The Well-Appointed Desk

Paper Review: Other Leuchtturm 1917 Notebook Options (Part 1 of 3: Whitelines Link)

Originally, my plan was too include THREE different Leuchtturm 1917 notebooks in one post but it was going to be way too much for one post. So, this will be part one of three.

Most pen enthusiasts are familiar with Leuchtturm 1917 notebooks. Leuchtturm 1917 is often considered the step-up from a Moleskine and a favorite with Bullet Journalers since the light dot grid lends itself to building page spreads. What might be surprising is that there are other options available from Leuchtturm other than the standard (AKA classic) paper/dot design. Of course, Leuchtturm offers lined and blank papers as well as their beloved dot grid and they even have a sketchbook option now. But I’m not covering those in this series. No, I am going to be talking about the Whitelines notebooks, the Bauhaus Edition and the new 120gsm editions.

To start, I am going to review the Leuchtturm 1917 Whitelines Link edition (A6 Pocket, $13.46USD). Whitelines Link was originally created to be Leuchtturm’s answer to an analog-digital solution, the paper is pale grey with white dots. While the notebook came with instructions for using the digital syncing options, I was more interested in the potential of the subtle grey paper with white dots.

The Whitelines Link notebook comes with all the same features that other Leuchtturm 1917 notebooks feature: back gusseted pocket, ribbon bookmark with finished ends, stickers to use for archiving your notebook, elastic band, perforated pages in the back and assorted promotional sheets. The A6-sized notebook only had one bookmark compared with the two ribbon bookmarks included in the A5-sized notebooks.

In the corners of the pages are QR-style icons which help to align and square pages when scanning or photographing them to use with a digital app like Dropbox or Evernote.

The notebook came with a booklet explaining the process and development of the analog-to-digital system.

But like I said earlier, I was more interested in the paper and the grey with white dots design and how it might perform in a strictly analog method.

The short answer to this question is: not well. What I didn’t realize was that the process for making the paper grey was to print the entire sheet and leave the white of the paper exposed. As a result, there is an inky coating over the whole page. Most printing inks are oil- or plastic-based making water-based inks like fountain pen and rollerball inks resist the surface.

(Think or those drawings you might have done as a kid where you drew with crayon and then went over the page with a watercolor paint. Same theory applies here except the whole page is covered with a waxy film.)

The paper seems to also be a slightly different texture to the standard Leuchtturm paper or the process of printing on the entirety of each sheet altered the paper. Fountain pen inks bled and showed through in ways I haven’t experienced before with Leuchtturm.

In testing other non-fountain pens, some of that some resist behavior I experienced with the fountain pens was apparent with felt tip and brush pens. I also had a run of dead or dried up pens. Honestly, I started to wonder if this post was cursed!

There was less showthrough and bleedthrough with the non-fountain pens which was somewhat heartening. Because of the toothier quality of the paper, pencils performed particularly well and, of course, if you prefer a ballpoint pen, this paper would be just fine.

I extended my fountain pen tests to verify that the results were not specific to one particular ink. There is clearly evidence of the ink resisting the paper and makes the ink look lighter, and kind of blotted. I can;t think of any other way to describe the subtle voids in the strokes.

Further non-fountain pen tests revealed that most water-based inks like rollerball pens could bleedthrough.

All-in-all, I would not recommend the Whitelines Link to fountain pen enthusiasts. Even if you are looking for a method to digitize your notebooks, I believe there is probably other methods that can be used that would allow use of good paper and pens and STILL be able to digitize your notebooks. This initial foray into the Leuchtturm 1917 “other notebooks” was a huge disappointment. I’m glad I didn’t invest in the larger, more expensive A5 version of the Whitelines Link. Let’s hope Part 2 & 3 of this review series will be a little brighter.

DISCLAIMER: Some items featured in this review 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.

In feature

New Sailor Inks

AnaMarch 10, 2022March 10, 20225 Comments

This post comes with a warning. There are mind-altering inks presented here and we cannot be responsible if they break your head. Also, these inks are sold out everywhere right now so you may be required to wait for the next shipment to arrive at your retailer of choice. I purchased my ink from Dromgoole’s who is also sold out but will be restocking as soon as such stock arrives.

Sailor introduced yet another line of inks recently – the Yurameku line. Yurameku consists of nine inks: Kyokku, Kyokuya, Kitsune Biyori, Byakuya, Amamoyoi, Itezora, Seki, Yoi, and Kangyou. The boxes lull you into thinking you know the color of the ink inside. This may be the last time you know anything about the actual color of these inks.

You see, you can’t actually put a color name to most of these inks. You may think you can. You are wrong.

My journey with the Yurameku line began late one night when I came across a post on Reddit where an individual had shown a few ink swatches. It took a while to track down any retailer who had these inks, but I eventually found a store in Australia that had them in stock. The next day I went to order them. They were sold out.

* My first quick look at the Yurameku inks when I received them. Tomoe River paper.

Same page, different light. These photos were taken one after another, so the ink was at the same point in drying.

I eagerly awaited these inks to be stocked by my closer, US-based retailers. And waited. And checked daily. Sometimes more than once a day. These inks took their sweet time showing up in the US.

At first, I purchased the three inks I found the most interesting from the nine. As with the most recent inks from Sailor, the Yurameku inks are so pricey – $20 for an 18mL bottle of ink. An ink that costs over $1 per mL. Three colors were more than enough for now, right? Within half an hour I had purchased the rest of the line. Goodbye, self-control.

* Four of the Yurameku inks on Tomoe River paper

Inking up four pens, I started testing the ink on various paper types and Tomoe River and Cosmo Air Light are always my first choices.

Do you remember in Mary Poppins (the first one – it’s old but I grew up with it) when everyone takes a spoonful of medicine after being out in the rain? Each person gets a different color of liquid from the same bottle.

That was the same experience I had with the Yurameku inks – each paper showed the ink as a different color. These inks look different on the same paper when they are under different lighting conditions. Not only that, but the color changed as I wrote. It changed as it dried. It changed after it dried. It changed in the middle of a sentence.

* Same ink, same pens, same lighting, same order on Cosmo Air Light paper

So I’m sorry to report to you that I cannot tell you the color of these inks. I thought trying to describe the color of multi-chromatic or chromo-shading inks was tough. What color is Sailor 123? What color is Sailor 162? How about Troublemaker Petrichor? How naive I was.

At this point, the name for the ink line – Yurameku – suddenly makes sense. The name translates to shimmering, but not like sparkle. Shimmering as in flickering or shifting. Shaking, tremoring, jolting, vibration. Yurameku is the perfect description for the ink.

My first attempt at communicating the true color of the Yrameku inks – comparing the swatched inks to the package color:

Sailor did a good job at communicating the overall color of each ink, but couldn’t capture the breadth of the color.

I tried.

That’s how I now know less about the color of these inks. I tried to match them to colors that most people have seen or have perhaps used in order to give everyone an idea of the color.

I settled on grouping the inks and showing several colors that were close.

Kangyou and Kyokkou:

Byakuya, Seki, and Kitsune Biyori:

Itezora and Byokuya (again):

Amamoyoi, Kyokuya, Yoi:

Yurameku inks on Tomoe River paper:

Same inks on Cosmo Air Light paper:

I promise those are the same inks.

Cosmo Air Light paper on the left, Tomoe River paper on the right.

int!

DISCLAIMER: The ink included in this review was 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.

In Link Love

Link Love: Letter Love

AnaMarch 9, 2022March 9, 20222 Comments

When I opened my new PO Box, I asked you lovely readers to send me a card or note and you all came through with flying colors! I checked my box to discover it was chock full of delightful cards and notes. I can’t thank you all enough for making my day and filling my mailbox with happy, good mail. Every note that included a return address will receive a reply. For those who didn’t include a return address, allow me to thank you here. If you sent a card and you’d like to receive a reply, use the Ask The Desk link to drop me a message with your address and I’ll try to reply soon.

Link Love this week reminds me that I always define wet and dry inks backwards. I think of wet inks as “watery” and hence more likely to be shaders, etc. MNMLScholar reminds me that wet inks are actually the other inks — and dry inks are the ones that dry faster like shading inks. I don’t know why the terminology always leaves me so befuddled. Let me know if I am still missing the concept.

Finally, Dapprman reminds us that not everyone in Russia supports the invasion of Ukraine, including our pen pals, BENU. It reminds me that politicians and governments often do things that we, as citizens, do not agree. However, we are not always in a position to do anything to change their minds that might not also put us at risk. I’m not saying that there are not causes worth fighting for but being imprisoned or killed because one opposes government decisions is not a situation many of us have experienced. Just be cautious in condemning those who have not spoken out against Russia, especially if they have connections to or live in Russia.

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In photo

Life Hack: Washi Tape Storage

Laura CameronMarch 8, 2022March 7, 202211 Comments

Sometimes at the end of the day instead of doomscrolling I flip over to TikTok with the idea of watching a few inane videos. But every now and again something catches my attention and I’m sure my husband is tired of me saying “hey I saw this great hack on TikTok.”

We all have washi tape right? Fun, colorful, inexpensive by the roll, you can’t stash just one? Well what do you do when your washi tape stash gets out of control? Sure there are storage systems you can buy, but what if you could make your own?

I’ve been waiting (im)patiently to share this one until I finished my most recent roll of aluminum foil. I think this would work better if I got a dowel from the hardware store to run through the center of the rolls, but it’s pretty brilliant right? All stored neatly in one place, an upcycled sturdy container we all buy from time to time, and you can use the serrated edge to get a nice clean tear on your tape. I used a bit of leftover bubble wrap to fill the end, but I’m sure that’s a temporary fix until I order 10 more rolls, right?

In Pencil Review

Colored Pencil Review: Uni EMOTT Color Mechanical Pencils

AnaMarch 7, 2022March 7, 20223 Comments

Review by Tina Koyama

Whenever I see colored leads for mechanical pencils, I have a two-fold reaction: The first is to feel tingly with anticipation as I always do about any colored pencil I haven’t (yet) tried. This feeling is almost immediately followed by skepticism, which is an annoying but realistic buzz-kill. I’ve tried many colored mechanical pencil leads with woefully pale hues; I have concluded that it must be much more difficult to make a good colored pencil lead when it’s not surrounded by wood. Yet hope springs eternal: I couldn’t resist trying Uni EMOTT Color Mechanical Pencils (set of 4/$13.50). The sets are available in three color palettes; I chose Tropical. Each set includes eight 0.9mm refill leads.

I also picked up a pack of refill leads in each of the other two color palettes – Nostalgic and Refresh (8 pieces/$2.95) – because I needed to see all the colors, of course. The refill packs include two leads each of four colors.

First, I must say something about the design. With a white matte plastic barrel in a unique rounded-square shape, the EMOTT pencil is slender and lightweight. Pressing the white-capped colored segment extends the lead. Removing the cap reveals an eraser, which is also square like the barrel. After so many engineer-y or utilitarian mechanical pencils, it is a refreshing delight to see this distinctive design. And – be still, my heart – it’s lefty-oriented!

The EMOTT set comes with a small stand that holds four mechanical pencils and a refill vial. When each is replaced in its slot, the pencil is secured with a satisfying click (though they do wobble a bit after securing).

So tickled was I with the design that I was almost afraid to use the leads for fear my bubble would be burst. With some trepidation, I pulled out a scrap sheet of Strathmore Bristol (a smooth drawing paper) to make some test swatches. To my surprise, the hues are vibrant and distinct – among the best I’ve seen in a non-woodcased colored pencil.

The second surprise came with erasing. I tested the EMOTT’s eraser against my standby favorite, the Tombow Mono Zero retractable eraser. The EMOTT eraser did as well or even slightly better, even where the color was heavily applied. Interestingly, when I tried the EMOTT eraser on other colored pencils, its performance was only average. It seems like the eraser was especially formulated to work well with EMOTT leads.

EMOTT leads smudge a little, especially on slightly toothy paper (swatches below were made on Col-o-Ring “Oversize” paper).

Satisfied that the colors wouldn’t break my heart, I looked out my studio window on a wet, dreary day and made a sketch that was a lot brighter than what I saw (made in Col-o-Ring “Oversize” book). Coloring with mechanical pencils feels different from coloring with woodcased pencils, but the 0.9mm leads are solid under my heavy hand, even with substantial pressure. They are not going to snap as so many thinner leads do, at least in my hand.

Hard yet with decent pigment, EMOTT colored leads are excellent for writing as well as sketching. Even if you don’t have coloring in mind, these would be a fun checking or editing pencil, especially since it erases well.

Tina Koyama is an urban sketcher in Seattle. Her blog is Fueled by Clouds & Coffee, and you can follow her on Instagram as Miatagrrl.

DISCLAIMER: The 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.

In Ink Review

Our Favorite Inks: Platinum Carbon Black

AnaMarch 4, 2022March 2, 20229 Comments

After writing about cartridges last week, I got to thinking about my favorite inks and have decided to start a series “Our Favorite Inks”. And while I would never presume to rank these inks in any sort of order (would you rank your children?) I knew I should start with one of my all-time favorite: Platinum Carbon Black ($25 per 60ml bottle or $3.50 for a pack of 4 cartridges).

Why would I choose this ink for my first favorite ink? Because if I were in a situation where I needed to re-acquire all my inks, PCB (not Panama City Beach but Platinum Carbon Black) would be one of the first, if not THE first, inks I re-bought.

There are two reasons for this. First, everyone needs a black ink. I know we always say we want COLOR but there are occasions when nothing but black will do. Second, sometimes we need a permanent ink. Often times the need for black and permanent go hand-in-hand — like signing important documents. So, done. PCB solves both problems.

I am a devotee of the Platinum Desk Pen (formerly known as the Platinum CARBON Desk Pen). It’s extra fine nib and low price make it the perfect pen to keep a black waterproof ink loaded ALL THE TIME. The extra fine nib also makes writing on some of those lower quality copy papers a bit easier to handle since the fine nib doesn’t spread as badly as a big, broad firehose nib.

Also, that itty bitty, extra fine nib uses very little ink making a cartridge last for months or even years, even with regular use.

I’ve had it suggested that other blacks were more waterproof but I’ve not seen any proof of this. I SOAKED the page above (Rhodia paper) and the ink didn’t budge. It took hours for the water to dry and the ink looks just as crisp as when I wrote it. I am sure there are some paper stocks with different textures or coatings that may cause your mileage to vary but if the ink has been allowed to dry at least 10 minutes or so under normal atmospheric conditions (not super cold or not super humid) you should have similar waterproof results.

As for cleaning pens, I’ve done several test with allowing PCB to dry inside a pen and had it rinse clean in a short amount of time. If you let a pen sit for years with dried PCB, you may need to get some pen cleaner or an ultrasonic cleaner to help make the process easier but I’ve never had trouble cleaning out the ink or getting a pen restarted after a hard start (usually a result of leaving a pen sit for weeks or months).

So, if you haven’t added a bottle of PCB to your collection, I recommend you remedy that. The cartridges are Platinum proprietary so only purchase those if you plan to use them in a Platinum pen.

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.

In feature, Ink Review

Ink Review: Monarca Part 1

Jessica ColesMarch 3, 2022March 3, 20221 Comment

Another new ink manufacturer has entered the arena – Monarca. I was recently sent a collection of these inks to review. Since the ink line is so new, it can be hard to find retailers who carry Monarca but you can currently find this ink at Dromgoole’s.

I’m starting with the first three inks: Cielo Cruel, Rey Jaguar, and Tierra Colorada.

According to their packaging, the colors chosen by Monarca were inspired by Mexico. The first ink today, Cielo Cruel, represents a cloudless day that will bring no rain – a “cruel sky”. Cielo Cruel is a rich, shading medium blue that leans toards the purple end of the color. It is in the same group of colors that include many blue-black inks but a few shades lighter.

The second ink today is Tierra Colorada, referencing the red soil of Northern Mexico. Every time I’ve written this out, I need to force myself not to spell out Colorado instead! Tierra Colorada is a bit lighter than Monteverde Canyon Rust and is a good shading ink. The reddish brown ink is subtly different from most office inks but would still be appropriate in a professional setting.

Monarca Rey Jaguar is the last ink I’ll be covering in this post. This is a special edition ink, named in reference to the King Jaguar, is a a run of only 600 bottles and Monarca states that a significant portion of the profits from Rey Jaguar will go to habitat restoration campaigns.

Rey Jaguar is a lovely shading golden brown ink with gold sparkle. It is a bit more saturated than Callifolio Yalumba and lighter than Diamine Golden Brown. The sparkle in the ink fell out of suspension a bit quicker than I expected, but didn’t need much aggitation to resuspend. The flow was a bit on the wet side – a pleasant change from sparkle inks that tend to run dry. My dip nib was the issue with the blob on my card below!

The sparkle in Rey Jaguar is bright when it catches the light. This swatch is shown on Tomoe River paper:

This swatch is on Cosmo Air Light paper.

Although I’ve only covered three inks today, I’ve included all nine Monarca inks, first on Tomoe River paper:

And again on Cosmo Air Light paper.:

In order to see the difference in color, shading, and texture between the two paper types, here is a photo of Monarca inks on both Cosmo Air Light paper (left) and Tomoe River paper (right).

There is a little surprise Monarca includes with each ink . Each bottle is packaged with it’s own wooden bottle holder/pen rest. A small bit of foam has been attached to the inside of the bottle holder so it keeps the bottle held securely – I was able to lift both the holder and bottle out of the box together. I appreciate this innovative detail that makes the packaging useful!

The cost of Monarca inks varies from $20 to $29 for 30mL (and a pen rest), bringing the ink to $0.67 to $1 per mL. While still not as expensive as some specialty inks, the price is on the higher end. However, the color and quality of the ink will not disappoint!

Pens:

Ink:

Pencils:

Notebooks & Paper:

Art & Creativity:

Other Interesting Things: