff member
They went to 85g paper for a little while but they are back to 90 g with their dot paper now.
I did some checking, and found out:
  1. I have two unused Apica notebooks waiting to be my next two journal volumes (and possibly a third.)
  2. I can only find the 90g in the dot-paper, but not the lined. I'm much more a fan of the lined.
So I will give Quo Vadis a couple more years to come to their senses, and see what the situation is when I am getting near to needing a new journal.
 
I wish I had gotten this first. I was annoyed while trying out various spreads and pens / markers that there was bleed through on my first journal. Got this one for my second and absolutely love it.

THE BAMBOO BULLET - A5 Dotted Planner Featuring 240 Pages Of Thick 160 GSM Paper! Real Wood Bamboo Cover!
 
I'll cheat a little and mention these Nanami Seven Seas journals with Tomoe River paper. I like them, and have about four unused ones to go through along with others. But you might not care for them because, although they don't have bleed through, there is noticeable show through. It doesn't bother me at all, but some might not like it.

But others that I've used which might suit you are Life Noble and Apica. Only, I'm not totally sure where to recommend that you get the Apica. I normally order from Jet Pens, but when I tried to find links on their site, they are out of stock on those, and don't seem to carry the Life Noble any more. The Amazon link that I actually gave has a reasonable price for the Life Noble; the Goulet price for the Apica is higher that I'm used to paying, but is not too bad. You'll notice that I prefer blank paper, but these also come in lined versions.

And of course, Clairefontaine is also good.
Late to this thread but the seven seas are my favourite notebooks. I bought a stack of 10 a few years ago when they were still kinda new. Love them
 

Lefonque

Even more clueless than you
Tomoe River is par excellence. I have tried so many types of notebooks and journal paper Tomoe River is imo the best. Great for fountain pens. No bleed through despite being a thin paper and a great finish and feel to the paper.
 

Rhody

I'm a Lumberjack.
I just got my first black and red. Initially very impressed. Great paper especially for the cost. I’ll also give a shout out to write paper company. Tremendous quality and design. I just ordered their planner notebook for use with some organizing (a fantasy of mine 🤣😁)
 

tankerjohn

A little poofier than I prefer
Do I read correctly that it has dots instead of lines?
Yes, dot grid has gained a lot of popularity in recent years. Many bulllet journalists like dots because they are better than lined paper for drawing pictures and charts, but still provide more structure than a blank page.
 

tankerjohn

A little poofier than I prefer
I just got my first black and red. Initially very impressed. Great paper especially for the cost. I’ll also give a shout out to write paper company. Tremendous quality and design. I just ordered their planner notebook for use with some organizing (a fantasy of mine 🤣😁)
Alright! Glad you like the Black n’ Red. I’ve been curious about Write for a while now, but haven’t pulled the trigger. I’ll have to give them a try next time I need a notebook. Good luck with the organizing! :thumbsup:
 

tankerjohn

A little poofier than I prefer
Tomoe River is par excellence. I have tried so many types of notebooks and journal paper Tomoe River is imo the best. Great for fountain pens. No bleed through despite being a thin paper and a great finish and feel to the paper.
Are you talking about the new reformulated Tomoe River paper or the old paper? I heard the new stuff is okay, but not as good as the old paper.
 
Are you talking about the new reformulated Tomoe River paper or the old paper? I heard the new stuff is okay, but not as good as the old paper.
I haven’t tried any of the new notebooks. I still have a couple of the old ones left thankfully. Not sure what I’ll do afterwards though.
 

Rhody

I'm a Lumberjack.
Quite the comprehensive review. Thanks for posting that. I found the t River (not sure if my recent order is the new version) doesn’t float my boat. I see the positive qualities but the pages are far too thin for my taste.
 
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