In Paper Review

Giveaway: Galen Leather Co. EveryDay Books

Posted on 103 Comments

Review by Laura Cameron

I love all the Galen Leather Co. products I have tried, so when I received a handful of their new EveryDay notebooks to review I was super excited.

We’ll start with the complete set. The A5 EveryDay Book set ($32.00) includes three A5 notebooks, guide sheets, a leather blotter and a fun zippered case. Each A5 notebook is filled with 128 pages of blank 52gsm Tomoe River paper. The covers are made of cardstock and are handbound (stitched). The notebooks themselves measure 5.7 x 8.25″ (14.5 x 21 cm).

The paper is, in a word, lovely. It is thin, but sturdy. The ink dries fairly quickly and while there is a bit of ghosting on the reverse side, there’s no bleeding through or feathering.

But if A5 size isn’t your jam, there are tons of other sizes: passport, pocket, regular (Traveler Notebook sized), B5 and B6.

So now for the giveaway. You are entering to win:

  • TWO A5 notebooks + guides + leather blotter courtesy of Galen Leather (we’re sorry to break up the set but we used the third A5 notebook to test and the zippered pouch had an unfortunate ink exploding incidient)
  • TWO Regular notebooks + leather blotter courtesy of Vanness Pen Shop

TO ENTER: Leave a comment below and tell us what your favorite paper is! Play along and type in something. It makes reading through entries more interesting, okay? One entry per person.

If you have never entered a giveaway or commented on the site before, your comment must be manually approved by our highly-trained staff of monkeys before it will appear on the site. Our monkeys are underpaid and under-caffeinated so don’t stress if your comment does not appear right away. Give the monkeys some time.

FINE PRINT: All entries must be submitted by 10pm CST on Friday, March 13, 2020. All entries must be submitted at wellappointeddesk.com, not Twitter, Tumblr or Facebook, okay? Winner will be announced on Monday. Winner will be selected by random number generator from entries that played by the rules (see above). Please include your actual email address in the comment form so that I can contact you if you win. I will not save email addresses or sell them to anyone — pinky swear. If winner does not respond within 7 days, I will draw a new giveaway winner. Shipping via USPS first class is covered. Additional shipping options or insurance will have to be paid by the winner. We are generous but we’re not made of money. US and APO/AFO only, sorry.

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103 comments

  1. I am not sure I have a favorite paper brand i just like something smooth that my rapidograph pen flows easily across.

  2. I love the paper in my Barron Fig. I have never tried Tomoe River so I can’t say if I like it or not. But would love to try it

  5. I love dotted paper, since it gives me a good guidance for sketching and writing. Midori refill paper is my favorite so far.

  6. I’m pretty easy to please with paper. But I keep coming back to Tomoe River, it’s pretty delightful.

  8. I’ve just recently discovered a love for all things stationery, so I don’t have a lot of paper experience yet, but I just got a Hobonichi Techo Weeks a few days ago and I’m in LOVE with the Tomoe River paper. I think it’s 52gsm, but I don’t yet know what that means! It works great with my new fountain pen and my new gel pens and my new rollerball pens… oh dear, I think I may be in trouble!

  10. I don’t have a favorite at this time. Anything smooth and creamy that doesn’t bleed will do. I’m happy to accept recommendations for a future favorite!

  12. Clairfontaine and Rhodia are my stand-bys, but Tomoe River is gaining my attention.

  14. That’s a tough one depending on what I am doing. For general writing, I enjoy Apica notebooks quite a bit, but my favorite writing experience is the paper in my Hippo notebook from their Kickstarter campaign. But, I also rely heavily on Tomoe River Paper for many projects.

  15. Tomoe River 52 grams, but I have also just discovered a new paper that I’m crazy in love with. Maruman makes a cream-colored cotton laid paper that is very lightweight (60gr) and takes ink and pencil beautifully. You can get it as a Croquis sketchbook in different sizes, but I was nuts enough to order a batch of A5 loose leaf paper directly from Japan.

  16. My favorite paper is Midori MD because I like to write on both sides of a paper, but I am eager to be converted to the side of the “blank and beautiful”

  17. Hello hello!

    My favorite paper is tomoe River paper. I have spoiled myself with my penpal letters and hobonichi techno planner- both use tomoe River paper. I love the thin crinkly tomoe River paper and it shows off all fountain pen inks so nicely. It reminds me of the airmail paper letters my grandma used to receive from our relative in Japan.

    Thanks and happy writing!
    Jenn

  18. I’m relatively new to the hard core stationery aficionado club, so I don’t have a favourite paper yet! Tomoe River paper seems held in high regard, so I would love the opportunity to try it.
    Thanks.

  23. I really like Clairefontaine. Then there are travelogue drawing journals from the Hand Book Journal Co. that have a good tooth too. Thanks for offering this fantastic giveaway ! ! !

  25. Of course my favorite is Tomoe River once I experienced it there was no going back.

  26. I love Rhodia paper – my pens just seem to glide over it, and it always shows off the ink colors so well! Found my 2013-2014 Rhodia academic planner yesterday, and was transported back to those wonderful days of sitting in meetings and doodling and writing snide comments in the Rhodia which, I’m sure, anyone else there probably thought were astute observations about the terrific (!) ideas that came up there!

  27. (whispers) I’ve never actually tried Tomoe River paper, but I have a feeling it’s what I’ve been searching for, lo, all these years…

  28. I’m more concerned with size (A5) and format (ruled) for my journal, but then I’m a novice at this. Aloha from Hawaii!!

  29. My favorite paper is whatever is in hand at a given moment, though I love dot grid sheets and dark pages for writing with white ink.

  31. TR is absolutely my favourite paper. I like to use it for drawing with my fountain pens, so I generally have to use a backing sheet and can’t use the back of each page; but it’s totally worth it.

  32. Oh man…I’m not a huge paper snob but I do love all the Tomoe River paper I’ve tried. Also I just hoarded a bunch of Rhodia notebooks so I guess I have to say that’s my favorite paper if it will inspire me to use them! 😀

  36. My favorite paper overall is origami paper. My favorite paper for writing at work is Ampad Gold Fiber legal pads. My favorite paper for my bullet journal is Rhodia.

  37. I don’t have one favorite; I have several. Tomoe River, Yoseka, Midori, Apica. I’d love to win these new notebooks – they look great.

  38. I don’t have a favourite brand yet. I haven’t started experimenting with different paper brands.

  40. I adore Tomoe River 52gm – 68 is better than almost everything else, but 52 is just stunning for sheen and shade and a notebook that has loads of pages but is thin enough to go in my fauxdori with space for other notebooks.

  43. I really can’t get away from Rhodia. The only flaw I see is that it doesn’t work very well with harder pencil leads, but I prefer 2B anyways. I guess it is so smooth that the pencil skates across the top without leaving much behind

  45. My favorite paper right now is the paper in my Leuchtturm journal, but since I’ve heard so much about Tomoe River, I am hoping to try that too!

  47. I have some paper to test – tomoe river and then a variety pack. Currently, I like Rhodia.

  48. I enjoy writing on the paper in Rhodia notebooks, particularly the Meeting Books.

  49. I love me some Midori MD. … Aaand some FC sugar-cane paper. And I just got a pad of bank paper, and the texture to that is really satisfying to write on ….

  50. Tomoe River Paper is my favourite for writing as I live the shading and sheen. However I enjoy Clairfontaine blank white pages for general note taking and the like.

  52. Baron Fig mostly. It’s a nice balance between good paper, and not so good Diamine Oxblood smudges weeks after drying (I’m looking at you Tomoe River).

  53. Hi there! I love Midori paper, also Rhodia webbook and Quo Vadis Habana paper, have never tried Tomoe River, would love to try these. The little bag is especially cute.

  54. I’m obsessed with Baron Fig and Mauruman paper. Ever since I got into pencils alongside pens, my Rhodia pads just didn’t get enough use!

  55. I am crazy about stone paper. It is such a cool surface to write on. Colors are bright and pop on the page. Super fun to use.

  56. I’m partial to Baron Fig and Rhodia. The Baron is great with pencil and Rhodia with pen.

  57. I’m really enjoying my Hippo Noto original (Tomoe River) so at the moment that is my fav but then again I’m not too experienced with all the papers. I just wish it was more white than cream.

  58. I LOVE how smooth the paper is in my Rhodia notebook. And, call me crazy, but I still love Moleskine paper too.

  59. Tomeo River paper is my favorite. I can’t resist watching my broad and stub nibs leaving wide swirls of color and also glitter and sheen.

  62. My go-to favorite is Tomoe River, but I also really love something I picked up from Wonder Pens: G Lalo Toile Imperiale. It feels so luxurious! But it doesn’t work with all nibs, so I have to match carefully.

    Thank you for the giveaway!

  63. It’s not really a good writing paper, but I like watercolor paper. It just feels nice in my hand. Toothy, kinda firm and kinda soft. Like if the paper was a bed, I’d nap on it.

  66. Well my favorite was newsprint, cause its so wonderfully cheap and burns easy when done, These fancy papers intimidate an old man, even if you can actually use a fountain pen successfully, newsprint has more feathers than a pow wow of powerful chiefs.

  67. Not sure if I have a favorite style of paper yet… Probably my most used one is Leuchterm. I had a Hobonichi planner a couple years ago, but fell out of the habit of using it (and i can’t find it now to use the remaing pages for notepaper…)
    I do know I like using graph / grid ruled paper. I used graph paper note pads for taking notes back in the 1980s.

  68. I’m sort of in love with Midori paper at the moment, although the paper in my Kokuyo soft-ring is incredible as well!

  70. Whatever paper is in my Life Noble Note. It’s buttery smooth, but not in the glossy way that I don’t care for on Clairedontaine paper.

  72. Tomoe River and Rhodia! Although lately I find myself gravitating towards finer nibs with a little bit more flexibility as far as paper goes. I am also very impressed with the paper in my William Hannah notebook!

  75. Tomoe River dot grid is my favorite paper by far! I must be shallow because I’ve fallen for all the sheen and shimmer inks and that shows it up so much better than anything else I’ve tried! Right now I’m using a Taroko Breeze but I have a couple of others stashed to move on to when I finish it.

  77. Tomoe River…in Hobonichis, Nanami’s products, various notebooks…love them to death.

  78. My favorite is the classic Rhodia 16 dot pad. Great paper and such an easy to use format.

  79. I don’t really have a favorite paper. I watercolor most of my cards on water color paper and then print them out on my printer using Stampin’ Up white paper. It seem to work pretty well with pen and ink. I would love to try this Galen paper

  80. My favorite paper is Tomoe River, and I go back and forth between the thicker and thinner versions. I also adore Apica paper, and their A6 notebooks are what dreams are made of.

  81. I haven’t tried enough papers to have a strong opinion, but I really like the paper in Clairefontaine’s 1951 notebooks. Someday I will get around to trying Tomoe River.

  82. I’m a big fan of the A5 hardbound books from Black ‘n Red! They’re a nice, bright white with no feathering or ghosting, so they’re perfect for showing off inks! My only complaint is that they only come in lined, so I only use them for journaling, not art.

  83. I began my venture into stationery recently, and so far I have enjoyed lightly gridded paper!

  84. I saw these at the #BWIPS2020 and they are really nice. Too bad about the zipper case, but I don’t really need anther case; I’m full up with Nock Co cases already!

  85. I haven’t used a lot of different papers besides conventional printer/school notebook papers, but I keep a yearly journal of random notebooks I get as gifts or such. My favorite of all I’ve used was a NorthBooks A5 notebook, 90gsm, dotted. It was pretty durable (I took it almost everywhere), just slightly off white (but not too much to bother me), and I was really happy how it handled whatever I put in/on it.

  86. My favorite paper is without a doubt Tomoe River. I can’t get enough of it. I just got some loose A3 sheets, and I’m having lots of fun with it.

  87. I love Tomoe River but for as much as I write it can be cost prohibitive. So when I’m not writing in my Rocketbook (to save trees) I bust out my fountain pens and my 90gsm Black n’ Red Notebooks.

  88. Hi I would like to enter please! Im new to the world of notebooks and such so I don’t have a favorite paper, but I really like thicker cream colored paper that has a bit of texture!

  89. I’m gonna say the Claire Fontaine Triomphe is my favorite paper! I just got a pad and love it. I got some Midori paper and it’s beautiful but has more feedback than I like

  90. Honestly, I love Leuchtturm paper. People generally love it or hate it, and I’m on the love side.

  91. Currently, and surprisingly, my favorite paper is the 100 gsm stuff in the Wal-Mart Exceed line of notebooks! I’m also a big fan of the Black N’ Red A5 notebooks.

  92. I love rhodia notebooks and paper from midori/travelers notebook, and would like to try tomoe river paper too.

  93. my favorite today is my compoco pocket notebook! just started using it today 🙂

  95. My favourite paper depends on what I am writing. I love the Tomoe River for the way is showcases shimmer and sheen, but prefer Rhodia for when I want to write on both sides of the sheet. For sketching or painting with ink, thicker papers are the way to go.

    Rutg

  96. I don’t have enough experience in the pen and paper world to know my favorite paper … yet. I do know I really like the Lamy notebook I just bought for my fountain pen (which I’m using for a daily journal). I do also like my Baron Fig notebook with my Pilot Hi-Tec-C Coleto for my daily/weekly task lists (sort of bullet journal).

    I guess I just need a blank notebook to test for drawing now! 😉

  97. I really like the Idea notebooks that have Tomoe River paper in them. The tiny grid is perfect for my tiny writing.

  99. For writing I love Tomoe River paper – and I like that if the mood strikes you can add some watercolor as well. For sketching I’ve enjoyed the Stillman and Birn zeta and alpha papers as well as good old canson mixed media.

  100. I like all paper and notebooks, especially if Japanese [love pads of lined air mail paper]!

  101. The paper I use the most is Apica CD15, comes in B5 size and has narrow line spacing. I use Clairefontaine notebooks too, but the wide line spacing is off putting for me. I have a Midori and some Baron Fig notebooks waiting in the wings.

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