I confess I bought Ink institute Mexican Hens because of the name. I have this same problem with nail polish. As lovely as it is, the color is not very saturated and is unlikely to get much use in my super fine pens.
Yachingstyle Bellflower was a limited edition color that was on sale at the SF Pen Show so I got caught up in the whole FOMO of the show. Its a deep indigo violet color so I’m hoping it will be more saturated in writing than Mexican Hens.
Finally, Diamine Potpourri is a reddish plummy purple which is a color that I do tend to be attracted to as you’ll see below.
Comparing Inks:
Ink Institute Mexican Hens is a smoky blue purple with low saturation. I don’t have a lot of other colors that are similar but that’s probably because its soon light. I think Kala Abstraction Pigment Ink in Mongolian Sandstorm is the closest but I think Diamine Inkvent Black Edition Marley has a lovely blackberry color that looks quite light with a fine nib size.
Diamine Potpourri is probably pretty similar to Troublemaker Inks Moon River but it much more readily available. For me, Robert Oster Australian Opal Mauve is a tiny bit more purply and a little more saturated but its pretty close.
Yanchingstyle Bellflower is more blue than many of the deeper violet purples in my collection. Vinta Maskara is probably the closest though it is a more vibrant violet with more red in the color. I love Maskara and its almost empty so I think Bellflower will make a good replacement for now.
I know a lot of ink colors feel like they are limited edition or only available for a short time so I think finding a close dupe is a great way to feel like you have the fancy color. Dupes also help to avoid the possibility of buying a similar color to something you might already have.
In the case of Mexican Hens, I don’t have anything similar but it is really light so I think it might be better for drawing, painting or more artistic uses. Both Potpourri and Bellflower may be more useful and I’m planning to you use them more frequently.
Do you find yourself getting into a specific color family and buying a lot of different inks in that color family?
DISCLAIMER: Some items included in this review were provided free of charge by Dromgoole’s, Vanness Pen Shop and JetPens for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.
For some reason, the end of minting the US penny hits hard for me. While I do believe they will remain in circulation for many years to come, it just feels weird even if I haven’t paid cash for anything in months. Dig around in those change jars, couch cushions and under the seat in your car and drop all your pennies off at your bank so they stay in circulation for as long as possible.
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Have you always wanted to try the famed Hobonichi paper, but don’t want to commit to a full planner? Now you can!
Ana recently sent me a Hobonichi Graph Notebook, A6 ($20 at JetPens), featuring a pretty cover designed by Hiroko Kubota called Another Night of Falling Star Sparklers. The slim notebook features 144 sheets (288 pages) of the same paper as is in the Techo planners. Each page is printed with a 3.7mm grid in red, blue, green and purple. The notebook is A6 size which translates to 4 1/8″ x 5 7/8″ (10.5 cm x 15 cm), and is also available in A5 size as well.
The paper is truly lovely. It’s smooth and the pen just glides over it. There’s no bleeding or feathering, even though I’m using a medium nib that’s putting down a decent amount of ink. I tried to write lightly on this page, so you can see there is a bit of show through and indentation on the other side. Normally this would be more pronounced if I were the one using it.
In general, I prefer slightly thicker paper given my heavy writing, but this is the perfect notebook for my purse. And if you’re eager to try Hobonichi paper without springing for a full planner or ordering from overseas, give this little notebook a look over at JetPens!
DISCLAIMER: Some items included in this review were provided free of charge by JetPens for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.
One of my lovely readers sent me a sample of the new paper that Aura Estelle will be using in their planners for 2026. My plan was to review this new Tomoe River Paper 52gsm white (New Sanzen) paper on its own but it quickly became clear that a comparison was needed between not just the Aura Estelle but the papers being used in some of the other planners currently available.
I have pulled together the following planners/paper:
Sterling Ink 2026 (Tomoe river paper 52 gsm – New Sanzen – white) N1-H Compact
Aura Estelle (Tomoe River Paper 52gsm -New Sanzen- white) SAMPLE A6
The Paper:
Based on this list, the assumption would be that the Aura Estelle paper is the same as the Sterling Ink and Owl Paper — it is NOT. The Aura Estelle paper is much smoother and slicker than any of the other Tomoe River papers on this list. That’s not a good or bad thing but it is definitely different. All three other TR papers had a slight tooth and texture to them.
Aura Estelle paper sample for 2026 planners, front viewAura Estelle writing sample, reverse view
I am pretty confident that Owl Paper and Sterling Ink are using the same version of Tomoe River 52 gsm paper. Sterling Ink paper looks slightly creamier but the difference is minimal so I can’t decide if my eye are playing tricks. Sterling Ink has a darker printed grid and informational data compared to the Owl Paper. Most notably, both the Owl and Sterling planners use the white TR paper while Hobonichi uses the cream/ivory color paper.
Aura Estelle, Hobonich Weeks, Sterling Ink and Owl Paper side-by-side comparison.Hobonichi Weeks vs. Aura Estelle paper and writing samplesSterling Ink paper compared to Aura EstelleOwl Paper vs. Aura Estelle writing sample
I’d say if you were looking for a Hobonichi alternative with brighter white paper, Sterling Ink or Owl Paper are good options.
Hobonich Weeks writing sample, back view. Some show through but not terrible.Sterling Ink writing sample from the reverse. No bleed through, but some acceptable show through.Owl Paper writing sample from the reverse. Show through but no bleed through.
Sizes and Layouts:
Designwise, the Sterling Ink planners have clean, minimal design style. Owl Paper has a visual style that feels more utilitarian. The printed details in the Owl Paper are as light as the printed grid. Alternately, Hobonichi uses a darker grey for dates and informational text. I don’t have a printed Aura Estelle planner in hand but looking at their website, it looks like the printed information is darker than the grid lines as well.
Size comparison: Owl Paper Planner B6, Sterling Ink N1-H Common Planner and Hobonichi Weeks
In terms of pre-printed layouts, each system adds to or removes elements in an effort to make the most functional planner. Its so hard to quantify which system is better or will work best for you. While I do like some sort of weekly layout with Monday through Sunday listed for big tasks, meetings, appointments and travel, I don’t need an hourly breakdown but you might need that for time management. All the planner books I am showing here today feature blank pages that can be used for daily journaling or record keeping.
Sterling Ink Common Planner: Goal Planning pagesSterling Ink Common Planner: Year at a glance viewSterling Ink Common Planner: Quarterly goal plannerSterling Ink Common Planner: Month on two pagesSterling Ink Common Planner: Week on one page with notes pageSterling Ink Common Planner: black grid pages with page numbers
The Sterling Ink Common Planer adds in yearly overviews, quarterly goal setting and habit tracking pages as well as the more expected month on two pages and weekly (horizontal on one page with a page for notes) pages.
Owl Planner: year at a glance viewsOwl Planner: month on two pages viewOwl Paper Planner: vertical week on two pagesOwl Paper Planner: blank gird pages with page numbers
The Owl Paper Planner does not add as many pre-printed pages, just a few yearly overview pages, monthly calendar on two pages and then weekly (vertical format) on two pages.
Aura Estelle offers yearly overview, monthly tracker pages, month on two pages and then dated daily pages (similar to the traditional Hobonichi Techo but without extraneous quotes). Of the planners shown here today, the Aura Estelle is the only one that offers dated daily pages besides a Hobonichi Techo (not shown).
Comparing the Sterling Ink N1-H Common Planner to a Traveler’s Notebook (standard size)
I won’t belabor the Hobonichi Weeks layouts as I assume most people have seen the interior layouts (monthly calendar pages followed by horizontal week on a page with a page for notes).
If you like the aesthetics and layouts of the Sterling Ink, they have many other sizes. The N1 H Compact that I got is the size of a standard Traveler’s Notebook insert. The N2 size is more comparable to the Hobonichi Weeks size so be aware of that if you decide to purchase one. Sterling Ink has an array of size options so if you are looking for more unique sizes like A5 Slim, passport or even B5, they may have what you are looking for. To be honest, I was almost overwhelmed by all the options. Books could also feature foil edges or not.
Aura Estelle offers just A5 and B6. Those are pretty popular common sizes so if you like the formats it may be easier to make a selection.
Owl Paper only offers an A5 undated and a B6 dated for 2026.
I didn’t deep dive into the cover colors or materials. Hobonichi, particularly for the Weeks, offers dozens of color options. Aura Estelle, Owl Paper and Sterling Ink offer a small palette of colors for their covers. I feel like if you don’t like the cover colors, its easy enough to either make a wrap for the cover or put the planner into a fabric or leather cover since these are all fairly common size options.
My final opinions:
I am not a fan of the paper Aura Estelle chose to use for their 2026 planners. I a so grateful to Marcia for sending it to me to try. It is too slick for me personally but I know a lot of people will be thrilled with a smoother, thin paper option in a planner.
I love the size of the Hobonichi Weeks but I definitely think I will prefer the brighter white paper in the Sterling Ink Common Planner (I just wish I hadn’t gotten the larger TN-sized N1).
Sterling Ink Planner
I really like the floppy feel of both the Owl Paper and Sterling Ink covers. They have lovely textured covers and while they might not be sturdy enough to be carried without a protective exterior cover, I appreciate that there is not a lot of added bulk with these covers. I wish I liked the vertical weekly layout more because I would be 100% in on the Owl Paper planner if I was.
Owl PaperPlanner
So, in my dream world, I would have the Sterling Ink design aesthetic with foil edging and austere grey cover, with the lighter grid from the Owl Paper in a Hobonichi Weeks size. I guess the closest I would get would be to purchase a N2 version but the gird lines are still a little darker than I prefer. Since the version of the Owl Paper Planner only takes me to the end of 2025, I can play with it over the next few weeks and see if I can learn a way to use the vertical weekly layout. I still have the Sterling Ink N1 Common Planner as a fallback. (Did I just suggest I had a “fallback planner”?!?! What have I become?)
Do you have make or break elements in a planner/journal?
DISCLAIMER: Some items included in this review were provided free of charge for the purpose of review. Some items were purchased with funds from our amazing Patrons. You can help support this blog by joining our Patreon. Please see the About page for more details.
This week, I’m excited to share the work of my amazing friend, Donovan Beeson. I met Donovan after I left Chicago (bummer!) when she was working on her Letter Writers Alliance project. Donovan is a fabulous illustrator, and shares my love with derelict office equipment and forgotten art supplies. We also both have a history as comic book counter help. Destined to be friend!
Over the years, her love of all things postally-related has turned into a Patreon project called Selvage. With Selvage she has expanded her love of postal experiments has expanded into a community where she shows her works in progress as well as other creative projects. Every month, she creates at least one artistamp to share with supporters. The themes and artistic techniques vary, but there is a strong passion for the postal service, the written word, and the natural world.
Anyone who joins her Patreon at a specific level will even get a block or whole sheet of her artistamps — awesome mail every month! She often provides printables for letter writing which are wonderful too!
I have a lot to say about this week’s link of the week, a follow-up for left-handed writers based on a previous article in The Strategist about favorite pens. Oh, I have opinions. Lots of opinions. If you want to hear more, be sure to subscribe to our Patreon because next week, I’ll spill the tea. Until then, can use guess where I agreed and where I disagreed?
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I’m always on the hunt for interesting things that span my multiple interests. So when Ana pointed me to Lamy Global’s Instagram post about a crocheted lanyard for a Lamy fountain pen, I was all over it. You could even make it match the color of the year? For those without Instagram accounts, I’m adding the photos here. Even your fountain pen deserves to be cozy!
